10 Unforgettable Surface Moments
Our outgoing editor-in-chief, Spencer Bailey, fondly recalls some of his most life-changing...
13 Architects and Designers Imagine Playscapes of the Future
From a clever slide sculpture to a hide-and-seek–inspired teahouse, this is what play is going to
Helen Mirren Gets Teary-Eyed for the Loewe Craft Prize
The Dame—and our editor-in-chief—found the works of this year’s 30 finalists at the London...
Bjarke Ingels Is Reshaping the World As We Know It
Playful designs, a larger-than-life persona, and media maneuvering have propelled the Danish...
How Juventus Put On This Year’s Best Milan Design Week Exhibition
PlusDesign Gallery organized a deep dive into joints, from prototypes to mass-produced products,...
Jasper Morrison Believes Technology Is Turning Us Into “Little Limp Puddles”
The British designer talks reused plastic, the Internet of Things, knockoffs, and more at this...
Konstantin Grcic Designs His First Sunshade
Spanish brand Kettal enters the realm of “micro-architecture” with the help of the German...
Google Suggests the Future of Hardware and Technology Is “Softwear”
An intimate presentation at Milan Design Week seeks to promote the idea of home technology as...
Announcing Surface’s May/June 2018 Cover: Bjarke Ingels
How the Danish architect has built an extensive empire—and a risk-taker reputation—in...
Our Editor-in-Chief’s Guide to Actually Enjoying Milan Design Week
This year’s top places to stay, eat, drink, and shop—along with the galleries to visit and...
Vitra Design Museum Puts Nightclubs in the Spotlight
A new exhibition, “Night Fever,” features an elaborate look at discotheque design.
Top 10 Picks: Armory Show 2018
Our editors choose their favorite works at this year's fair, from a Katie Stout lamp at R & Company
The Inez & Vinoodh of Creative and Technology: Tony King and Inii Kim
Tony King and Inii Kim of New York firm King & Partners create cutting-edge work for some of the...
R/GA’s Bob Greenberg Curates an Exquisite Exhibition
The just-opened show at New York’s Cooper Hewitt explores the communications honcho’s obsession
Michael Chow Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Mr. Chow
A raucous Chinese New Year celebration at the legend’s downtown L.A. art studio ensued as he rang
John Pawson, Barbara Bestor, and 7 Other Top Design Minds Celebrate Achille Castiglioni
To honor the 100th year of the Italian legend’s birth, we asked a few of the world’s best...
Sir David Adjaye Is Spying on You
Not literally, but he did just design a museum to explore sleuthing and the culture that surrounds...
Why This Mexican Designer Will Go Global
Can Michel Rojkind’s collaborative spirit and latest bold-faced building bring his firm’s work...
How the Sausage Is Made, Literally
In her new book "The Sausage of the Future," Carolien Niebling dissects the tubular meat—and it's
Can the Japanese Fine-Watchmaking Brand Grand Seiko Outdo Its Swiss Counterparts?
Seiko Watch Corporation president, COO, and CMO Shuji Takahashi is doubling down to bring the...
A Remembrance: Azzedine Alaïa, 1935-2017
Our editor-in-chief pays tribute to the rich life of the legendary fashion designer.
Stephen M. Ross to Architects: Drop Your Egos
The Related Companies founder and chairman discusses building sustainable cities and his massive...
How Graphic Design Legend Paula Scher Created the Identity of Shake Shack
We stop by Pentagram’s New York office, just before its relocation, to discuss the importance of...
Surface Media Announces Our Latest Initiatives
A letter from our editor-in-chief on growth across the company’s various platforms.
Why Dries Van Noten’s Runway Shows Are the Absolute Best
Journalist Tim Blanks and FIT Museum director Valerie Steele tell us what sets the Antwerp-based...
11 Things to See at the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial
Our selection of the standout installations from Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee’s exhibition...
Matías Duarte’s Material World
First he brought design to Google.
Now, the visionary is subtly shaping our lives.
