With the world starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the future of design abound. “Everybody is wondering, ‘What is next? And how do we make sense of what’s just happened to all of us?’ There is no magic answer on how to get back to the old way,” says Royce Epstein, A&D design director for Mohawk Group. “And I think the old way is really eroded. All of us are looking for new directions in work and life.”

In this Studio Session, ARCHITECT Editor-in-Chief Paul Makovsky discusses what’s next in design with Epstein. They delve into topics of hybridization (redefining work/live), equity (building diversity, equity, and inclusion), sustainability (nature and culture), and the Metaverse and tech (designing beyond) in their exploration of post-pandemic design directions.

Royce Epstein is both a Philadelphia-based historian and a futurist who shares her passion and vision for design, cultural trends, and the meaning of materials in a broad context. Trained in art history, she spent two decades working as an interior designer and materials specialist in architecture firms before working in product development for commercial textiles and carpet. Royce is currently the A&D design director for Mohawk Group. She is always on the watch for new trends in all aspects of culture, feeding this insight to our industry’s touch points as a strategic designer, trend forecaster, professor, lecturer, critical thinker, and writer. She is the co-founder of Dissent by Design, a website and Instagram account that explores design’s role in social movements.

Show Notes

This Studio Session is underwritten by Mohawk Group.

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