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The curatorial theme at this year’s Design Miami–the summit that was founded in 2005 as a way to showcase home-centric creativity in complement to the megafair, Art Basel, and that now has footprints everywhere from Seoul to Aspen–is dubbed “Make. Believe.”
It’s a good one. The term’s grammatical separation inverts its fairytale naivete; in creative business, one can dream all they want, but beliefs have soft limits, and obvious intangibles, if they are not realized. If they are not made. We all know the phrase “make believe” to be famously purely fantasy; it’s funny how two periods render it a wholesome reality.
So, what has this theme yielded?
Instead of us solely running down our highlights, we spoke to a handful of names—from a major American football star to a San Franciscan sculptor—to give us their takes.
What resulted from these conversations was a clear binding thread: the current sentiment isn’t necessarily about detaching ourselves from the breakneck pace of how our world is moving, but rather creating items and spaces and ideas that link the observer or the occupant to a broader network of… well, solace. Even though each of these creators is quite different in his or her background and execution, words like “grounding” and “relaxed” and “warmth” and “connection” kept coming up. There’s something about these expressions that also feels pragamatic—the “make” in make believe. The collective takeaway is that producing, forging and actualizing belief is a way to center oneself, turn the volume down on all the noise out there, and feel… well, to put it simply, good.
Let’s jump in.
Tina Frey
Tina Frey’s “Orbit Collection” is a strong stroke of materiality and concept; forward-glancing in its monumentality, ancient in its subtext. Her three pieces—is it too crude to call them spaceship boulders?—feature seating planes and organic ripples and planet ring-like curves, and they range in size from the dominant to the relatively petite. Each started as a clay model before being enlarged and cast in bronze, then coated in chrome. They’re enormously visual, which adds to their lore, given that Frey told Vogue she thought of them while on a darkness retreat—no phone, no sun, no light at all.
She has a way with words as much as her hands. Describing the medium-sized piece, she says: “It’s a chair that cradles the body exactly where two orbital trajectories meet, letting you rest in the silent touch of distant worlds.”
She continued: “They are love letters from the universe translated into something you can sit on, lean against, or simply sit in front of and remember that you are made of the same stuff as stars. And as to each of these pieces, here’s one quiet remembrance: everything is already connected, and sometimes all it takes is a curve of polished bronze to help you feel it in your bones.”
Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs—the New England Patriots wide receiver, and present boyfriend of Cardi B—has launched his own brand at Design Miami. It’s called Si Vis Pacem, which translates from Latin to English as “if you want peace” (it’s often paired with “para bellum,” which means “prepare for war”). This space is not new to Diggs: In 2024, he collaborated at another Basel-week fair with the furniture line Paulin Paulin Paulin.
Diggs’ installation features five items—a sofa, backless H-shaped chairs, outsized mirrors and more—which are available for commission, and a broader selection will debut in 2026. The sofa is upscale futon-esque (complimentary), and the mirrors are opulent: free-form edged and wrapped in fur.
“For this launch, I wanted to create functional art pieces, objects and furniture that contribute to a feeling of peace at home,” Diggs said. “Si Vis Pacem is really a direct reflection of that desire. I feel the most at peace when I’m in a space I created—and I wanted to share that with the world. I would love for people to feel welcomed by my work. Similar to coming home, to a warm environment where you can ground yourself and prepare for what’s to come.”
Conie Vallese
Fendi enticingly describes its collaboration with the Argentinian designer Conie Vallese, who has created a minimalist salotto (living room) with the help of five Italian artisans in a canary yellow box, as boasting a “Roman palette of rosy bronze, shades of sorbetto and pale anice blue.”
If that alone isn’t lovely-sounding enough, the proportion and placement of her wares—wiry seating, and flower motif-embedded blocks—is chic and refreshing; a visual palette cleanser for the now, yet clearly imbued with craft and heritage (to note: this year is Fendi’s 100th birthday).
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“It’s a space that feels intimate,” said Vallese. “I wanted to create an environment that can feel familiar and domestic. In the process of creating objects, I often discover that they give me a sense of belonging—a gentle grounding.”
She continued: “It’s about sensing the moment when a space becomes meaningful, because of how it holds you.” As for all that yellow? “Yellow is an optimistic color, reminiscent of sunlight, and sunlight has a way of lifting us.”
Harry Nuriev
Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios—a fashion world darling in addition to the design-sphere—has two installations at Design Miami. One is with Kohler, the kitchen and bath specialists, and one is with Clive Christian Perfume.
Nuriev’s Kohler commission, in particular, aligns with his well-known techno-sleek aesthetic. The company is introducing Pearlized, an iridescent finish on its ceramics. The coating is luminous and glowy and cyberpunk-light; fitting Nuriev territory. As such, he has hung a school of mercurial circling fish above Kohler’s polychrome fixtures, creating something almost meditative in its stark yet colorful simplicity. The suggestion is that the viewer is observing this school from just beneath the surface of the water.
“Ironically, my projects and my art are never meant to be visual-first,” said Nuriev. “I’ve always focused on feelings and spirit… And sometimes, even in the coldest environments, you can feel very relaxed and warm.”
It’s an insightful quote; Nuriev’s oeuvre is rarely plush or conventionally homely. But he does succeed, over and over again, in delivering a sense of comfort within the austerity of what the future might hold…