{"id":239653,"date":"2026-05-21T19:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/239653\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T19:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:42:10","slug":"julio-torres-designs-furniture-informed-by-moving-to-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/239653\/","title":{"rendered":"Julio Torres designs furniture informed by moving to New York City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Actor Julio Torres worked with US furniture company Sabai to create a collection of furniture informed by the act of moving to New York City<\/a>, including a screen with a curtain motif pulled from JFK<\/a> Terminal 4.<\/p>\n

The All Other Passports<\/a> collection marks Torres<\/a>‘ first foray into design, though the actor and director is known for a graphic and playful personal style in dress and decoration, seen throughout his appearances in television shows, films and a play.<\/p>\n

\"AllJulio Torres has worked with Sabai on his first design collection, which debuted during New York City design week<\/p>\n

Torres and Sabai founder Phantila Phataraprasit<\/a> immigrated to the US from El Salvador and Thailand<\/a>, respectively, which created a jumping-off point for the collection.<\/p>\n

In total, it features four objects that recall the “passing of the torch” to newcomers to the city, when you have just enough space in your apartment to start hosting others who need a place to crash.<\/p>\n

\"AllIt includes pieces informed by moving to New York City from abroad<\/p>\n

“We very organically landed on this idea of coming to New York for the first time, and the memory of that,” Torres told Dezeen. “And then having the collection be like a passing of the torch \u2013 now you are the host and now you welcome other people.”<\/p>\n

“I have fond memories of the couch I crashed when I first came here, and I feel like being able to offer that to someone is really, really exciting.”<\/p>\n

\"AllA daybed has a base informed by bridges leading into Manhattan<\/p>\n

The collection’s largest piece is the Landing Daybed, an ode to the couch for visitors. Its stainless-steel<\/a> arched base calls to the bridges that lead to Manhattan, and it’s topped with slim pillows.<\/p>\n

The daybed comes in a variety of fabrics, as the All Other Passports collection is made-to-order, but the version shown at New York’s design week<\/a>\u00a0was a light blue, with checkered cylindrical cushions that serve as an abbreviated backrest.<\/p>\n

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The other pillow in the collection, which was designed to be a floor cushion or additional cushion for the daybed<\/a>, is oversized, square and striped. It also contains a strap, so that it can be thrown over the shoulder and carried, or stacked into a pile with other pillows.<\/p>\n

The Arrivals Screen was also made with stainless steel, although it is highly polished and reflective, so it can double as a mirror.<\/p>\n

It is fronted by a wood motif that references Harry Roseman’s Curtain Wall installation at JFK’s international arrivals terminal, which is made of gypsum curtains affixed to a long hallway leading to customs.<\/p>\n

\"AllA screen contains a wooden motif that calls to an art installation in the international arrivals terminal at JFK<\/p>\n

There is also a series of pegs to hang items on the backside.<\/p>\n

“I love the idea of a screen, because it’s basically a huge canvas to design something, but also has the versatility of dividing a room, if someone’s visiting,” said Torres.<\/p>\n

\"AllWooden inlays reflect a catch-all space after a day of travelling<\/p>\n

The Personal Items side table is inlaid with a variety of objects that one throws onto a catch-all space after a day of travel. The objects, such as a fork, a key and an actively spilling coffee cup, are stretched and distorted to create a wooden, marbled surface.<\/p>\n

“It’s a tribute to the feeling you have of landing after a long trip and emptying your pockets and trying to assess what’s important and what’s not important,” said Torres of the side table. “Like \u2013 what can I throw out? What would I go to jail for if I throw out?”<\/p>\n

The collection also includes metal charms styled like the motifs on the wooden table that can be affixed or pinned to the various objects.<\/p>\n

Torres and Phataraprasit told Dezeen the collection pushed them into new territory. Phataraprasit, who primarily focuses on producing sustainable seating, said she brought stainless steel in as a new material to produce and manufacture the collection.<\/p>\n

\"AllThe collection also contains charms that can be affixed to the various objects<\/p>\n

Torres, who watched his mom make the furniture in his house growing up and applies a similar DIY design approach to his sets, said it was different from designing a commercial piece because it needed to be usable.<\/p>\n

“I have production designers who design furniture for the apartments in shows,” he said. “And I want to keep some pieces because they’re so great. But they’re like \u2013 ‘okay but you can’t really sit on it, because it’s made for camera’.”<\/p>\n

“So, yeah, it made me think, can people actually sit on this?”<\/p>\n

Other furniture and objects shown at this year’s New York City design week include eleven commercial launches<\/a> and a chair that will be manufactured by SOM and Ikonstudio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by James Emmerman<\/a> courtesy of Julio Torres x Sabai.<\/p>\n