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meet MAZE, the new collectible salon stepping in after design miami/basel’s cancellation

MAZE Design Basel debuts during the city’s art week

After the sudden cancellation of Design Miami/Basel, a new chapter begins with MAZE Design Basel stepping in with a bold vision for collectible design. Launching on June 16th–17th, 2025, the event brings together leading international galleries in the evocative setting of the neo-gothic church Offene Kirche Elisabethen, right across from the Kunsthalle, and right on time for Basel’s peak cultural week. Participating galleries include Kreo, Salon 94, Pierre-Marie Giraud, Galerie Mitterrand, Thomas Fritsch – Atrium, Jousse Entreprise, Ketabi Bourdet, Galerie Gastou, Laffanour | Galerie Downtown, Meubles et Lumières, and Thomsen Gallery.

Mouton de Pierre by François-Xavier Lalanne | image Studio Shapiro, courtesy of Galerie Mitterrand

neo-gothic church sets the stage

MAZE Design Basel, a newly formed salon under the growing MAZE constellation, transforms Offene Kirche Elisabethen into a sanctuary for collectible design from the 1950s to today. Set directly across from the Kunsthalle, the event aims to become a vital new ritual in the art world’s annual pilgrimage to Basel.

The venue itself plays an atmospheric role, as Offene Kirche Elisabethen’s lofty nave and stained-glass windows provide a dramatic counterpoint to the modern and postmodern works on display. Rather than the sterile fairgrounds of convention centers, the salon offers a more intimate format, aligning with the MAZE philosophy of immersive art experiences in architecturally charged settings.

Responding swiftly to the absence left by Miami/Basel’s departure, eleven leading dealers specializing in decorative and collectible design have coalesced to shape this two-day salon. With a curatorial mindset and market-savvy instinct, they present a panorama of exceptional objects across eras and disciplines. 

Mexique by Charlotte Perriand | image courtesy of Jousse Entreprise

eleven galleries to shape the two-day salon

At MAZE Design Basel, Galerie Gastou leads with the historical debut of Coque, an iconic sculptural armchair by Philippe Hiquily, alongside a new variation of his Gombert console. The presentation deepens with rare 1980s works by André Dubreuil and a parchment-clad 1937 sideboard by Jacques Adnet, bridging modernist elegance and metallic baroque. Laffanour | Galerie Downtown underscores its legacy in radical 20th-century design with a museum-grade selection by Prouvé, Perriand, Le Corbusier, Zanine Caldas, and Takis—figures whose experimental visions reshaped how we inhabit space.

Across the board, galleries embrace material experimentation and sculptural language. Galerie Mitterrand revisits the dreamlike utility of François-Xavier Lalanne, with signature pieces like the Rhinocrétaire and Moutons de laine. Pierre Marie Giraud brings a refined palette of contemporary ceramics and glass, highlighted by Herzog & de Meuron’s Duo Iuga table. Thomas Fritsch—Artrium anchors the ceramic revival with postwar French works by Georges Jouve and Suzanne Ramié. Galerie Kreo continues its mission as a design laboratory with editions by Abloh, the Bouroullecs, and Marc Newson, while Galerie Meubles et Lumières traces a luminous arc through 1950s–1980s French and Italian design with icons like Gino Sarfatti and Pierre Paulin. 

Jousse Entreprise showcases a sharp curatorial mix from Perriand to emerging talents. Ketabi Bourdet juxtaposes works by young artists like Inès Longevial and Audrey Guttman with landmark design pieces by Philippe Starck and Martin Szekely. Finally, Thomsen Gallery introduces a distinct voice with Japanese art ranging from antique tea ceramics and bamboo baskets to Gutai-era ink works and contemporary minimalism. 

Gourd-Shaped Flower Basket by Tanabe Chikuunsai II (1910-2000), Japan | image courtesy of Thomsen Gallery, New York

Bridge Présidence armchair, ca. 1950, Présidence desk, ca. 1950, and Lecture Hall bench, ca. 1956 by Jean Prouvé | image courtesy of Laffanour | Galerie Downtown

Easylight by Philippe Stark, circa 1979 | image by Studio Shapiro, courtesy of the artist and Gallery Ketabi Bourdet

All’Aperto coffee table by Pierre Charpin | image © Alexandra de Cossette, courtesy of Galerie kreo

Duo Iuga table, designed in collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron | image courtesy of Pierre Marie Giraud

image courtesy of Meubles et Lumières

Gombert, console, 1980, by Philippe Hiquily, Bouclier, mirror, circa 1987 and Perles, candlesticks, circa 1990, by André Dubreuil | image by Edouard Auffray, courtesy of Galerie Gastou

