A stretch of Madison Avenue, bordered by Madison Square Park at the south and the Empire State Building at the north, has emerged as a go-to design destination in New York City. Dubbed the NoMad district (North of Madison Square Park), in recent years this energetic and well-heeled stretch has become home to some of the world’s leading design brands – many of whom are Italian – that have chosen to place their main New York stores at this locale.
Madison Avenue: a design guide
The showcase starts with Minneapolis-based contemporary furniture brand Blu Dot at the southernmost tip (79 Madison Ave at 28th street), followed by a flurry of brands including Natuzzi (105 Madison Ave at 30th street), Poliform (112 Madison Ave at 30th street), Liaigre and Rimadesio (both on 102 Madison Ave at 29th street), Bernhardt (136 Madison Ave at 31st street), B&B Italia (135 Madison Ave at 31st street) and multi-brand destination DDC (134 Madison Ave at 31st street). Further up is Molteni & C's Vincent Van Duysen-designed showroom (160 Madison Ave at 33rd street), Promemoria (152 Madison Ave at 32nd street), Florim (E 30th street at 5th Ave) and Luxury Living (153 Madison Avenue at 32nd street).
These stores, with their marble-clad interiors and sophisticated offering, have contributed to elevating this area of town, establishing it as a fully-fledged design destination.
‘The NoMad District is certainly the destination in the United States where we can communicate the values of the brand and Made in Italy,’ says Giulia Molteni, chief marketing officer Molteni Group. Opened in May 2018 and designed by Vincent Van Duysen, the Molteni&C Madison Avenue is the group’s largest store in the world.
In fall 2023, Poltrona Frau will also join the host of luxury design brands in the area, opening a 19,000 sq ft store on the corner of 34th street: ‘The decision to move our New York flagship store from SoHo was driven by the need to be in a more resonant location for our business, where most of our peers are, and to enjoy a larger space to showcase our numerous, various and diverse solutions for residential living, while offering visitors a unique experience that goes beyond furniture and design,’ says Nicola Coropulis, CEO of Poltrona Frau.
For chief brand officer of Natuzzi, Pasquale Natuzzi Junior (known as PJ), the location has both a professional and personal meaning: ‘Madison Avenue is epitome of luxury and a showroom on this street sends a clear message to the customers,’ he says. ‘It is also a great source of pride for us because when my father first came to the US to start selling “made in Italy” sofas to the big American department stores, he started his incredible rise to the top precisely from New York.’
This article appears in the August 2023 ‘Made in America’ issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
