i + D - May/June 2020 - 17

Virginia Valentini
Architect/Designer/Co-founder, LATOxLATO
latoxlato.com | @latoxlato
The first thing that comes to mind on the subject of
personalizing spaces right now is how a couple months
ago, my husband, Francesco, and I started working
from home. That meant we were videoconferencing a
lot, and at first we didn't pay much attention to what
the background behind us looked like. Then, all of
a sudden, we were able to virtually enter the homes
of our co-workers and clients, and "spy" on the room
they were calling us from. We were immediately
fascinated by the things we could see around them,
and we started imagining what the rest of their room
or apartment looked like. People don't pay much
attention to which corner of their home they're letting
you into! That's when we realized the background
we were showing people through our own screens
was just as important as the office where we would
meet them during "regular" times. Why would we
pay such careful attention to every corner of our
office conference room, making sure it always looks
tidy and professional and communicates a message
to anyone who walks in, and not do the same for our
virtual workplace? We decided to set up our space in
front of a nice piece of art hanging on the wall in our
apartment. That way, we are still showing something
that represents us and our style-something we
handpicked for our apartment-without diverting
attention too far away from us and the focus of our
meeting. It's better than a plain white wall, which
wouldn't communicate any emotions or ideas, or
our bookcase full of books and design ideas that we
love, but which would be too overwhelming as a
background. So, we decided to go for art!

What skills or lessons have you
learned-professional and/or personal-
while working/sheltering at home that
will benefit your career and life overall
going forward?
Thomas Lavin
Owner/President, Thomas Lavin Showroom
thomaslavin.com | @thomaslavinshowroom

Professionally, I recently discovered Zoom, just like
everyone else in our industry. It has been super handy
for keeping in touch with clients and bringing their
new collections directly to designers. We are doing
dozens of presentations a week. We also just got
started with Instagram Live, and I am really enjoying
that. And, my staff talked me into finally appearing
on our Instagram account. I am now hosting almost
daily "20 Seconds With Thomas" (in honor of our
20th anniversary) videos showcasing our vendors'
work. Also, I'm getting back into pulling samples.
With everyone working remotely, sometimes I'm the
only one in the showroom. And I have to say, I'm
really enjoying this new/old part of my job.
Personally, I've been cooking quite a lot: making pesto
by hand with a mortar and pestle, hand-rolling pasta.
And I'm really digging into my piano practice, sitting
at the bench every day. Right now, I'm working on two
pieces: one of Schubert's Impromptus and an atonal
piece by Carl Vine called "Red Blues."
Stephanie Moffitt
Design Director, Mokum | James Dunlop Textiles
jamesdunloptextiles.com | @we_love_fabric

As we have been unable to venture out or invite
interior designers into our showrooms, we have looked
at other mediums for staying connected with the design
community. One we have very successfully adopted
is weekly Instagram Live videos. Both myself and

my colleague Annie Moir, who works with me in the
Mokum studio here in Sydney, are comfortable with
public speaking, especially in regards to presenting
our latest collections or discussing our bespoke design
process. However, once you turn on a live camera
it's a different game, and for both of us it has been
a bit nerve-racking! We are used to presenting to an
audience in person, where you get to feel people's
reactions and engage with them. With Instagram Live,
the audience is one person with a camera so initially
it was very surreal. And, as the name suggests, it's
live so there are no second chances or edits! As we
are progressing, we are getting far more relaxed with
the process and trying to shorten our content, making
it succinct whilst still visually stimulating. We look
forward to being able to once again present to our
design community in person, but we will continue to
use this medium beyond the COVID restrictions, as
the reach is so much broader.

