The Comm Sheet

Move Over Men: HOK Is Designing an Elite WNBA Training Center

For decades, women athletes have been expected to make do with less. The Toronto Tempo’s new performance center, designed by HOK and set to open in 2028, flips that script with private changing spaces, hydrotherapy pools, a mother’s room, and a design philosophy centered entirely around top-performing women athletes and the community that supports them.

Wellness Is at the Heart of These Chicago Design Week Product Debuts

What makes YOU feel good at work? Research shows it varies from person to person. But sometimes we don’t need science to tell us that the built environment is sick. If you walk into a space and feel the ick, chances are that human and environmental health were not top of mind when those interiors were being put together. At Chicago Design Week, however, wellness was a recurring theme. From true circularity to hip hop vibes, these "feel-good” products from Turf, Momentum, Levitask, Boss Design, Loll Designs, and Model N are just six of many that stood out.

She Turned Away From Her Korean Heritage. Architecture Brought Her Back.

Some leave home because they think their future exists somewhere else. For Juhee Lee-Hartford that “somewhere else” was architecture itself. The River Architects founder was just a teen when she turned away from her Korean culture in pursuit of becoming an architect. Years later, she found herself pulled back toward the very heritage she thought she'd left behind.

Choose Your Own Adventure With DuroDeco’s Customizable Furniture Kit

Say hello to DuroDeco, the new furniture studio from the design minds behind Dunham Robinson. Born from the frustration of fitting all manner of tables into challenging corners, this brand treats customization as the standard rather than a wallet tax. The inaugural line consists of a modular “kit of parts” that allows for creating custom pieces impeccably made to fit your unique interior space.

Fab 5: Janet Simpson

What does it take to reinvent a legacy design firm? Ask Janet Simpson. As the first woman to lead TVS, she discusses servant leadership, creating spaces that make people feel good, and the boldest design risk she’s ever taken.

Editor's Note: June 16, 2026

Danine is back from NeoCon and ready to share her take on the goods she saw there.

History Meets Maximalism at The Painted Lady in Birmingham

In a world of boring beige and greige, Birmingham’s newest gem, The Painted Lady, is leaning into its colorful and slightly scandalous history. Designed by Fifth Dimension and housed in the historic Eyer-Raden building, this 22-room boutique hotel trades cookie-cutter vibes for "Victorian maximalism," inspired by the city’s legendary madam-turned-nurse, Louise Wooster. Expect floral wallpapers, artifacts like turn-of-the-century liquor bottles found during demo, and a Michelin-selected seal of approval. Located in the heart of the vibey Southside, you’re just steps away from 11 Michelin-recognized eateries. It’s a bold, whimsical history lesson you can actually sleep in.

Productivity and Wellbeing Go Hand in Hand at nanimarquina’s Barcelona HQ

Barcelona-based rug company nanimarquina has earned its avant-garde reputation. The brand is known for artist collaborations, non-traditional patterns, and experimental techniques. Since the beginning, the company has worked to elevate the rug from a purely functional object into a central design element that transforms spaces and creates atmosphere. But for the redesign of its HQ offices—across the floor from the creative studio—a more serene aesthetic was needed. The renovated HQ is designed to reduce stress while increasing concentration, well-being, and creativity.

Dial Up the Drama With Artistic Tile's Donghia Textile-Inspired Mosaics

Artistic Tile has unveiled one of the most fashion-forward tile collaborations we’ve seen in a minute. Partnering with heritage textile brand Donghia, the tile company has transformed iconic woven patterns into jaw-dropping natural-stone mosaics named Casino Royale and Decadence. It's graphic marble shapes, moody color palettes, and the kind of craftsmanship that makes you want to touch every surface immediately. Artistic Tile’s Zach Epstein says the collaboration is all about honoring Donghia’s textile legacy while pushing stone in a more contemporary direction. And these luxe mosaics feel equally at home in boutique hotels, statement bathrooms, and ultra-glam restaurant interiors.

Craving Take-Out? Landscape Forms Has Got You!

Landscape Forms’ popular Take-Out collection of lightweight, reconfigurable connected seating was designed to reclaim the outdoors during the pandemic, helping people to socialize, repopulate public space, and feel part of the city again. However, there’s always room to improve on the original. The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based brand has expanded the collection to include a Tall option with an integrated footrest, a Mini version ergonomically scaled for K–5 education, and Wedge, a shape that encourages more natural, conversational postures.

Whenever, Wherever: These 6 Ergonomic Chairs Promote Posture and Productivity

Ergonomic seating is a must in the workplace—whether you work in a corporate office or at home. Today’s tremendous selection of task chairs makes it easy to specify the right look and feel for any contract setting. Besides offering a wide variety of colors and shapes, the current crop proves circularity has finally gone from theory to action, with exciting sustainable materials like upcycled marine litter as part of the story, too. All along, ergonomic experts have been building on the important work of Bill Stumpf in his 1976 Ergon Chair with Herman Miller. Spinal health, comfort, and adjustability continue to be top concerns. It’s easy to find a great-looking task chair, but ergonomic seating continues to be serious business—especially with the current focus on wellness.

