What’s Happening: The American home furnishings juggernaut recently pulled back the curtain on an extravagant new gallery in the English Cotswolds, but questions about the brand’s viability in the European market remain.

The Download: There’s something boldly American about RH, the home furnishings giant formerly known as Restoration Hardware, a purveyor of sprawling greige sectionals that look tailor-made for Texas McMansions. But what about quaint English country cottages or compact London flats? Gary Friedman, the brand’s bullish CEO, is optimistic there’s a niche within the British market for RH’s distinct mid-luxury appeal. He recently pulled back the curtain on one of the brand’s most over-the-top moves yet: a furniture gallery inside a lavish 17th-century manor in the Cotswolds.

London may seem a more sensible choice for RH to enter the British market, but lately Friedman has leaned into risk. Few furniture brands can say they also sell $65 wagyu sandwiches at “caviar lairs,” operate ritzy members clubs in Aspen, or have enlisted AD’s former top brass to helm its media arm. Expansion across the pond seems a natural next step, and the 55,000-square-foot manor at Aynho Park offers exactly the sort of enveloping experience Friedman wants RH to represent. Rooms showcasing the brand’s array of high-end furnishings neighbor the RH Interior Design Studio, an “interactive space” featuring a design library. True to form, there will also be three restaurants.

RH has a knack for breathing new life into old landmarks—see their spaces in Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago—but Aynho Park’s scale is unprecedented. The photos might be breathtaking, but is a major brand-value investment in an uncertain market worth it?

Friedman may already have an answer: Galleries in London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Düsseldorf, and Brussels are slated to open in the next two years. Whispers of RH’s brashness ill-suited for European sensibilities spread at the gallery’s star-studded opening party, which seems apt given how “insanity” is quite literally baked into the project. That and missed revenue goals perhaps stand to rub investors the wrong way: “If Gary is wrong about all this Europe stuff,” an unnamed investor said, “he’s going to have problems.”

In Their Own Words: “When [Friedman] started opening up big stores with restaurants in them, everyone said it was crazy, and it worked,” veteran journalist Warren Shoulberg, who has tracked RH’s ups and downs over the decades, told Business of Home. “I suspect what will happen here is he’ll open up big stores with restaurants in them in Europe, everyone will say it’s crazy, and then it will work.”

Surface Says: Might we recommend opening RH galleries in the bustling markets near Norway’s Witch Tower, the Czech Republic’s Church of Bones, and Turkmenistan’s Door to Hell?

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Known until recently as Menu, Audo Copenhagen is a century-old staple of Danish design. A recent merger with By Lassen—the home of Danish greats Mogens Lassen and Flemming Lassen—has put the brand in standout company since debuting its moniker at NYCxDesign. The company has upped the ante in time for NeoCon, debuting a Chicago showcase apartment in partnership with Beni Rugs. Warm, softly lit interiors create an enviable backdrop for furnishings by heritage names such as Ib Kofod-Larsen and Vilhelm Lauritzen, along with contemporary pieces by Norm Architects, Colin King, and Audo’s own Danielle Siggerud.

Visit Audo in Chicago through June 14 between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. at 953 W Fulton Market, Apt C, 60607.

Housed in a former private home on the bustling Avenida Horacio, fashion designer Sandra Weil’s new store is an urban oasis that echoes its surroundings in Polanco, Mexico City’s hub of fashion and culture. Crafted by local firm Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA), a showpiece spiral staircase beckons shoppers into a world of monochromatic hues, an immersive journey through rooms adorned in deep greens, warm browns, and pristine whites.

Each room is a testament to PPAA’s meticulous attention to detail and a bold celebration of natural elements. In the brown rooms, the rugged charm of natural jute floor coverings and textured walls serves as a warm backdrop for Weil’s designs. A suspended tree trunk showcasing handbags weaves an intriguing narrative of urban-nature fusion. Orange geometric tables, strategically placed, draw attention to accessories and jewelry, offering an eclectic contrast to the earthy palette.

The marble-clad white room plays host to an imposing gray boulder, a geological masterpiece reflected in the full-length mirrors. Its raw ruggedness stands in stark contrast to the romantic silhouettes of clothes that line the racks, creating a dynamic interplay of textures. The green rooms pay homage to nature in the most literal sense, with potted plants doubling as hat hangers and tree stumps serving as rustic display pedestals. Overlooking Parque América, a plant-laden Juliette balcony adds a touch of outdoor serenity.

After gaining valuable experience at some of London’s most well-respected architecture and design practices, Tom Parker made his way back to the United States to further cut his teeth at Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and eventually co-found his burgeoning firm Fettle. Now celebrating its tenth year, Fettle has amassed a bold-faced roster of cutting-edge boutique projects—Olivetti in West Hollywood, The Hoxton properties in Portland and Rome, the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, and The Malin in New York—that are all united by a keen sense of storytelling and nostalgia.

Each hand-painted canvas by the Miami local is a reflection of his Middle Eastern heritage, referencing the intricate details found in Persian carpets, mosques, and traditional Islamic art.

Here, we ask an artist to frame the essential details behind one of their latest works.

Bio: Jason Seife, 33, Miami.

Title of work: Everything In Its Right Place (2023).

Where to see it: Pérez Art Museum Miami until March 17.

Three words to describe it: Symmetry, harmony, duality.

What was on your mind at the time: I wanted to create a work that felt kaleidoscopic in nature, something that would utilize the ornamentation my work is known for but composed in a way that felt a bit further removed from their traditional “carpet”-styled compositions.

The LVMH Prize for Young Designers, or LVMH Prize in short, was created a decade ago by Surface cover star Delphine Arnault. The cash prize—this year’s sum was 400,000 euros ($429,000)—along with executive mentorship opportunities and the star power of LVMH’s network is unlike anything else in the industry, earning it the moniker of “prince maker” for its ability to catapult winners to stardom. Look no further than the meteoric rise of past winners Simon Porte Jacquemus, Marine Serre, and Grace Wales Bonner.

This year’s jury included LVMH artistic directors Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Stella McCartney, Nigo, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, as well as Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie and Sidney Toledano. Satoshi Kuwata, a 39-year-old Japanese designer and Givenchy alumnus, was selected as this year’s winner from a pool of 2,400 applicants. As Arnault recounted, the jury’s decision was unanimous: “He did an exceptional presentation,” she told Vogue. “Two jury members wanted to buy his jacket. He has a lot of talent and a promising future. Everyone was pretty convinced.”

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With a history that spans more than 100 years, Georg Jensen represents craftsmanship and timeless design, with lifestyle products ranging from watches and jewelry to home goods.

Surface Says: From silverware and cutlery to jewelry, Georg Jensen’s reverence for artisanal skill translates across mediums. The purveyor of fine silversmithing references nature and simple Nordic living in its designs, keeping the founder’s aesthetic values alive.

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