Now in its sixteenth year, the Architectural Digest Design Show is a forum for the best in luxury design, a showcase for thousands of products to source and shop. As a one-stop curated design destination at Pier 92 & 94, in midtown Manhattan, the annual event is de rigeur for denizens of the design world.

A curated space at last year’s show from Amy Lau Design.

This week, from March 16-19, an estimated 40,000 design enthusiasts have assembled for the four-day extravaganza, featuring “vignettes” by respected brands, design seminars, culinary demonstrations and special appearances. The Design Show offers something for every room in the house, from the McKenzie & Keim-designed Pivot Table, a contemporary reimagining of minimalist furniture, to a new series of charcoal drawings by Cecile Brunswick for those with a taste for non-figurative art in the spirit of Abstract Expressionism.

The Dublin firm, Zelouf + Bell, Furniture Makers, is exhibiting again this year in the Furnish section of the AD Design Show.

Among the featured areas of the show are the Furnish and Made sections. In Furnish, attendees will find the latest design, for indoors and out, showcased by the finest home-furniture brands, designers, and dealers. A wide range of styles are shown, from contemporary lighting and floor coverings to classic furnishings and decorative accessories.

 

In Made, more than 160 international artists and designers offer original art, furniture, sculpture, textiles, and lighting for sale. Made offers an opportunity to speak directly with the local and emerging artisans; objects can be purchased at the show or special ordered.

 

The organizers of this year’s show have brought together a roster of art-world dignitaries for the Architectural Digest trade seminars, including architect William T. Georgis, art advisor Kim Heirston, curator Yvonne Force Vallareal, designer Anthony Ingrao and decorative arts dealers Evan Snyderman and Suzanne Demisch. These events will delve into the finer points of contemporary design, such as the limited-edition craze and the question of whether there is any great Prouvé left to find.

A Master Class Studio at the 2016 extravaganza.

The keynote event will take place on the afternoon of Thursday, March 15, when Amy Astley, editor in chief of Architectural Digest, and the Los Angeles-based designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard lead a Master Class Studio that investigates the creative dynamics behind the home of celebrities like Tommy Hilfiger, Cher, Ellen Pompeo, and Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian. Among the topics to be discussed: building your brand, licensing products, the power of the press, and the art of cultivating interiors with maximum drama.

 

At Pier 92, adjacent to the AD Design Show, will be “DIFFA’s DINING BY DESIGN,” for which the New York-based Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) has invited local and international designers to convert the unadorned interior of the venue into an over-the-top dining environment. Proceeds go toward raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and sponsoring a variety of programs to support those impacted by the disease.

Contemporary lighting galore at last year’s event.

As one of the most glamorous design events of the year, the Architectural Digest Design Show is a happening worthy of the 93-year-old magazine, which has a circulation of about 800,000 and is arguably the most influential platform in the world for news and commentary related to design. (Incollect, a listing site geared to interior designers, is a regular advertiser.) Every year, AD compiles a list of 100 top architects and designers, the definitive index of talent in the industry. Among the designers or design firms recognized in this year’s honor roll: Alex Papachristidis, Brian J. McCarthy, Inc., Cullman & Kravis, Drake / Anderson, Frank de Biasi, Ike Kligerman Barkley, Juan Montoya Design, Markham Roberts, Inc., Robert Couturier, Inc., Shawn Henderson Interior Design, Suzanne Kasler Interiors, and Tucker & Marks, Inc.


For a full schedule of events or a taste of this year’s 400 exhibitors, click here.