Exploring the Mind of Hella Jongerius at Vitra Design Museum

The Vitra Design Museum is about to become a must-visit destination for design nerds everywhere thanks to Whispering Things, the first major retrospective dedicated to Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. Featuring more than 400 works pulled from Hella’s newly acquired archive, the exhibition dives deep into her world of textiles, ceramics, furniture, color studies, prototypes, and wildly experimental material research. Expect everything from giant installations of hand-worked vases to emotionally charged ceramic creatures called Angry Animals. More than just a career retrospective, the show explores Hella’s belief that objects can communicate quietly, thoughtfully, and emotionally—if we actually slow down long enough to listen.

AAHA Studio Transforms a 1930s Police Gym into a Luxe Wedding Venue

Not just another wedding venue, Wedgewood Weddings at The Headquarters by Los Angeles-based AAHA Studio is a full-scale transformation of San Diego’s historic former police gymnasium. Completed in 2025, the 14,000-square-foot adaptive-reuse project reimagines a 1939 Deco-era registered landmark as a flexible, multi-level event venue that includes a lounge, a grand event hall, bridal and groom suites, sales offices, and a commercial kitchen.

The Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove Feels Like Home, Inspired by the Monterey Peninsula

Blending serene coastal inspiration with residential warmth, Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove offers a nuanced hospitality experience that sits somewhere between escapism and comfort. Designed by Narrative Design Studio, the property reflects the Monterey Peninsula while also incorporating brighter hues, curated local artwork, and tactile, home-like details. The result is a space that feels personal, place-driven, and quietly (maybe surprisingly?) luxurious.

Tihany Design's New Rome Studio Preserves the Past With an Eye on the Future

The napkin sketch proves again and again that inspiration can strike anywhere. But who wouldn’t do their best work in a fabulous, 19th-century palazzo with soaring 15-foot ceilings, expertly restored frescoes, and bespoke furniture? That’s what the Tihany Design team in Rome gets to enjoy every day in the space they conceived and designed themselves under the direction of Alessia Genova, owner of Tihany Design. In the brand's new home just steps from Piazza Navona, the Rome studio continues to serve as a strategic hub for New York–based Tihany Design's international practice, overseeing projects across five continents.

Peru’s Past Powers Bethesda’s New Hotspot

On a busy Bethesda corner, Pisco y Nazca is doing the absolute most—in the best way. Designed by //3877, the 5,500-square-foot gastrobar pulls from Peru’s Nazca lines in to shape everything from the guest journey to the artwork. A neutral, desert-inspired base sets the stage for bold textures, glowing gold ceilings, and a woven bar canopy that steals the show. Add in a hummingbird mural, a mobile by Roberto Sayas, and plenty of playful details (hi, llama figurines), and you’ve got a space that feels equal parts cultural deep dive and really great night out.

Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026: 6 Funky Finds for Bold Commercial Spaces

While I was thrilled to jet off to Milan to attend Salone 2026 in search of the coolest new products, I did not expect the unbridled joy and energy that emanated from every corner. It was a stellar year for design—beautifully proving creatives’ essential nature. This year’s show saw a rejection of digital artifice and a return to narrative-based materiality, indulgent tactility, bold, warm colors, and playful, kinetic designs that encourage human connection.

From Style to Sustainability, Bolon’s New BKB Colorways Check All the Boxes

Commercial interiors see all the action every day, but they can never show it. That’s why so many specifiers rely on Swedish manufacturer Bolon’s BKB collection of high-performance woven flooring. By merging the durability of resilient flooring with the comfort and acoustic benefits of soft surfaces, BKB delivers a practical solution for high-traffic commercial interiors. Bolon’s products are manufactured in Sweden using 68% recycled material, renewable energy, and a commitment to circularity that resonates strongly with North American specifiers. Now, Bolon has expanded its BKB product line with four new sisal-inspired colorways that build on the product’s signature texture while expanding its range. Sisal Umber, Sisal Loam, Sisal Fawn, and Sisal Dune are intended to add warmth and depth to interiors for designers working with layered, tonal schemes.

Yes! Concrete Can Be Charming: The Double Tee Table Recasts a Classic Form

With subtle curves, hand-finished surfaces, and tonal variation, the Double Tee Table collection is challenging concrete’s reputation as a purely brutalist material. Designed by MANOS and STRANG, the line reinterprets an iconic architectural move, the double tee beam, which was made famous by midcentury architect George Leedy. The result is a refined, yet approachable table series that is versatile enough for indoor and outdoor use. Making its official debut at NYCxDESIGN, Double Tee showcases how material innovation and thoughtful design can reshape even the most rigid of typologies.