InteriorDesign Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen tells for Design Pataki about her vision for the future of design, and how projects like the Roche Laboratories Headquarters designed by Saguez & Partners is emblematic of some of those shifts.
After two years of an erratic, pandemic-fueled work-from-home life, we’re finally moving into a time period marked by a gradual Return to the Workplace. For some, this is a welcome reset to the circumstances they’ve known pre-Covid. However, for others acclimatized to the comforts of working from their homes, it marks a tough readjustment. This altered and somewhat divisive perception around the workplace has had a definite impact on trends, and as a result, the concepts of human-centered design, flexibility in the office, and inspiring aesthetics are becoming inextricable to the conversation around commercial interiors.
For this piece, we reached out to Cindy Allen, Editor-in-Chief at Interior Design Magazine (@cindygram @interiordesignmag), who has helmed the American publication for 20 years now. She has established herself as a force in elevating the design profession’s importance and exposure, acting as an ambassador and fervent supporter of architects and designers. “When asked to share a few top trends I’m spotting in the industry these days, I made it easy for myself and referred to our latest issue featuring Interior Design’s Best of Year awards, a global design competition celebrating the best-of-the best… and it was chock-a-block full of ideas!” she tells us. Here are her thoughts on what’s shaping the workspace in 2022.
“Flexibility is key for employee retention, productivity, and quality of life – one size doesn’t fit all – and hybrid work environments that encourage both the digital and the physical workplace are in demand, and designers are adapting to seamlessly move between the two!” she tells us. Pictured above, 55% of Roche Laboratories in France was designated as collaborative space with built in flexibility…and the top floor has entirely reconfigurable workstations.