The Flanagan Files: Fashion Fabrics, Snakes, Mattresses, and a Morning at the Museum

Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan is our roving eye for the latest and greatest in design across the States. Each month, he gives us the low-down on the new launches, openings, trends, and more that have inspired him.

November's a busy a month in the design world, as much for the design brands prepping their 2025 launches as it is the interior designers trying to get their clients in before Christmas.

For Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan, it's been a month filled with inspiration too, as he scouts New York for the launches that need to be on your radar for The Flanagan Files.

Fashion fantasy

Collaborations between fashion designers and textile brands always feel like no-brainers: the prints and patterns from the runway practically beg to be refashioned for residential interiors.

And that’s just one reason the new collaboration from NYC’s Altuzarra and Kravet Couture delivers. During a preview in July (if you do the math, I’ve been waiting months and months to gush about this one) I unfurled reams of jewel-toned and earthy fabrics and wallpapers that rescale many of Joseph Altuzarra’s best ready-to-wear hits for the home.

It had me dreaming of leaning even more into maximalist interior design with his eclectic and inky prints, especially Joseph’s signature Moth Weave design, now a woven jacquard, inspired by delicate moth wings–a fabric that’ll make any heart flutter.

Snakey Business

It would be a nightmare in any other reality, but snakes follow me everywhere lately. Snakes in jewelry, snakes in hardware, snakes in wallpapers, snakes in everything. It’s not a new fascination in design–serpentine motifs were used even in ancient Egypt–but I could easily rattle off a number of contemporary designers and artists who’ve rolled out serpentine-themed decor, from an expressive patterned art print by McGee & Co. that shows off a softer side of the reptile to wavy snake-inspired flatware by California’s Lorien Stern that reveals the playful side of the seemingly sinister creature.

But certainly the most mystic interpretation I’ve seen is a candle holder by Brooklyn-based glassblower Jeff Zimmerman that was featured in The Artist Studio, a recent exhibition between London’s ABASK and New York-based design gallery R & Company. With a fluidity like smoke from a genie’s bottle, purple glass curls and coils across the table, one of those unexpected designs guaranteed to be a conversation piece.

MUSEUM WORTHY

I recently joined Eichholtz, the Dutch furniture brand, on an early-morning tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art before opening hours (one of those dreamy, pinch-me-awake experiences) to see the inspiration behind their new collection with The Met Store (their second, with a third in the works).

Pieces were plucked from visits to the museum by Eichholtz’ creative director, Edwin van der Gun, who reimagined his favorite artifacts in modern palettes and scales, a chance to bring a piece of The Met home, like a reimagined bust of Julias Caesar with a screaming Medusa on his breastplate (because why not).

The item I loved the most was Stool Greenwich, a nod to Manhattan’s dynamic style itself, a stack of three plump and squarish cushions that swivel individually. It’s a fabulous accent, especially in a leopard finish, a loose reference to the lavish shawl worn in Madame Bergeret de Frouville as Diana (the goddess of the hunt), an 18th-century painting by Jean Marc Nattier–like the painting, the piece is a bit theatrical, and for me it's a showstopper.

SLEEPY TIME

I haven’t gone as far as Sleepmaxxing (the sleep-hacking-obsession rolling through TikTok), but like many people I often stress about getting good sleep but rarely achieve it, the reason that interior designers incorporate all sorts of tactics to make bedrooms a better sleep environment. This made a recent panel at Hästens’ just-opened NoMad store right up my alley.

Headlined by Maria Sharapova (the day after she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, no less), it launched ‘Sleep to Perform,’ an initiative to support emerging talents across a range of pursuits (from sports to fashion and art), providing each member with Hästens mattresses (one of Livingetc’s Style Award recipients) to help them perform their best.

One such talent, British racing driver Jamie Chadwick, was asked to describe a moment of peak performance, and her response was uplifting: ‘I like to think I am still about to reach peak performance,’ she said to a hopeful crowd. Can a mattress help these stars reach the next level? At least for me, it seems like a brilliant head start.