Eero Saarinen’s Bell Labs Comes Back to Life
Architect Alexander Gorlin quietly transforms the landmark complex in New Jersey.
Antonio Citterio Thinks Your Bottled Water Is the Worst
The legendary Italian designer wants to make the world a better place, one sustainable design at a...
Best of NeoCon 2017
Our selection of this year’s breakthrough releases from the annual design showcase at Chicago’s
Philippe Starck Claims He’s Created the World’s Best Beer
The French provocateur talks with us about his recent forays into perfume, boating, and brewing,...
Ian Schrager’s Massive Appeal
In partnership with Marriott, the hotel guru propels his largest undertaking forward.
Thom Browne’s Steady Hand
The award-winning fashion designer Thom Browne revels in consistency in an industry that expects...
Inside Milan’s Most Sumptuous Entryways
An eccentric new book from Taschen
showcases a captivating selection of the
Italian...
Renzo Piano’s Beacon of Hope
Victoria Newhouse’s new book about the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens...
Fort Standard Gets Down to Business
With its latest collection, the design firm toes the line between small design shop and big...
Best of Sight Unseen Offsite 2017 Design Fair
Our editors’ 12 favorite things they spotted at this year’s edition of the independent...
Salon 94 and Maccarone Present “Midtown” at Lever House
An exhibition blurring the lines of art and design provokes questions related to how we determine...
Best of TEFAF New York Spring 2017
Our editors’ 10 favorite things at the groundbreaking fair’s debut spring edition in New York.
My Four Favorite Things From Milan’s Design Fair
At this year’s Salone del Mobile, our editor-in-chief was taken with projects that thoughtfully...
Studio Visit: Atelier Biagetti
The Milan-based duo shares their take on contemporary obsessions with our editor-in-chief.
The Design World’s Most Influential Person (You’ve Probably Never Heard Of)
Rossana Orlandi’s Milan space is a bastion of groundbreaking contemporary design.
Jackson Soul at the Anvil Hotel
Brooklyn-based design firm Studio Tack brings its narrative approach to a Wyoming ski town.
Exclusive: At Home With Paola Navone
The Italian designer lives by the Thai concept of tham ma da, exalting the everyday.
Trump Talk at Maison & Objet and Beyond
Our editor-in-chief finds the U.S. president looming over the design and art worlds in Paris,...
Billy Martin: Broad Strokes
A selection of original artworks by Billy Martin, the drummer of jazz-funk band Medeski Martin &...
Poems for Detroit
Ten original compositions inspired by historic landmarks in the Motor City, now one year in as a...
Letter From Art Basel Miami Beach 2016
A post-election malaise and concern over the Zika virus didn’t put a damper on this year’s art...
Kanye West: Free Form
How the musician, fashion designer, and artist plans to make the world a better place.
Amanyara
A selection from our team’s endless list of personal obsessions.
Hank Willis Thomas Would Consider Running for Office
In the lead up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the New York-based artist and super PAC...
Everything Is An Adventure for Alexandra Champalimaud
The globetrotting interior designer, whose work can be seen inside iconic hotels like The Carylye,...
Rosita Missoni
The woman behind one of Italy's most iconic fashion brands started with nothing but passion and...
Paola Navone
Many designers purport to have a global mindset and practice, but few live up to the billing in the
Peter Marino
The New York-based designer knows a thing or two about taste.
Rodman Primack
Rodman Primack, the newly tapped director of the Design Miami fair, could be called the Wes...
Renzo Rosso
Renzo Piano
At his firm’s New York City outpost, the legendary Italian architect discusses his early years in
Nick Jones
Michele De Lucchi
The storied designer and educator reflects on his decades-long career.
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli
The Valentino co-creative directors talk fashion.
Nadja Swarovski
Julian Schnabel
The multidisciplinary artist reflects on his career.
Jorge Perez
In addition to being a masterful developer of buildings, Jorge Pérez shows himself to be a...
Kathy Ryan
The storied photographer reflects on her career.
Deyan Sudjic
Surface checks in with the director of the London Design Museum.
