SURROUND Presents

METROPOLIS Editor in Chief Avi Rajagopal speaks with Souvik Paul, founder of Aurie, and Sinclair Smith of SVA’s MFA Products of Design about what it takes to turn design into meaningful change. From developing a reusable catheter system to rethinking how designers are taught entrepreneurship, they explore human-centered problem solving, the realities of bringing new ideas to market, and why today’s designers increasingly need the skills to build the systems around their work—not just the products themselves.

This episode of SURROUND Presents is made possible by SVA.

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Find more episodes of Ideas of Order at SURROUNDpodcasts.com

The objects we choose to keep often tell the story of who we are. Antoni Porowski joins Jeremiah for a conversation about memory, identity and the rituals that make a house feel like home. From treasured everyday items and evolving design obsessions to the experience of furnishing a country house, Antoni reflects on the personal meaning behind the spaces we create and the things we surround ourselves with. He shares stories from his multicultural upbringing in Montreal, his move to New York and the winding path that led him from psychology and acting to food, television and global recognition through Queer Eye. Together, they explore the challenges of learning to trust your instincts and building a life rooted in connection, stewardship and the people who matter most.

Ideas of Order, the California Closets podcast, is produced by Rob Schulte at SANDOW DESIGN GROUP and is part of the SURROUND Podcast Network. Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.

Follow California Closets on Instagram @caclosets

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Find more episodes of Design Fuel at SURROUNDpodcasts.com

Host David Polzin connects with Moody Nolan CEO Jonathan Moody in the latest episode of Design Fuel.

The conversations navigates important topics around investing in underserved communities, the impact of legacy and continuity in community development and why Jonathan advocates for solutions that are diverse by design.

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Find more episodes of NeoConversations at SURROUNDpodcasts.com

In this episode of NeoConversations, host Nubia Henderson sits down with polymath David Shing, known as Shingy, for a conversation on what it means to design for creativity in a culture shaped by constant consumption.

Recorded during NeoCon, the conversation explores how workplaces, learning environments, and digital spaces can better support active creation, human connection, and more expansive ways of thinking. From tactile tools like doodling and LEGO’s to post-COVID workplace expectations, Shingy challenges us to rethink the environments we build and ask whether they truly help people create, collaborate, and bring their full selves to work.

This episode was recorded in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND. Thank you to our Lounge sponsor, Unika Vaev, and partners: B+N, DARRAN, Framery, Momentum, and UpSpring.

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What makes good design endure in an era of constant change? Recorded live at NeoCon 2026, AJ Paron sits down with Wick Wolfe, president of Unica Vaev, to discuss the principles that outlast trends. From the evolution of NeoCon to the growing importance of acoustics and sustainability, Wolfe shares how thoughtful, user-centered design remains relevant in a rapidly changing industry.

This episode is presented by Unika Vaev and was recorded in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND. Thank you to our Lounge sponsor, Unika Vaev, and partners: B+N, DARRAN, Framery, Momentum, and UpSpring.

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Find more episodes of Deep Green at SURROUNDpodcasts.com

Listeners of Deep Green know that we have a big problem with office furniture. In 2018, an estimated 12 million tons of furniture went to landfills in the United States alone, and eight million tons of that was office furniture.

Not cheap e-commerce or flat-pack couches or low-quality furniture. These were desks, workstations, and ergonomic chairs that probably had many more years of life left in them. Now, if we could divert those pieces to new projects and give them a second life, it could mean some money for the original owners, savings for the new owners, and a whole lot of good for the planet.

That's where Reseat comes in. In this episode, created in partnership with Reseat, host Avinash Rajagopal sits down with the company’s founder and CEO, Brandi Susewitz. Building on Susewitz’s deep knowledge of the furniture industry, Reseat is making an increasingly big impact through furniture reuse every year. Listen to learn about what's new with the Reseat platform, how the challenges and opportunities around circularity and design have changed, and why furniture is still a key lever in our transition to a circular built environment.

Resources:

Reseat’s Mission

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Listen to every episode of Design Nerds Anonymous at SURROUNDpodcasts.com

In the Season 10 premiere of Design Nerds Anonymous, host Amanda Schneider kicks off a season built around the ideas inside her upcoming book, Work for What’s Next, with a guest who lives at the intersection of innovation, risk, and human potential: Deb Golden, Deloitte’s US Chief Innovation Officer. Together, they unpack a core tension shaping work right now: companies keep trying to fix a software problem (culture, trust, systems) with hardware (office mandates). The result is a conversation about the trust gap, unlearning outdated rules, and what it takes to design workplaces that become magnets—not mandates. 

Links Mentioned: 

• Grab your copy of Work for What's Next. 
• Sign up for ThinkLab’s Newsletter to keep up with industry trends.  
• Follow Amanda on LinkedIn for more workplace insights. 
• Book Amanda to speak  

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Find more episodes of Barriers to Entry at surroundpodcasts.com/barriers-to-entry

Architecture as a Startup

Season 4 opens with a milestone moment: Andrew Lane’s first solo episode as host. With a little encouragement from Producer Rob, Andrew welcomes back friend of the show Matthias Hollwich, founder of HWKN Architecture, for a conversation about why the architecture industry may need to reinvent itself entirely.

Matthias argues that today every architecture firm needs to think like a startup. With AI transforming design tools and workflows at breakneck speed, his studio has embraced rapid experimentation—running internal AI sprints, rewriting their design process every few months, and using generative tools to explore entirely new forms of architecture.

Andrew and Matthias discuss how AI is reshaping everything from design research to client collaboration, how new technologies can unlock more emotional and human-centered architecture, and why this moment may allow architects to reclaim influence over the future of the built environment.

Connect with our host, Andrew Lane, on LinkedIn

Follow Matthias Hollwich on LinkedIn

References and resources

HWKN Architecture

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In this episode, we sit down with Kyle Bergman, founder of the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF), to explore House by the Sea — a dreamy new film that revisits Eileen Gray’s iconic E1027 house and the notorious murals by Le Corbusier. We look at how the film uncovers what design history often hides: the stories of women like Gray, Charlotte Perriand, Lily Reich, and Denise Scott Brown — visionaries whose work shaped modern architecture but whose names too often went uncredited. We unpack why these stories matter and what they say about whose voices shape our built environment. Kyle shares what drew him to the film, what keeps him inspired to spotlight untold stories through ADFF, and why these hidden histories are more relevant than ever.

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Recorded live at NeoCon 2025, Helene Oberman, Managing Director of Interior Design Magazine, sits down with Neel Bradham, CEO and Managing Director of Parador. In this episode, they discuss Parador's debut in the U.S. market, their rich legacy of nearly 50 years in the European design industry, and how Parador integrates innovation and sustainability in their products. Neel also shares insights into how Parador navigates global expansion and the importance of partnerships in achieving their vision.

This episode was produced in partnership with Parador and recorded live in the NeoCon Podcast Lounge Powered by SURROUND, sponsored by Material Bank, and in partnership with HÅG, Stylex, KI Wall, and Turf.

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