Editor’s Notebook: Design Insights for Healthier, Happier Spaces
One of my favorite design conversations in 2025 is how our industry is becoming more intentional about aligning personal and societal values with the spaces we create. At i+s, we love exploring those connections—after all, harmony between values and design is what drives inspiring, innovative interiors. Lately, I’ve been especially fascinated by how designers are supporting health and emotional well-being—helping people regulate their nervous systems, feel grounded in safe, nurturing environments, and ultimately thrive in every part of their lives. Naturally, that was a theme for our recent in-depth article on trauma-informed design.
Building on that idea, here’s a quick look at what I’ve been diving into lately—content that fuels my search for positive, actionable ideas to guide better well-being in the built environment.
What I’ve Been Listening To
After catching ASID’s “Future 50” panel from NeoCon 2025’s virtual lineup, I found myself revisiting our I Hear Design podcast archive to refresh my memory on the society’s 2025 Trends Outlook. Back in May, we posted an “ICYMI” article-read episode that unpacked their research on how shifting consumer behaviors were expected to shape design directions this year.
As ASID’s Lindsey Koren predicted, 2025 has indeed leaned into “joy, wellness, and sustainability.” We’ve seen stronger commitments to non-toxic and even circular materials, more investment in intentional and durable FF&E, and a growing focus on adaptable spaces that meet a wide range of cognitive and physical accessibility needs.
🎧 “Improving Buildings’ Health Impact with IWBI’s Dr. Whitney Austin Gray”
In a recent BUILDINGS podcast hosted by my colleague Janelle Penny, I learned how the latest International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) report, Investing in Health Pays Back, reframes data on healthy building design to help C-suite leaders and facility managers better understand how “human capital” investments directly support the bottom line.
Guest Dr. Whitney Austin Gray, senior VP of research at IWBI, noted that we spend about 90% of our lives indoors. As people live and work longer, she explained, they increasingly expect environments that support their health—whether in offices, schools, or other commercial and institutional spaces.
Dr. Gray highlighted how well-designed, controllable systems for lighting, air quality, and thermal comfort, combined with access to healthy food, clean water, and movement opportunities, can make a measurable difference in overall well-being.
Reflecting on her experience collaborating with design and building professionals around the world, Dr. Gray put it perfectly:
“I’ve never heard one [of those professionals] say, ‘I really want to work in an unhealthy building,’ or, ‘I’d love to design an unhealthy building.’”
It’s a great reminder that if designers themselves wouldn’t want to work in such spaces, they shouldn’t be asked to compromise those same health-focused features when budgets get tight.
What I’ve Been Reading…and Watching (a Two-for-One!)
📚 “A Holistic Approach to Crafting Campus Ecosystems of Well-being”
On the Building Design + Construction blog, CannonDesign’s Marisa Nemcik and Stephanie Vito explore the multidimensional needs of today’s higher-education students. Their article—and the embedded webinar, Ecosystems of Well-Being: Mental Health at Education’s In-Between Spaces—delve into the what, why, and how of designing dynamic, supportive campus environments.
Nemcik and Vito share how the whole student experience can be strengthened through intentional access to social, financial, and wellness services. By designing campuses with inclusion, identity, and purpose in mind, they show how thoughtful spaces can nurture growth, reduce academic struggles and turnover, and build meaningful connections that set students up for long-term success.
I’d love to hear what’s been inspiring you lately—what podcasts, articles, or conversations have helped you think differently about designing for well-being and human experience? Share your favorites in the comments or on social!
About the Author
Carrie Meadows
Editor-in-Chief
Carrie Meadows is Editor-in-Chief of interiors+sources (i+s), where she leads editorial strategy, content development, and brand storytelling focused on the people, projects, and innovations shaping the design industry. With more than two decades of experience in B2B media, she has built a career connecting technical expertise with creative insight—translating complex topics into meaningful stories for professional audiences. Before joining i+s in 2024, Carrie served as Editor-in-Chief of LEDs Magazine within Endeavor Business Media’s Digital Infrastructure & Lighting Group, guiding coverage of emerging lighting technologies, sustainability, and human-centric design. Her earlier editorial experience spans across Laser Focus World, Vision Systems Design, Lightwave, and CleanRooms, where she managed print and digital publications serving the optics, photonics, and semiconductor sectors.
An advocate for clear communication and thoughtful storytelling, Carrie combines her editorial management, SEO, and content strategy expertise to help brands and readers stay informed in a rapidly evolving media landscape. When she’s not crafting content, Carrie can be found volunteering at a local animal shelter, diving into a good crime novel, or spending time outdoors with family, friends, and her favorite four-legged friends.