SANDOW DESIGN GROUP Acquires Azure, Expanding Its Portfolio with Leading International Voice in Architecture & Design
NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SANDOW Companies announced that it has acquired Azure, Canada’s leading international voice in architecture and design. Azure will operate as part of SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, a collective of influential design brands spanning media, research, and creative services.
Founded more than four decades ago by Sergio Sgaramella and the late Nelda Rodger, Azure has earned a global reputation for rigorous journalism, sharp point of view, and exceptional visual standards. With its international perspective and multidisciplinary lens across architecture, interiors, product design, landscape, and urbanism, Azure has played a defining role in elevating Canadian design while engaging a worldwide audience of design professionals.
Elizabeth Pagliacolo will continue in her role as Editor in Chief. A National Magazine Award–winning editor, Pagliacolo brings deep editorial leadership and close ties to the global architecture and design community, ensuring continuity as the brand enters its next chapter.
“First and foremost, I want to honor the extraordinary visionaries who built Azure into one of the most admired voices in global design,” said Adam Sandow, Founder and CEO of SANDOW Companies, parent company of SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, “Sergio Sgaramella and his late wife, Nelda Rodger, created a publication defined by curiosity, intelligence, and an unwavering belief in the cultural impact of design. We are incredibly proud to steward Azure into its next chapter.”
Under SANDOW’s ownership, Azure will remain a vital editorial platform, continuing its legacy in print while expanding how it connects with its audience through digital storytelling and industry programs. The brand will also continue to steward its highly regarded AZ Awards, which recognize excellence and innovation across architecture and design.
As part of SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, Azure joins a portfolio of leading brands that includes LUXE Interiors + Design, Interior Design, Metropolis, Design Milk, Architizer, ThinkLab, The Agency by SANDOW, The STUDIO by SANDOW, DESIGNTV by SANDOW, and the SURROUND Podcast Network. Azure will retain its distinct editorial identity while benefiting from shared infrastructure and new opportunities for engagement across the global design community.
“I am confident that SANDOW DESIGN GROUP will maintain and develop Azure’s unique mandate and perspective as an international media brand,” said Sergio Sgaramella, co-founder and CEO of Azure. “’Design that matters’ was what my life and business partner, Nelda Rodger, placed at the center of our editorial focus, sprinkled with curiosity, innovation, and the intuition for discovering emerging talents. SANDOW is Azure’s natural partner to continue on this path.”
ABOUT SANDOW DESIGN GROUP
Founded in 2003 by visionary entrepreneur Adam I. Sandow, SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, a SANDOW company, has revolutionized the publishing model, delivering innovative content and solutions for the design, materials, and luxury industries. Its portfolio includes LUXE Interiors + Design, Interior Design, Metropolis, Architizer, Azure, Design Milk, SURROUND Podcast Network, and DESIGNTV by SANDOW, alongside industry-leading services ThinkLab, The Agency by SANDOW, and The STUDIO by SANDOW. In 2019, Adam Sandow launched Material Bank, the world’s largest marketplace for searching, sampling, and specifying architecture, design, and construction materials.
CONTACT: For media inquiries, please contact Laura Steele at lsteele@sandowdesign.com.
