Block party
NIKI CHENG • 18th Street Design Collective
WORK • Tuesday Routine
NIKI CHENG • designer and co-founder • 18th Street Design Collective
Neighborhood you work in: Chelsea
Neighborhood you live in: Nomad
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Every morning, I attend a yoga class at 830a before heading to work. At 10a, I have my daily calls with my team to check-in with one another. As a founder of 18th Street Design Collective, I have to visit our stores in Chelsea — Calligaris, Camerich, Ditre Italia, and Eichholtz — all located on the same block of 18th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today is a full day, in the best possible way. In the morning, our Eichholtz Manhattan showroom is hosting a book signing and designer panel on the transformative power of collaboration, discussing how design intersects across so many aspects of our lives. We love hosting events in our showrooms, and think of them as more than just destinations for interiors. They’re stages for dialogue, exchange, and inspiration.
Looking ahead to the evening, I’m preparing for a housewarming party at our newly redesigned family loft in Nomad. I love to cook and will be preparing most of the food myself, featuring dim sum-style shareable plates with traditional Malaysian dishes like chickpea curry and fried okra, along with mooncakes from my favorite shop Lady Wong Patisserie in the Lower East Side.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m going to dinner at Nami Nori this week — their tamaki set is my favorite thing to order. I’m also eager to check out Naks. Finding authentic Filipino cuisine in the city can be a challenge, so I’m especially curious to see how they capture traditional flavors with their modern twists.
My son and I have a fun tradition where we pick a specific food item and then try that item at 10 different restaurants. Right now we are crazy over fried chicken and have visited Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, Pelicana, COQODAQ, Red Rooster Harlem, and Bonchon. Our favorite so far was TKK Fried Chicken. It is the crispiest chicken I have tried and the only store that marinates their chicken through and through.
I recently went to Providence to visit my daughter who’s currently studying at Brown University. We had a family dinner at Gift Horse for her birthday. What made the evening truly special was their oyster selection: they have twenty different varieties, each sourced with care and presented beautifully.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
I’m going to Bathhouse in Flatiron this weekend with my girlfriends for a fun spa day and a digital detox.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
RIMOWA Essential Check-in L suitcase in dark blue. I’ve been traveling a ton over the past few months (Amsterdam, Paris, Malaysia, Marrakech, and Tulum, to name a few) and this bag has been a game changer in how I pack and travel.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
SOUK Yoga Studio in Nomad! I’ve been going there since they opened two years ago and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to up their yoga practice. I just had my nails done at Sundays in the East Village. Their service is incredible and they use all organic and non-toxic products.
Where are you donating your time or money?
We participated in the 25th Anniversary of Design on a Dime and donated over $60k of merchandise from our Calligaris and Eichholtz stores for a shoppable design vignette, with all proceeds benefiting Housing Works. I had fun designing our vignette, and our theme, The Forgotten Fragment, explored the beauty of repurposing — layering vintage textures, muted tones, and personal history into a space that felt both nostalgic and forward-looking.