MillerKnoll High-Touch Design Exhibition at NYCxDesign 2026

MillerKnoll has announced the opening of High-Touch, a design history exhibition debuting during NYCxDesign 2026. The exhibition focuses on the evolution of minimalist interiors through the professional and personal relationship of two influential figures in New York City’s design history, Joe D’Urso and Ward Bennett.

Curated by Luke Baker, the exhibition utilizes items from private collections and the MillerKnoll Archives to place the work of both designers in dialogue. The display highlights Bennett’s long-term design partnership with Geiger and D’Urso’s contributions to Knoll.

The exhibition explores a shared late-20th-century philosophy known as total design. This holistic approach to modern living emphasized the creation of complete, cohesive environments rather than the production of isolated furniture elements.

This design mindset was influenced by several earlier movements, including the Arts and Crafts tradition, the Vienna Secession, and Art Nouveau. Both D’Urso and Bennett applied these principles across various residential projects throughout their careers.

The collaborative nature of their work is reflected in their mutual influence. D’Urso noted the impact of their partnership on their respective styles:

I think Ward learned from my more architectural way of looking at things, and he taught me to try to design everything—that no detail was too small. That’s something that really stuck with me my entire career, and I think the same is true for him, too.

Joe D’Urso

Spanning five decades of work, High-Touch aims to reveal the specific craft and materials required to achieve the restraint characteristic of New York’s minimalist interiors. The exhibition features several rare and previously unseen pieces that illustrate the technical process of minimalism.

Notable items on display include:

• A wicker 1060–C Sled Chair designed by Ward Bennett.
• Original sketches created by Joe D’Urso.
• An unseen prototype dining chair designed by D’Urso for Knoll.

The timing of the exhibition coincides with the spring 2026 reissue of the Ward Bennett monograph published by Phaidon. This release accompanies a renewed interest in the requirements and lasting relevance of the designers’ work.

The exhibition is part of the broader NYCxDesign 2026 festival, which officially runs from May 14 to May 20, 2026. The show is hosted at MillerKnoll’s New York gallery located at 251 Park Avenue South.

The launch of High-Touch is an expansion of MillerKnoll’s exhibition program, which seeks to provide a platform for the wider community to engage with the history of design.