How will office design-corporate
offices, home offices, and/or your own
office-change as a result of COVID-19?
David Cordell
Associate Principal, Perkins and Will
perkinswill.com | @perkinswill

We believe that corporate office space will evolve in
response to COVID-19 in four ways: through changes
to physical space, a heightened focus on health and
wellbeing, reevaluation of standard policies and
procedures, and expanded technology.
Physical office spaces will likely evolve to
accommodate larger numbers of remote workers.
Even long term, after the initial return-to-work
transition phase, several Fortune 500 companies are
already estimating that 30-35 percent of their staff
will continue to work from home. This means some
companies will move towards unassigned offices
and workstations for employees who do not come
into the office. The benefits of coming into the office
will continue to be ease of collaboration with peers,
mentorship opportunities, and the strengthening of
office culture. Naturally, there will be a renewed focus
on spaces that support these vital activities, and how
they can be flexible for rapid response in the future.
The human health component will focus on enhanced
building systems that filter or treat air and water
to eliminate pathogens and reduce opportunities
for growth of mold and other microorganisms. The
industry's growing awareness of the importance of
healthy building materials will evolve to include
durability in response to regular and more rigorous
cleaning protocols. Ensuring that protocols are in
place for disinfection of high-touch surfaces, like
door handles and elevator call buttons, has become
important in reducing exposure and the spread of
microorganisms and pathogens. Additional
protocols reinforcing new behaviors, like distancing
and sanitation, will likely become the norm in
public spaces.
We can also expect to see technology help us
respond to these new protocols. Bluetooth-enabled
equipment like coffee makers in office pantries and
coffee stations will allow us to order single serve
beverages from our phone without requiring a
hands-on approach, while offering an elevated employee
experience. We could see the prevalence of touchless
sensors increase in everything from restroom faucets
and doors to thermostats and conference room
lighting controls. Technology will also be critical in
the support of expanded remote work conditions
and the sophistication and quality of virtual meeting
software will need to continue to improve.

i+D - May/June 2020

378_021_i+D_MayJune_v1.indd 17

The key to managing these changes is to think
beyond the immediate six to eight months and plan
for the interpandemic stage a year or more from now.
Strategies offering long-term benefits by supporting
occupant health or providing for future flexibility in
the next crisis will be the most successful.
Katie Pace
Communications Director, Steelcase
steelcase.com | @steelcase

When we return to work, employee safety and
wellbeing will be paramount. Organizations need to
take action to ensure that people feel safe physically,
mentally, and emotionally. At Steelcase, we're looking
to the post-COVID workplace in three phases: Now
(reconfigure), Near (retrofit), and Far (reinvent).
This means retrofitting the workplace quickly to
comply with governmental and global health guidelines
in the immediate term. When organizations are ready
to bring back most or all of their workforce, they can
begin reconfiguring the workplace for longer-term
solutions and enhanced safety. Solutions should be
highly adaptable, science-based, and selected with
cleanability in mind.
In the longer-term future, work environments will
require reinvention as science-based evidence and
emerging technologies offer new solutions. Going
forward the workplace will need to be designed with
a deep commitment to the wellbeing of people-
adaptable to possible economic, climate, and health
disruptions. The opportunity for the workplace is to
move forward, not backward.
One thing is certain about the future workplace, it
won't be going away any time soon. Culture is rooted
in community and the "social infrastructure"-places
and protocols-that connect people and shape how
we interact. The modern workplace provides the
infrastructure needed to foster relationships, build
communities at work, and allow people to achieve
more. We will all return to the workplace changed in
some way, and companies must continue to strive to
create a work experience that strengthens community,
creativity, and productivity.

Design will play a major role as we look
ahead to a post-COVID world. Interior
spaces, exterior spaces, city layouts,
public transportation, materials, and
more will have to adapt to a new way of
life. How do you see design's role in our
post-COVID existence?
Eric Yorath
Principal, figure3
figure3.com | @figure3design

As difficult as it has been, the COVID-19 pandemic
has provided the world with an invaluable opportunity
for research and learning in many fields. In the worlds
of interior design as well as the social sciences, we
have never been afforded such a circumstance to better
understand what we need out of our environments-
not simply for functional or practical reasons, but also
on emotional and psychological levels.
Over the past several years the worlds of design and
psychology have been learning from each other more
and more. The recent pandemic has only provided
more urgency to better understand how people connect
with their environments psychologically. As such,
design will need to continue finding ways to learn
from and partner with the social sciences to ensure we
are developing spaces and products that support us
on all levels.

17
20-05-20 17:10
http://www.latoxlato.com http://www.steelcase.com http://www.perkinswill.com http://www.thomaslavin.com http://www.figure3.com http://www.jamesdunloptextiles.com
i + D - May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i + D - May/June 2020