Frida Giannini
A conversation with Gucci creative director Frida Giannini.
Scott Morrison
The denim entrepreneur talks about how he broke into the business.
David Adjaye on Architecture, Africa, and Atmosphere
David Adjaye discusses the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington,...
André Balazs
The president and CEO of André Balazs Properties has been a game-changer in hospitality.
COS is Making Maximum Impact With A Minimal Aesthetic
Surface partnered with the gallerist and the London-based radio station to celebrate the start of...
There’s Nothing Understated About Vladislav Doronin
The Russian real estate magnate builds lavish properties designed by iconic architects, and he's...
Thomas Heatherwick Embraces Complexity
The British designer is reshaping cities across the globe with an eye for creating destinations,...
Tomas Maier Brings Spanish Flair to Bottega Veneta in Beverly Hills
The fashion designer took a hands-on approach to the new store, which nods to Colonial Revival...
How Carl Bass Went from Cornell Dropout to Autodesk CEO
A decade into the position, the software executive shares why he put his college degree on hiatus...
High Design: Creating a Modern Marijuana Brand
Twelve leading design firms offer their visions for consumer marijuana in the 21st century.
Legends: Zaha Hadid
Remembering one of architecture's greatest talents.
Mark Parker of Nike
From his executive office on the company's Oregon campus, Mark Parker orchestrates a world of...
A Look Inside An Ettore Sottsass-Designed Home In Silicon Valley
There are only three by the Italian architect in the whole of the United States.
Moises Cosia Espinosa Puts Art—Not Artworks Themselves—Front and Center in Conversation
The director of Fundación Casa Wabi in Oaxaca brings a research-focused approach to the...
The Broad Museum’s Architecture is as Compelling as the Art Inside
With Joanne Heyler at the helm and a bold new museum, the Broad Foundation extends its impact.
This Hudson Valley Hotel Feels Homey to its Urban Refugees
Situated in a former 1920s movie house, the just-opened Rivertown Lodge reflects the sleepy-no-more
The Ugly Face of 60 Water Street
One development under the Brooklyn Bridge is a stain on an otherwise elegant neighborhood.
Ross Lovegrove
The industrial designer discusses his recent work.
Frank Gehry Continues to Reconstruct the World
Nearly 20 years after Bilbao, the iconic architect continues to transform the world through his...
Fendi’s Roman Headquarters Solidifies its Stronghold in the Fashion World
Fendi’s monumental home base reinforces the Italian label as a fashion powerhouse.
Delphine Arnault
The executive vice president of LVMH has made it her mission to foster emerging designers under the
Nasir Kassamali talks rocky beginnings as he shows us his Miami
For more than 40 years, Nasir Kassamali has built an empire in Miami around quality design.
Ignacia Murtagh Turns Chile’s Natural Landscape into Furniture
Designer Ignacia Murtagh finds revelations in the poetic landscape of Chile.
John Pawson
The British architect reaches new heights in things plain and simple.
An Outsider’s Inside Guide to Copenhagen
Artist Tal R finds the advantageous and adventurous side of being an outsider in Denmark’s...
Gam Fratesi on Boredom and Creativity, and the Emotion Behind Their Products
Copenhagen-based life-and-work partners Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi discuss how their respective...
Michael Maharam
The textile heir moves on from his post to make time for his many obsessions.
For KTZ Founders Bali Is an Inspiration, an Escape, and a Home
Bali served as the second, more relaxed home base of eclectic international fashion label KTZ.
Tadao Ando
The legendary Japanese architect reflects on his career.
Michael Chow
The iconic restauranteur and multi-hyphenate on his art exhibition.
Deconstructing Christopher Hawthorne
A conversation with The Los Angeles Times's architecture critic.
Kris Van Assche
After famed couturier Christian Dior passed away in 1957, a 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent took the
Aby Rosen Tells It Like It Is
For the real estate developer and art collector, saying what he thinks or feels comes quickly and...
Brad Cloepfil
The buildings of Brad Cloepfil and his firm, Allied Works Architecture, provide a refreshing...