Offene Kirche Elisabethen | image courtesy of MAZE

MAZE location | Offene Kirche Elisabethen (Open church of St. Elisabeth), image courtesy of Basel Tourismus

project info:

event: MAZE Design Basel

dates: June 16th – June 17th, 2025

location: Offene Kirche Elisabethen, Basel, Switzerland

participants: Thomas Fritsch – Atrium | @thomas_fritsch (Paris), Galerie Gastou | @galerieyvesgastou (Paris), Pierre-Marie Giraud | @pierre_marie_giraud (Brussels), Jousse Entreprise (Paris), Ketabi Bourdet (Paris). Kreo (Paris), Laffanour – Galerie Downtown (Paris), Meubles et Lumières (Paris), Galerie, Mitterrand (Paris), Salon 94 (New York), Thomsen Gallery (New York)

special projects: Nikos Koulis Jewels, Reflets de Nouvel (cocktail bar installation), JRP|Editions

organized by: MAZE Art Salons | @maze.presents

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gradient hues paint palm springs homeless navigation center’s facades by JFAK architects

Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center by JFAK Architects

The Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center, designed by John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK), is a transitional housing and services facility located on a sloping desert site east of Los Angeles. The project transforms a previously underutilized area into a multi-functional campus that supports individuals, youth, and families experiencing homelessness. It includes the adaptive reuse of 2 one-story warehouses, the integration of 80 modular, prefabricated housing units, and the creation of shared outdoor spaces, such as a dog park and a children’s playground.

The housing component provides a range of unit types to accommodate varying needs, including 51 efficiency sleeping studios, 24 dwelling units with kitchenettes, and 5 two-bedroom family units. These are arranged along a central pedestrian spine that serves as the project’s primary organizational axis. This promenade strengthens site legibility and reinforces visual and physical connectivity throughout the campus. The specific placement of the housing modules preserves views toward the San Jacinto Mountains, while elevated walkways enhance movement between units and provide shading for the circulation corridors. Warehouse 1 is programmed for supportive services and includes a commercial kitchen, communal dining and multipurpose areas, laundry facilities, and spaces dedicated to case management and job training. Warehouse 2 functions as an Early Access Center, offering overnight accommodations for up to fifty individuals.

All images by Benny Chan/Fotoworks

The design team at John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) utilizes color and graphics as architectural elements. Each building face incorporates gradient hues, warm tones on the eastern elevations to suggest sunrise, and cooler tones on the western sides to reflect sunset. Large-scale numbers and letterforms are applied to doors and building surfaces, assisting in wayfinding and supporting a sense of orientation and legibility across the site. The graphic strategy plays a key role in enhancing the spatial identity and usability of the center. The design incorporates passive environmental strategies to improve comfort and reduce energy demand. Shaded pathways, strategic building orientation, and landscape elements contribute to thermal regulation. The campus-like configuration creates a balance between private living quarters and communal open spaces, supporting a mix of autonomy and social interaction.

The project was developed in coordination with the City of Palm Springs, Martha’s Kitchen and Village (the operator), Riverside County, and the State of California’s HomeKey Program. Community input was gathered through design workshops, and the final design responds to both regulatory requirements and stakeholder feedback. The Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center presents a model for transitional housing that integrates modular construction, adaptive reuse, and site-specific landscape design to meet the needs of its users. It demonstrates how spatial organization, environmental performance, and graphic clarity can be combined to create a functional, legible, and service-oriented environment.

JFAK worked closely with the City of Palm Springs, Martha’s Kitchen and Village, and other stakeholders to deliver the project.

The eastern face of each building is coated with warm colors representing sunrise; the western faces with cool colors representing sunset.

The project takes an architectural approach to graphic design—implementing color and symbols in ways that enliven the public spaces and enhance wayfinding.

Elevated walkways between the housing units emphasize connection while providing shade for the shared outdoor corridors.

The campus-like setting provides its resident with a generous and comfortable environment.

The colorful, extroverted design is welcoming and inclusive.

The project is situated on a sloping desert site in Palm Springs, California, with stunning views of the San Jacinto Mountains.

The specific siting of each module preserves views of the San Jacinto Mountains, creating a strong sense of place throughout the project.

The project includes the adaptive reuse of two one-story warehouses, 80 modular prefabricated housing units, and shared outdoor spaces.

JFAK organized the modular housing units along a central thoroughfare. The result is a main promenade that runs through the campus to create a strong sense of place, organization, and flow.

The center provides transitional living, overnight shelter facilities, job training, dining, and other support services to facilitate smooth transition out of homelessness.

project info:

name: Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center
architects: John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK)

location: Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, United States

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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davide macullo’s veterinary clinic hides behind a cluster of concrete curves in albania

veterinary hospital echos the fluid forms of the landscape

Following a decade of continuous engagement with Albania’s evolving architectural scene, Davide Macullo Architects has completed its Veterinary Hospital in Tirana. Located on the outskirts of the city, the building contains a medical facility behind its sculptural silhouette comprised of soft geometries that echo the fluid forms of the natural terrain. With curves carved from concrete, these masses come together to create a series of waves, which, despite their Brutalist rigidity, form a network of spaces that invite interaction and slow down the experience of space.

