I+S Design

10/12/2026

What happens when a workplace is designed around how people actually develop, test, and experience products?

At Unilever’s new North American headquarters in Hoboken, New Jersey, Perkins&Will created a 111,000-square-foot innovation campus organized around four stages: Discover, Define, Test and Deliver.

From informal brainstorming zones to a professional-grade kitchen and full-service salon, the spaces are built to help teams experiment, collaborate, and see products through the consumer’s eyes.

Discover how thoughtful interior design is helping shape the future of workplace innovation.

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/3TTvNaW

Perkins&Will right-sized Unilever’s workplace into an 111,000-sq.-ft. “canvas” built for discovery, testing, and brand storytelling.

10/09/2026

What makes a flexible workplace actually work?

It’s more than adding a variety of seating options or giving employees a choice of where to sit.

This i+s article identifies three lessons from post-occupancy feedback at Francis Cauffman FCA’s Philadelphia headquarters: flexibility and adjustability, clear communication and legibility, and community and comfort.

Height-adjustable desks, free-address workstations, adjustable lighting and temperature controls give employees more control. Clear wayfinding and instructions help them understand how to use those options. And social spaces, wellness rooms and acoustically separated focus areas create balance throughout the day.

The bigger takeaway for workplace designers: flexibility has to be understandable, usable and responsive to the people occupying the space.

Static work spaces belong to the pre-pandemic past. An integrated approach to well-being drives a new era of office engagement.

10/08/2026

What if the way a project is delivered could change the way you grow as a designer?

In this piece from Building Design+Construction, Elizabeth Moggio, AIA, DBIA, principal at Miller Hull, reflects on how progressive design-build has influenced more than just her approach to higher education projects.

By bringing trade partners into conversations earlier, questioning traditional processes, and creating an environment where it’s okay to ask questions, Moggio says PDB has helped her become a more curious designer and a more intentional mentor.

The biggest takeaway may be that better collaboration isn’t just about producing better projects. It can change the people doing the work, too.

Elizabeth Moggio, AIA, DBIA, Principal, Miller Hull, shares her experience with progressive design-build, highlighting how this delivery model fosters innovation, trust, and better...

10/07/2026

The best room dividers don’t just divide a room—they shape how a space feels.

For this week’s Product Pick, Lauren Brant selected Syncro by Rimadesio, a sliding-panel system designed by Giuseppe Bavuso that balances privacy, light, openness, and sightlines.

With synchronized panels that overlap smoothly without connecting plates or floor pins, Syncro creates a refined transition between spaces while maintaining a light, minimal appearance.

It’s a thoughtful example of how sophisticated engineering can support—and even enhance—architectural simplicity.

What do you think: Could a system like Syncro change how you approach open-plan spaces?

Available in 2-, 3-, or 4-way rail setups, Syncro offers a refined solution for balancing privacy, light, and openness, making it a versatile choice for contemporary architecture...

10/06/2026

What happens when workplace culture becomes a design criterion?

For Focus Partners Wealth’s new St. Louis headquarters, Lawrence Group translated the firm’s goals around equity, flexibility, and connection into tangible planning decisions.

Private offices were sized equally to reduce hierarchy. Free-desking gives employees greater choice over where they work: distinct workplace settings support focus, collaboration, and informal connection. Daylight and biophilic elements bring warmth and visual connection to nature.

The result is a workplace designed to make the organization’s values part of the everyday experience.

What workplace strategies are you seeing that genuinely support employee choice?

Lawrence Group translated the firm’s values around equity, flexibility, and connection into office planning, shared spaces, and greater employee choice.

10/05/2026

Thanks to Inpro for supporting the I Hear Design podcast again for October.

10/02/2026

A workplace that looks great isn’t necessarily a workplace that makes it easy to focus.
New research from Corgan Inc. and the University of Arkansas examines how lighting, enclosure, movement, and other sensory conditions affect people completing cognitive tasks.
The findings point toward a more nuanced approach to workplace design—one that moves beyond “bright and open” as a default and considers how different environments can support different needs.
Interior designers and architects: Which of these strategies are you already incorporating into workplace projects?
https://bit.ly/4y2qmVc

Corgan and University of Arkansas research shows how lighting, enclosure, and purposeful movement can help designers reduce distraction and cognitive load in the workplace.

10/01/2026

It’s easy to equate innovation with something new, but newness is only part of the story. In the latest episode of Product Talk, Lauren Brant explores how innovation can also mean improving function, performance, and material health—or responding to human needs in a new way.

From Kvadrat and Designtex to Shaw Contract, HBF Textiles, and others, the episode looks at different approaches to innovation and what they can teach designers and specifiers.

What does innovation mean to you when you’re evaluating a product?

09/30/2026

Workplace technology doesn’t have to dominate the design.

Lauren Brant’s Product Pick of the Week explores HALCON’s VESPER collection, designed by Fogarty Finger. With discreet integrated power, built-in lighting, height-adjustable desks and modular storage, VESPER brings technology into the workplace while maintaining a clean visual language.

And the material palette—wood veneers, glass, metal, and FENIX NTM finishes—adds another layer of warmth and sophistication.

Where do you think integrated technology makes the biggest difference in workplace design?

With discreet power integration and elegant materials like wood veneers, glass, and metal, VESPER provides timeless sophistication tailored for private offices, conference rooms...

09/29/2026

What does the future of interior design need to respond to?

American Society of Interior Designers/ASID’s 2026 Trends Outlook looks beyond aesthetics to the forces reshaping how we design and live—from demographic shifts and the growing need for adaptable environments to wellness, independence, sustainability, and the purposeful return of maximalism.

In this ICYMI episode of I Hear Design, revisit the key ideas shaping the conversation around resilience, dignity, and long-term value in interior design.

Listen now.

In this ICYMI episode of I Hear Design, we revisit ASID’s 2026 Trends Outlook, which examines how interior designers are responding to shifting expectations around health, adaptability...