In the heart of the Bowery — a historic epicenter of music, art, and culture in downtown Manhattan — furniture design brand and manufacturer Symbol found the perfect location to open their very first showroom. The Symbol Loft is a 3,000-square-foot studio perched above one of New York City’s most iconic streets, a thoroughfare that helped shape downtown’s creative edge. With the opening of their first permanent space, Symbol looks to serve as a creative hub for design professionals and the surrounding community.
Anchored by thoughtfully curated vignettes showcasing Symbol’s character-rich furniture collections and accented with found vintage objects, the loft unfolds as a visual feast. The open-plan environment seamlessly transitions between work, display, and gathering. By day, the space functions as the brand’s headquarters and a destination for interior designers, clients, and design aficionados to discover Symbol’s designs. By night, the loft transforms to host listening sessions, conversations, and small-scale events that bring together creative voices shaping the worlds of music, fashion, art, design, and film.
“The Loft is Symbol in context — a working studio and gathering space that shows how our furniture fits into a broader lifestyle,” says Walker Tovin, Symbol’s Managing Director. “It’s a space designed not just to show our furniture, but to welcome friends, new and old, in for listening, conversation, and connection.”
Founded in 2012, Symbol remains a family-run design studio committed to creating furniture meant to be lived with and kept. Rooted in a passion for audio gear and music, the brand debuted with a collection of record stands, media consoles, and storage pieces designed by founder and creative director Blake Tovin — a response to his desire to create display-worthy storage for his collection of more than 5,000 vinyl records.
In 2020, Blake’s son, Walker Tovin, joined the business, bringing a sharp cultural lens and a shared commitment to good design. Together, they bring decades of experience working with preeminent retailers, including Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, HODINKEE, and Aimé Leon Dore — distinct perspectives that have helped forge Symbol’s evolution beyond audio storage and into the rhythms of daily life.
Symbol’s move to Manhattan follows years of steady growth from its original base in Nyack, New York. While the brand’s reach continues to expand nationally, its made-to-order production remains rooted in longstanding partnerships with local, family-owned manufacturers across the U.S. — an approach that mirrors Symbol’s commitment to longevity, craftsmanship, and objects made to last.
With the opening of the Symbol Loft, the brand establishes a new setting for creative exchange — one grounded in the pulse of culture through music and design.
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