Inside Taylor and Travis’ wedding feast, the National Building Museum gets playful, and Jim Henson’s creature shop opens its doors. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Join Snarkitecture at THE PLAYGROUND
Photo by Noah Kalina
Would it really feel like summer without Snarkitecture activating the Great Hall of the National Building Museum of Washington, DC? Of course not! The New York-based studio’s third immersive installation, THE PLAYGROUND, carries public outdoor infrastructure inside to explore the mental and physical benefits of play, Arch Paper reports. With ZGF serving as the architect of record, the project comprises nine activation areas integrating principles of landscape architecture as well as construction elements from plywood to scaffolding. Play zones include a slide, a miniature construction precinct, a climbing wall, a sandbox-style area filled with granulated cork, and more. THE PLAYGROUND is on display through August 30th.
What did 1,000 guests eat at Taylor and Travis’ wedding?
Sartiano’s at the Mercer in New York; photo by Teddy Wolff
It’s been nearly two weeks, and still no photo evidence has emerged to offer even a glimpse of how Madison Square Garden was overhauled into an attractive wedding venue for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. However, plenty of evidence has come out about the menu. Intrepid reporters (or psychotic fans) reported Sysco deliveries to the arena on July 1st included chicken, lobster, onion rings, and whole milk. Insiders also revealed the reception hosted food stations with Italian offerings, sushi, and even chicken nuggets with caviar (Eater guesses this may be the work of Simon Kim’s COQODAQ). Steak, burgers, fries, and pasta were also served along with (allegedly) a whopping 30 cakes. A delivery from East Village sandwich shop Danny & Coop’s Cheesesteaks (co-owned by Bradley Cooper, who attended the wedding) was also spotted the night of the nuptials in addition to a pizza delivery from Mama’s Too. Later on, a van from SP Bakery joined the lineup onsite. Word on the street is that Sartiano’s, the Italian restaurant inside the Mercer Hotel, catered the rehearsal dinner as well. If you’re desperate to know what happened to the leftovers, you can buy trash from this historic day online. I’m not kidding.
It’s time to meet the Muppets!
View this post on Instagram
The Muppets have long been on display at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, but now, Jim Henson’s Creature Workshop invites fans to dive even deeper into the world of our favorite furry friends. For the first time, the Creature Shop in New York is opening to the public with weekend tours showcasing the rooms where felt and foam are transformed into the creatures we love. Cool Hunting reports that tours illuminate the process of building the “functional sculptures,” from handhelds to wearable puppets. Vintage props are also on display across a maze of shelves beside drawers heaping with googly eyes and noses. Grab tickets for one of the interactive tours here.
When public infrastructure sparks joy
View this post on Instagram
We’re used to public architecture disciplining us—sit, wait, keep it moving—but it’s not as uncommon as we may think for infrastructure to offer reprieve and even reward. Designboom aggregated a few playful public designs that all serve as reminders for designer to also consider pleasure. Designer Jeppe Hein, in particular, is spotlit for his Modified Social Benches, which invite users to adapt to their unexpected forms with no guidance—just an intuitive sense of play. Installations like Appearing Rooms transform water features into choreographed fountains to create walkable rooms as well. Raumlabor Berlin similarly engages urban scale projects like Kitchen Monument, an inflated temporary civic living room installed in forgotten urban corners that invites residents to gather for meals, performance, and discourse. Reward yourself with a few minutes to explore these projects, because efficiency isn’t everything after all.
Register for BDNY 2026!
Photo by Capshr
On November 8th and 9th, BDNY will return to the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York for another year of networking, launches, and invigorating conversation. Registration is open now for the annual trade fair and conference, which will kick off with the Platinum Circle gala at Cipriani Wall Street on November 6th and conclude with the Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 9th. The work of CRÈME and IHG, Avenue Interior Design and Ennismore, and Preen Inc. will yield impressive show floor activations. The Dine & Design pavilion will also return with a design from //3877, while Beth Bloom Designs will envision the Main Stage. The BDNY Power Players: Women Leaders in Hospitality Breakfast, hosted in partnership with NEWH, will return to the program as well. Click here to register—and see you in November.