British Maker Bert & May Posts Up Stateside, Blair Moore Debuts Vintage-Tinged Furniture Line, and More News

From significant business changes to noteworthy product launches, there’s always something new happening in the world of design. In this biweekly roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.

Product Spotlight

Meet Roweam, the furniture debut from Moore House Design’s Blair Moore

Nostalgic for the days when furniture was passed down through generations as beloved heirlooms, Blair Moore, creative director and principal of the Warren, Rhode Island–based studio Moore House Design, has launched luxury furniture brand Roweam. Moore was raised on a cattle farm in the outback of Australia, and she was keen to design made-to-patina furniture that evokes such strong memories.

Her inaugural New Vintage collection encompasses nine heritage-quality pieces, produced in collaboration with local craftspeople, that span the turned-leg, white oak NBL dining table; the romantically fringed Pavilion wingback chair; and the slip-covered Italian midcentury-style Bromley sofa and matching chunky ottoman. True Vintage, on the other hand, is Roweam’s curated selection of vintage, antique furniture and accessories that celebrate timeless designs of yore.

AD PRO Hears…

…rug maker Armadillo has partnered with fellow Aussie brand Leif to develop Barefoot, a plant-based rug cleanser formulated specifically for wool floor coverings. Leaving no detail unconsidered, the duo also assembled a corresponding playlist of “effervescent anthems” for a more upbeat chore day.

…Italian appliance maker SMEG has debuted the largest model of its retro FAB Refrigerator to date. At more than six feet tall and two feet wide, the throwback-inspired FAB50 features a new internal layout equipped with an automatic ice maker and enhanced cooling technology.

…the nostalgia plays continue at Cuisinart, which debuts a reproduction of its original, sepia-tinted food processor this month in honor of the kitchen staple’s 50th anniversary.

Openings

Southern Guild to plant its flag in the US

The impetus behind Southern Guild, Cape Town’s contemporary art and design gallery founded by Trevyn and Julian McGowan in 2008, was honoring Africa’s motley cultural traditions. Come February, Southern Guild, which just partook in The Armory Show in New York, will have a permanent presence in Los Angeles, inside a historic 1920s Melrose Hill building.

Encompassing a courtyard, restaurant, and trio of exhibition spaces, the 5,000-square-foot-venue, designed by Evan Raabe Architecture Studio (the local practice that also handled the Hauser & Worth flagship downtown), will first welcome guests with two shows. One of them, Mother Tongues, assembles works from Zanele Muholi, Andile Dyalvane, Porky Hefer, Manyaku Mashilo, Madoda Fani, Kamyar Bineshtarigh, and Oluseye that investigate the social impact of African art on history. The other, a solo showcase of the ceramic works of Zizipho Poswa, exhibits the towering sculptures the artist crafted during her recent residency at the Center for Contemporary Ceramics at California State University in Long Beach.