How the NYCxDESIGN Festival 2025 proclaims that 'Design is for Everyone'

Democratic design. Equitable design. Design that is designed for everyone, by everyone. This spirit pulses through the NYCxDESIGN Festival 2025, which opens today with its pertinent theme, Design is for Everyone—a belief and a call to action that champions inclusivity, access and creative expression for all, through and with design. From May 15 – 21, 2025, the design event returns to New York City with a promising, faceted array of 280+ events in diverse design disciplines activating all five boroughs, including Hudson Yards, SoHo, Dumbo, Javits Center, Harlem, Domino Park, Central Park, Roosevelt Island and more. As the press statement affirms, "Design is core to New York City's identity and creative DNA."

From curated group shows reconsidering what design can be and who gets to define it, to a kick-off party at The Refinery at Domino and Dumbo, NYC's newest design district, NYCxDESIGN's edition this year brings together thousands of global design leaders, innovators and enthusiasts for a week-long celebration of creativity, community and inspiration. The festival, creating its own ecosystem in the city, underscores design's essential role in everyday life, aligning with its mission to make design a shared and transformative experience. "This year's unifying theme, Design is for Everyone, exemplifies NYCxDESIGN's commitment to inclusivity and the power of design to create a positive impact for all," the non-profit 501 (c) (3) organisation reiterates.

"The NYCxDESIGN Festival is more than a showcase of our city's extraordinary creative talent—it is a powerful unifier of the many design disciplines that make up the largest design community in the world," says Ilene Shaw, executive director of NYCxDESIGN. "Together, the Festival's diverse and dynamic events reflect the energy, innovation and boundless creativity that define New York City. By bringing designers, brands and visionaries from around the globe into conversation and collaboration, we are not only defining Design and its future—we are creating extraordinary bonds right now because design is for everyone."

"This year's theme is more than a unifying statement—it's a commitment. As the Festival has continued to grow, we've been intentional about broadening our program tracks to reflect the incredible diversity of New York's design community across disciplines, cultures and experience levels. This year we've placed a greater emphasis on community-based projects and public programming that meet people where they are—whether that's through neighborhood installations across all five boroughs, closely working with design schools, newly partnering with Harlem and DUMBO, or exhibitions like xSouvenir—the latter, featuring 73 NYC inspired works by local designers that offers something for everyone. Our goal was to create a Festival that truly feels open, welcoming and reflective of the city it serves," Shaw tells STIR.

Below is STIR's selection of design exhibitions and fairs that exemplify this year's theme and should be on your radar as the city's week-long celebration of creativity begins.

Presentations by Design Studios and Galleries:

OUTSIDE/IN
by Hello Human and Lyle Gallery
Date: May 13 – June 1, 2025
Location: Lyle Gallery, Chinatown, New York City, 24 Rutgers St, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10002

"What does it mean to belong in design—and who decides who’s in or out?" This inquiry underscores the 'radical' design show featuring works by 12 independent contemporary designers and artists. The showcase is ambitious in reclaiming 'outsider' status, 'not as exclusion but as empowerment', as a space of agency, identity and innovation. Through sculptural furniture designs, lighting and objects rooted in personal and cultural narratives, the show explores design as a tool for change and belonging. It aims to challenge conventional gatekeeping, spotlights underrepresented voices and celebrates radical accessibility, material experimentation and storytelling—positioning the margins as fertile ground for reimagining the future of design.

EWE Studio's US solo show
Date: May 14, 2025 (opening)
Location: Ateliers Courbet, 134 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

The Mexico City-based design atelier's US solo exhibition at Les Ateliers Courbet showcases a new body of sculptural furniture and objects inspired by Mesoamerican metallurgy. Crafted in collaboration with artisans in Puebla, Mexico, the product designs employ ancient sand-casting techniques and volcanic stone, drawing on traditions dating back 3,000 years. The show's centrepiece, a monumental mirror referencing Purépecha copper currency and spiritual symbolism, highlights the studio's mission: to preserve and elevate Mexico's artisanal heritage through contemporary designs. Each work showcased during the design week embodies cultural continuity, bridging ancestral craft with modern expression through material innovation and reverence for tradition.

Knock on Wood
by Egg Collective
Date: May 14 – June 27, 2025
Location: 151 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013

The group exhibition at Egg Collective's Tribeca gallery during the design festival is centred on contemporary artists working with wood, and explores themes of chance, material kinship and cultural reverence for trees. Referencing ancient beliefs and linguistic roots, the exhibition reexamines our relationship with wood, once seen as sacred, now often extracted. Featured artists include Natasha Alphonse, Minjae Kim, Julian Watts and others whose practices challenge extractivist mindsets and celebrate the beauty, history and spirit embedded in this timeless material.

