As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary in 2026, Wallpaper US has released its August 2025 issue as a bold celebration of American creativity, resilience, and cultural identity. This edition, the third annual US-focused issue from the magazine, positions itself as both a tribute to America’s creative legacy and a forward-looking exploration of how design and art continue to shape the nation’s character. With a combination of profiles, features, and visual essays, Wallpaper seeks to highlight the voices, spaces, and ideas that have defined American design while spotlighting the emerging figures who are charting new directions.
The cover story embodies this balance between innovation and tradition. Performance artist Darrell Thorne graces the newsstand edition, photographed in his Brooklyn home while wearing his dazzling glitterball stilt suit. The choice of Thorne reflects the magazine’s embrace of artists who blur boundaries between fantasy and reality, pushing creative practice into performance that transforms everyday spaces into art. Meanwhile, the subscriber-exclusive cover takes a more historical approach, featuring the Case Study House #8—better known as the Eames House in Pacific Palisades. Alongside this, the issue announces the launch of a new foundation dedicated to preserving the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames, two of the most influential designers of the twentieth century.
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The interiors section of the issue offers a visual journey through diverse American landscapes and architectural forms. Readers are guided inside four distinctive homes that reflect the country’s wide-ranging design vocabulary. One of the highlights is an apartment located on the 65th floor of 432 Park Avenue in New York City, where the interiors are punctuated by a striking Jean-Michel Basquiat painting. The feature underscores how American domestic spaces often blend personal stories with cultural history, creating interiors that are both private sanctuaries and public statements.
Beyond architecture and interiors, the issue casts its gaze across the broader spectrum of artistic expression. A significant feature focuses on a group exhibition in London showcasing seven New York–based female artists. Their works are united by a shared interest in exploring philosophical approaches to the human experience, demonstrating how American artists continue to contribute to global conversations about art, identity, and meaning.
Fashion plays a central role in this edition as well, with a standout feature tracing a journey along the iconic Route 66. The “Route 66 fashion journey” blends nostalgia with contemporary style, weaving together imagery of the open road with bold fashion narratives. This exploration highlights how cultural memory and modern design intersect, creating new interpretations of classic Americana. It also reinforces the issue’s broader theme of mobility and transformation, both in physical journeys and in the evolution of American creative expression.
Design craftsmanship is celebrated in a feature marking the centenary of the martini glass, a simple yet enduring symbol of elegance. By chronicling its evolution from a utilitarian object to an emblem of cultural sophistication, the article situates the glass within the larger story of American design icons. Similarly, the issue presents a curated collection of contemporary design pieces, capturing the latest in furniture, interiors, and decorative arts, while emphasizing the enduring importance of functionality, form, and cultural context.
Perhaps the most poignant moment in the issue comes through its “state of the nation” reflections, where prominent cultural voices including Murray Moss, Willy Chavarria, and Florencia Rodriguez share their perspectives on the current and future state of American creativity. Their contributions stress the importance of community as the foundation for artistic expression, arguing that innovation thrives most when it is grounded in shared cultural and social connections.
By bringing together historical preservation, forward-looking innovation, and community-centered dialogue, Wallpaper US’s August 2025 issue offers a comprehensive and multifaceted portrait of American creativity at a pivotal moment in history. It is as much about looking back at what has been built as it is about envisioning what lies ahead, capturing the spirit of a nation on the cusp of celebrating 250 years of independence.
This issue is now available in print and digital editions, serving as a vibrant reminder of how design and culture continue to define the American story.
