Mogging Modern Interior Design

Laila Shanab (B.ARCH. ’16) is a licensed interior designer and an associate at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York, where she has been contributing since 2018. Prior to SOM, Shanab was a designer at KOO. Shanab discusses the current trends in her industry and what lessons she’s learned while working on large commercial and residential spaces in recent years.

Your career was split by the COVID-19 pandemic, which created a push for hybrid work and affected downtown commercial markets in significant ways. What changes have you seen in the interior design of large commercial spaces since the pandemic? 

In the past five years, people are realizing that human contact is important. People are more focused on hospitality—they are trying to bring people back to the workplace and are trying to create a nice, comfortable environment for them to stay in all day long. 

We have some clients that come to us with the theme of, ‘We want to create a home away from home.’ Familiar components that give more of a sense of intimacy. The furniture and rugs are a little more plush, supplemental decorative lights add ambiance. 

There are now more amenity spaces, including lounge areas, pantries, bigger boardrooms, and things such as golf simulators and game rooms. It’s been a big trend since COVID-19, whether a company is occupying a small space or several levels of an office building, you get dedicated areas for amenities where employees can meet, collaborate, socialize, and unwind. 

What about non-commercial spaces? 

We’re seeing the same thing in residential settings. Tenants coming to rent, they want to see something in the building that has extra value. Amenities such as roof top lounges, screening rooms, pet wash, fitness and spa components are popular. Specifically in markets such as New York, where apartments are smaller, tenants see these amenities as extensions of their homes. 

What other changes have you noticed in the field of interior design overall? 

There is a big focus on physical and mental wellness. Promoting daylight, using sustainable materiality, encouraging people to move and providing the facilities for a more active lifestyle is at the forefront of our approach to design. 

With advances in technology, there are also opportunities to create spaces that are flexible and adaptable. Specifically in rehabilitation projects, you need to get creative with existing constraints; we challenge ourselves to design spaces that can transform to host a variety of settings and functions.