I Hear Design: the i+s podcast

What can the world’s largest design fair tell us about where interior design is headed? In this ICYMI episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit the trends and innovations that stood out at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026 based on an article published by interiors+sources.
The show reflected an industry increasingly focused on longevity, material integrity, sustainability, and technology that works quietly in the background rather than demanding attention. We also explore the rise of computational craft, where digital fabrication and emerging technologies are being paired with traditional making, as well as the growing influence of international markets on materials, products, and design thinking.
Listen in for a closer look at what Salone 2026 suggests about the evolving priorities shaping commercial interiors—and what designers should be watching next.

In Part 2 of the Future Ready by Design series, host Robert Nieminen continues his conversation with Mark Bryan, chief research and strategy officer at IIDA, about the ideas emerging from IIDA’s Certified Design Futurist program and Futures Readiness Index.
Following Part 1’s discussion of proof, accountability, and outcomes-based design, this episode shifts into the theme Feel It: how the built environment supports the way people feel. Bryan discusses loneliness as a spatial issue and explains why simply adding lounges, shared tables, or collision zones is not enough to create meaningful connection. He also explores the need to design for purpose, programming, identity, and choice so people can show up more fully without feeling exposed or pressured.
The conversation then turns to catharsis and emotional release, asking whether future workplaces, homes, hospitality environments, and amenity spaces may need to move beyond quiet rooms and wellness spaces to support safe ways of expelling stress. Bryan also discusses sound as an active design medium, sleep as an emerging amenity, and the opportunity for designers, manufacturers, and owners to define which emotional outcomes they want their spaces and products to support.
Together, these ideas point to a future in which design value is measured not only by what a space looks like or proves, but by how well it helps people regulate, recover, connect, and feel.

Lighting can do more than illuminate a space—it can influence how people see, feel, focus, interact, and respond to the passage of time.
In this episode of Product Talk, Lauren Brant talks with Robert Soler, founder and chief scientist of BIOS Lighting, about what wellness-focused lighting actually means and what designers should consider when specifying it. They discuss circadian lighting, daylight integration, individual differences in energy rhythms, glare and visual comfort, controls, sustainability, and how lighting needs vary across workplaces, healthcare, hospitality, and education. Soler also shares what designers should ask manufacturers about wellness claims, spectrum, application, and performance—and why the future of lighting may require moving beyond the quiet ceiling toward lighting that more intentionally supports the people in a space.

In this In Case You Missed It episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit an article from interiors+sources that explores how Hendrick designed Synovus Place, a 122,000-square-foot downtown Columbus, Georgia, headquarters, around community, change, and employee experience. The project brought several locations together under one roof while using workplace strategy, change management, interior design, and environmental graphic design to help employees navigate the transition. The design centers community as both a spatial and cultural framework, with flexible work settings, transparent connections, quiet areas, social spaces, biophilic elements, and amenities that support comfort and choice. Brand storytelling, color, materials, and graphics further connect Synovus’ culture and local roots to the workplace experience.
Listen in for a closer look at how Hendrick approached workplace transition, community, flexibility, employee well-being, and brand storytelling to shape the Synovus Place headquarters—and how those strategies come together to create a more connected workplace experience.

In the first episode of a three-part I Hear Design series titled, "Future Ready by Design," host Robert Nieminen speaks with Mark Bryan, chief research and strategy officer at IIDA, about the organization’s Certified Design Futurist program and Futures Readiness Index.
Part 1, Prove It, explores how the built environment industry is being asked to move beyond beautiful finished spaces and toward measurable outcomes, long-term performance, and greater accountability. Bryan discusses why clients and users are increasingly focused on proof, how post-occupancy evaluation could become a more central part of design services, and why outcomes-based literacy may become a critical capability for firms, manufacturers, and design teams.
The conversation also examines the future of interactive documentation, including drawings and models that can be queried, traced, and updated, as well as surfaces and materials that may function as active systems rather than passive finishes. Together, these ideas point to a future in which design value is defined not only by what a space looks like, but by what it can prove, support, and sustain over time.

In this In Case You Missed It episode of the I Hear Design podcast, we revisit an article from interiors+sources that explores how airport design is evolving in 2026 as modernization takes precedence over building entirely new terminals. Today’s airport projects are balancing operational performance with a more thoughtful passenger experience, incorporating hospitality-inspired lounges and seating, improved restrooms, biophilic elements, accessibility features, and amenities for a wider range of travelers. At the same time, sustainability and resilience are reshaping everything from material selection and energy systems to the long-term performance of aviation facilities.
Listen in for a look at the design strategies transforming airports into more comfortable, inclusive, efficient, and resilient environments.

Colleges and universities are under pressure to prove their value as they navigate enrollment challenges, affordability concerns, student retention, and changing expectations around the campus experience. In this episode of the I Hear Design podcast, host Robert Nieminen speaks with Martin Kimmel, founding principal and chief creative officer of Kimmel Architecture, about how the physical campus can help institutions clarify who they are and why students should choose them.
Kimmel discusses what a higher ed “identity crisis” looks like from an architect’s perspective, how buildings can either reinforce or dilute an institution’s mission, and why campus design should align with recruitment, retention, wellness, belonging, and long-term value. The conversation also explores the evolving role of libraries as student-success hubs, the importance of designing spaces where students can feel “alone together,” and how colleges can achieve meaningful transformation through extraordinary solutions for ordinary budgets.

Sound influences every space we design, yet acoustics are often treated as an afterthought. In this episode of Product Talk, Lauren Brant sits down with Dr. Robert MacMeccan, President of Turf Design, to explore why acoustics should be considered one of the foundational elements of architecture and interior design—not simply a finishing touch. Together they discuss evidence-based design, neuroinclusive environments, workplace productivity, healthcare healing spaces, and how thoughtful acoustic solutions create healthier, more functional experiences for everyone. Whether you're designing workplaces, schools, healthcare facilities, or hospitality spaces, this conversation will change the way you think about sound.

The language of sustainable materials is getting more complicated. Terms like bio-based, bio-sourced, bio-attributed, and USDA BioPreferred® are increasingly common in product literature, but they don’t necessarily mean the same thing—or provide the same level of verification.
In this ICYMI episode of I Hear Design, we revisit an interiors+sources article that breaks down the terminology designers and specifiers should understand when evaluating renewable material claims. Learn how ASTM D6866 testing helps verify bio-based content, how supply-chain tracking differs from lab verification, and why a higher percentage of renewable content doesn’t always tell the full sustainability or performance story.
It’s a practical primer for design professionals who want to look beyond marketing language, ask better questions, and specify bio-based materials with greater confidence.

What does it really take to build a healthy design practice today? On this episode of I Hear Design, Robert Nieminen speaks with David Shove-Brown, co-founder and partner at Washington, D.C.-based architecture and design firm //3877, about the systems, values, and leadership habits that help firms stay resilient over time.
Their conversation explores how culture, accountability, transparency, and mentorship shape everything from retention and team trust to client relationships and project outcomes. Shove-Brown also explains how //3877 used B Corp certification not simply as a credential, but as a framework for operationalizing its values, measuring impact, and challenging traditional assumptions about how design firms should work. For leaders thinking about the future of practice, this episode offers a candid look at what sustainable, accountable firm leadership can look like in real terms.