Danny Kaplan Studio's new collections
Date: May 1 – 22, 2025
Location: Danny Kaplan’s new showroom, 417 Lafayette, 4th Floor, Manhattan's NoHo

The NY-based designer and ceramicist debuts three new collections—the Facet Metal furniture collection, Collage rug collection and Divot mirror collection—marking an ambitious expansion beyond ceramics. Showcased in his new NoHo showroom, the collections reflect Kaplan's evolving material language and sculptural sensibility. Highlights include Art Deco–inspired metal furniture, richly hued hand-knotted rug designs made in collaboration with Esha Ahmed and a playful resin mirror co-designed with Joseph Algieri. Together, these works signal a bold new direction rooted in craftsmanship, colour and cross-disciplinary creativity.

The Reveries
by Elsa Foulon
Date: May 15 – 21, 2025
Location: Galerie PHILIA, 74 Warren Street Unit 5W, New York, NY 10007

The show at Philia by self-taught designer Elsa Foulon is a celebration of form, light and the organic allure of 'dreamlike' ceramics. The ceramicist blends intuitive artistry with 20th-century decorative arts influences to create sculptural ceramics; her organic forms explore the interplay of light, texture and space, capturing the beauty of fleeting moments. Crafted in her Paris studio, each piece reflects a meditative process rooted in ancient ceramic traditions. The Reveries invites viewers into a dreamlike world of quiet intimacy and timeless craftsmanship.

NYCxDESIGN xSouvenir
Partnered with Cool Hunting and sponsored by Kikkerland Design
Date: May 15 – 21, 2025
Location: The Canvas 3.0, 185 Greenwich St, Ground Floor (C2) / South Concourse, New York

Back for a second year, the NYCxDESIGN xSouvenir exhibition returns as a standout of the NYCxDESIGN Festival. With curation and exhibit design by Boym Partners, the show reimagines the souvenir through 73 unique creations by artists, including Joey Zeledon, Karim Rashid and David Weeks. Each collectible design object reflects the energy and charm of NYC, inviting visitors to explore and purchase one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrate the city, by design.

Design Fairs and International Showcases:

Shelter
by Afternoon Light
Date: May 17 – 19, 2025
Location: Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601 West 26th Street | NYC 10001

Shelter is a new three-day design fair by Afternoon Light, a 'curated, editorialised, online destination for home décor and furniture', bringing together 100+ top brands and creatives in furniture, art and decoration. Held at Manhattan's iconic Starrett-Lehigh Building, it welcomes both trade professionals and the design-loving public. Shelter celebrates the home as a space for inspiration, connection and discovery—offering a must-see experience across design's most exciting voices, including Matter Made, ZUMBO, Tom Dixon, Moooi, The Good Plastic Company x Joe Doucet, Devin Wilde, Carl Hansen & Son and more.

ICFF + WANTED
Date: May 18 – 20, 2025
Location: Javits Center

This edition of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), themed Designing in Harmony, spotlights human-centred, multi-sensory and multicultural design. WANTED returns as a platform for emerging talent, featuring the Schools Showcase, Look Book, Launch Pad and the Design Schools Workshop. Dynamic programming includes the ICFF Awards. With a freshly reimagined floor plan and an impressive roster of international participants, ICFF 2025 (with STIR as a media partner) offers an immersive, human-centred journey through the latest in furniture, textiles, lighting designs as well as interior interventions.

Scandinavian Design Embassy debut

The Scandinavian Design Embassy’s debut at NYCxDESIGN 2025 unites Nordic nations to promote the global presence of Scandinavian design. Launching with a 'Meet the Makers' event at the Swedish Consul General's residence, the initiative highlights five visionary brands from Sweden, Finland and Norway. Rooted in values of sustainability, innovation and design excellence, the Embassy builds on the Finnish Design Embassy’s success to foster international dialogue and visibility for Nordic design through activations at embassies and consulates worldwide. Participating brands include Swedish woven flooring pioneer Bolon; contemporary design collaborative Design House Stockholm of Sweden; modular furnishings company Mizetto of Sweden; Finnish furniture innovator Made by Choice; and sustainable outdoor furniture leader Vestre of Norway.

Design Pavilion by Lexus
Date: May 10 – 19, 2025
Location: Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens, 11th Avenue and Hudson Blvd East, near Vessel

Now open at Hudson Yards, the 2025 Design Pavilion by Lexus is an immersive public exhibition presented by NYCxDESIGN. It features Lexus Ambiance, an interactive installation blending technology, design and the vibrant visuals of artist Nick Thomm. Visitors can experience Lexus vehicles reimagined as sensory art pieces, highlighting the luxury automotive brand's new creative direction. Set against the backdrop of Hudson Yards' design-forward landscape, the pavilion celebrates innovation and emotional connection through multidisciplinary design.

When asked about NYCxDESIGN's evolving role as a connector within the city's design ecosystem while broadening public participation, Shaw shares with STIR, "NYCxDESIGN continues to evolve and expand as a dynamic organisation that brings the design community together. New additions like Shelter by Afternoon Light reflect our aligned commitment to spotlighting fresh voices and creative energy from all corners of the city. This year's Design Pavilion, New York's premier public design exhibition, coincides with the Festival, offering visitors another engaging, public-facing design experience. The Keynotes bring global household brands like Coca-ColaⓇ and IBM into the conversation, spotlighting design as a strategic driver of innovation, identity and culture."