Carlene Olsen

What does a design collection look like when it embodies cultural significance? A recent episode of the SURROUND Podcast Network’s Once Upon A Project podcast explores this idea through the lens of hip hop. Michael Ford, architect, educator, and founder of Hip Hop By Design and BrandNu Design Studio, joined show host AJ Paron to talk about translating a cultural movement into the world of interiors.

Designing for wellness is, to put it simply, designing for people, industry leaders said during Interior Design’s Hospitality and Wellness roundtable hosted by Helene Oberman, Interior Design managing director, and Jen Renzi, the magazine’s executive editor at NeoCon. People, though, are complex. Rather than take a generational approach, a designer for a major wellness brand said she focuses on brand personas.

Artificial intelligence is here, heralding in an era of rapid change akin to innovations as monumental as electricity, designers agreed during Interior Design‘s Commercial Leaders roundtable at NeoCon held on June 8, 2026. Joined by nearly 20 commercial design leaders, Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen started the discussion by noting that the conversation around AI is changing as quickly as the tools themselves, moving beyond a moment of speculation to the urgency of adaptation.