Inside, this sense of ease and fluidity is a manifestation of a tenet central to the studio’s approach. In a previous conversation with designboom, founding architect Davide Macullo explained that every project responds to its surroundings through deep observation. ‘Our aim is for buildings to integrate harmoniously into their surroundings — enriching the environment and making people feel at ease through their interaction with light, color, and form,’ he shares. The Veterinary Hospital reflects this ethos through its form reflective of organic layers of land, along with an unorthodox approach to clinical architecture. They have developed a building for animals and their caretakers underpinned with a deep understanding of psychology of space.

all images courtesy of Davide Macullo Architects

the sculptural concrete facade contains a fluid spatial program

The Veterinary Hospital folds Davide Macullo Architects’ core ideas of designing in response to surroundings and local culture, mixed with a subtly sculptural approach. Here, the artful concrete curves are inspired by the landscape, their fluidity extending inward to eliminate any atavistic fears of enclosure, creating an open and freeing environment. The Swiss practice consciously avoids sterile typologies and embraces a bold visual language shaped by empathy, psychology, and movement. A clear logic defines the plan, guided by spatial psychology and the behavioral dynamics between species. Areas for cats and dogs are thoughtfully separated, circulation paths are intuitive, and outdoor terraces offer therapeutic spaces where animals can recover in contact with the elements.

Materially, the project balances rawness and refinement. The brutalist expressions of concrete are used to ground the building in its context, while its mass is softened by planted terraces and gently sloping lines that blur the boundary between built and natural. The building’s curved forms also eliminate the rigid, institutional feel common to healthcare facilities, replacing it with a more open and humane language.

Davide Macullo Architects completes Veterinary Hospital in Tirana

the building contains a medical facility behind its sculptural silhouette

curves carved from concrete, these masses come together to create a series of waves

within, the curves form a network of spaces that invite interaction and slow down the experience of space

its mass is softened by planted terraces and gently sloping lines

project info:

name: Veterinary Hospital

architect: Davide Macullo Architects | @davidemaculloarchitects

location: Tirana, Albania

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metropolitan museum of art’s new rockefeller wing to open this weekend with public party

wHY’s redesign for the metropolitan museum of art

After four years behind closed doors, the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at New York‘s Metropolitan Museum of Art is set to reopen to the public. The redesign, led by Kulapat Yantrasast and his team at WHY Architecture, takes a subtle approach. There’s no dramatic reveal. Instead, the space feels more open, more navigable, and more attuned to the objects it holds.

The museum will celebrate the wing’s opening with a day-long, public festival on Saturday, May 31st, 2025. The space now houses The Met’s collections of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Ancient Americas in distinct galleries, each given room to unfold on its own terms. These collections have long shared a roof, but the new design avoids blending them together. The separation isn’t sharp, though. There’s a sense of proximity that encourages visitors to notice both difference and resonance.

At a preview of the new wing on May 28th, architect Kulapat Yantrasast says: ‘I’m grateful for the artists and artisans who opened my eyes and allowed me to have this deep love and empathy in me.’ The architect was tapped to lead the redesign at the end of 2018, nearly fifty years after the 1969 founding of the curatorial department which it houses.

image via Metropolitan Museum of Art

redefined galleries for the rockefeller wing

Rather than mimicking or recreating the architecture of the regions represented, the new wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gestures toward certain materials or structural rhythms. Each gallery of the museum‘s Michael C. Rockefeller wing has its own atmosphere. The result is more interpretive than literal, allowing the objects to stay at the center of attention.

Although getting lost in a museum is part of the experience, the previous layout could feel disjointed. With WHY Architecture’s redesign, the flow is clearer. The architects create longer sight-lines, smoother transitions between spaces, and a less fragmented experience overall. The layout nudges visitors gently from one area to the next without forcing a particular path.

Filtered daylight now enters the galleries through a newly installed glass wall along the south facade. It’s a careful move. The light is controlled to protect sensitive works, especially ancient textiles, but its presence softens the space. Central Park becomes a quiet, scenic backdrop rather than a distraction.

the new galleries present works from the Middle Ages to the present

the met to throw a public reopening party

To mark the reopening, the museum will host a daylong celebration on Saturday, May 31st. It begins with a ribbon-cutting in the morning and continues through the afternoon with live performances, workshops, artist talks, and food across the museum and its plaza. The grand opening is an open invitation for New Yorkers and visitors to explore.

The festival includes demonstrations from contemporary artists whose work speaks to the collections on view. Mosaic artist Manny Vega will lead a workshop on the plaza. Meanwhile, artists Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez and Teokotā’i Paitai will demonstrate weaving techniques from Peru and Oceania, inviting participation rather than performance. These moments bring a sense of continuity between past and present.

Later in the day, architect Kulapat Yantrasast will join Met Director Max Hollein for a public conversation about the redesign. The duo will exchange ideas on how architecture can shape, and sometimes reshape, the way we engage with cultural history in a museum setting.

the collection reflects contemporary research, illuminating ancestral arts of the Americas

works draw from over 140 distinct cultures in an astonishingly diverse region

project info:

name: Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

architect: WHY Architecture | @why_site

location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art | @metmuseum

reopening: May 31st, 2025

photography: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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