FUTURE OF XYZ

Hosted by Lisa Gralnek | iF Design

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Episodes

179

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Oct 2026

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About the show

FUTURE OF XYZ is a bi-weekly interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Through candid conversations with international experts, visionary leaders and courageous changemakers- we provoke new thinking about what's coming down the pipeline on matters related to art & design, science & innovation, culture & creativity. Future of XYZ is presented by iF Design, a respected member of the international design community and host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD since 1953. The show is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. For more information, visit ifdesign.com/XYZ.

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60 recent

October 29, 2026Episode 17932 min

Future of Co-Working | Jean Chandler | S8 E22

S8 E22: The final episode in our special 4-part “Archober” series, this week we feature acclaimed interior designer, Jean Chandler, IIDA. Now the VP of Global Design at Industrious, the co-working pioneer recently acquired by real-estate giant CBRE, Jean shares with us what the future of co-working looks like. From headquarters in New York City to 2nd and 3rd tier city preferences, buildouts & managed spaces for corporate clients, luxury offerings & GenZ expectations – this is the kind of conversation you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re an employee, employer, freelancer or student – from the looks, sound & data of it, co-working is very much part of our futures! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

October 15, 2026Episode 17837 min

Future of Urban Resilience | Miho Mazereeuw | S8 E21

S8 E21: In our continued focus on the built environment in celebration of ‘Archtober’, this week’s guest is a half Dutch, half Japanese landscape architect, Associate Professor of Architecture & Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as Core Faculty at MIT’s Climate Project and Director of their Urban Risk Lab. Miho Mazereeuw’s expertise in driving climate risk mitigation and adaptation efforts across systems touches communities around the world. As the human population continues to grow and cities expand, this work is imperative. How we effectively apply money, knowledge, resources, policies, and people together to build a future in which all survive and thrive is a tough challenge and what the ‘Future of Climate Resilience’ is all about. This is a timely episode everyone should hear. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is a multi-award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

October 1, 2026Episode 17734 min

Future of Community Development | Alexis Villanueva | S8 E20

S8 E20: This week’s guest is Alexis Villanueva – longtime affordable housing advocate, President & CEO of City Heights Community Development Corporation- a California public benefit nonprofit corporation, and recent TEDx San Diego speaker alongside XYZ’s host, Lisa Gralnek. In this parallel release episode, Alexis shares her perspective on the ‘Future of Community Development’ from best practices and capital considerations, to policy linkages, youth engagement tactics, and much more. As the first woman of color to lead the City Heights CDC in its 45-year history – Alexis proudly serves the very community in which she was raised. Her impact is being recognized across San Diego and the nation at-large, and it is a privilege to both host her and share a stage with her. Tune in today! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

September 17, 2026Episode 17633 min

Future of Placemaking | Nina Cooke John | S8 E19

S8 E19: In the ‘Future of Placemaking’, acclaimed Architect & Artist, Nina Cooke John, joins us to talk about the practice of placemaking “as a way to transform relationships between people and the built environment”. This is a remarkable discussion in which Nina shares her detailed perspective on how a “legacy becomes living”, why people get “excited about the gathering”, when art makes architecture “playful and energetic”, and where design increasingly responds to the cultural abundance of a particular locale versus generalized sameness. Don’t miss this creative conversation with one of the world’s leading visionaries in the built environment. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

September 3, 2026Episode 17534 min

Future of Contemporary Art | Nancy Spector | S8 E18 (175th episode)

S8 E18 (Episode 175): For this special milestone edition, XYZ is speaking with the renowned and rather elusive, Nancy Spector, an independent art curator and former Artistic Director & Chief Curator at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Now an advisor and guest curator for the Prada and Louis Vuitton Foundations, among other global institutes, we explore the art part of the $60 billion global art market. From the role of immersion and socialization in current contemporary art consumption, to evolving mediums like museums acquiring performance pieces, the role of artists in a contemporary context, and how AI might or might not be leveraged – this far-reaching conversation with one of the preeminent curators of our time is not to be missed. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

August 20, 2026Episode 17433 min

Future of Historic Preservation | Niles Parker | S8 E17

S8 E17: The United States National Park Service says, ”Historic preservation is a conversation with our past about our future”. Historic preservation is an essential part of national and cultural history, urban planning, and the built environment. This week on XYZ, we speak with Niles Parker, Gosnell Executive Director of the Nantucket Historical Association- one of America’s most significant local history institutions. From how "preserving what’s here feeds into the sense of place”, to why “new isn’t always better” and the trend towards reuse and salvageability ecosystems – Niles argues storytelling is at the heart of it all. This is an important conversation for the modern day- relevant from Massachusetts to Morocco, Cambodia to Cote d’Ivoire, Argentina to Arles, and everywhere between. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

August 6, 2026Episode 17233 min

Future of EV Charging | Tiya Gordon | S8 E16

S8 E16: In the rapidly evolving electric vehicle landscape, the question of how and where to get a charge is imperative. Especially in densely populated urban environments, and even more so in neighborhoods with limited access to public transportation. That's what we’re discussing in this week’s episode of XYZ with designer Tiya Gordon, Co-Founder & COO of it’s electric – a Brooklyn NY-based purveyor of elegant charging stations rolling out across US cities. From the business model to effective grid management, to the importance of aesthetics - this is a great conversation exploring why “no one wants the baby of a gas pump and an iPod on their pretty tree-lined street” and much more! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

July 23, 2026Episode 17136 min

Future of Ingenuity | Chris Denson | S8 E15

S8 E15: “Calibrating our inner compass as individuals will lead to exponential ingenuity.” So suggests our guest on this week’s equally expansive episode. The Detroit native, now Angelino is a former standup comedian, current TV host, and author of the 2019 #1 bestselling book, 10 Essential Rules for Breaking Essential Rules (2019). He shares creative guidelines and innovation insights from his experience working with the likes of Omnicom, Google, SXSW, Cannes Lions, the Obama Administration, and The United Nations. “Human beings are inventive by nature, we thrive on problem-solving energy.” Tune in today to expand your perspective! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

July 9, 2026Episode 17025 min

Future of (Not) Fast Furniture | Brad Ascalon | S8 E14

S8 E14: For XYZ’s second ever live recording release, we spoke live from the SURROUND Podcast Network studio at NeoCon with award-winner industrial designer, Brad Ascalon, about the ‘Future of (Not) Fast Furniture’. In this fun and fascinating conversation, Brad talked about how his appreciation for materials traces back a creative childhood, dished on “big vs little d” design, weighed in on longevity as a function of sustainability, and shared his perspective on why the next generation of design leaders deserves so much support! This is the conversation I wasn’t planning to have with a future-minded designer and business owner about where the contract furniture business is, and also, where it needs to go. Thanks too Brad, for being the guinea pig for live audience recording! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.

June 25, 2026Episode 16934 min

Future of Interiors | Cheryl Durst | S8 E13

S8 E13: For XYZ’s first ever live recording release, we spoke live from the SURROUND Podcast Network studio at NeoCon with Chicago native Cheryl Durst Hon. FIIDA, Executive Vice President/CEO at IIDA (International Interior Design Association). Based on her extensive experience in the interiors industry, three years as an iF Design Award Juror, and role as a sought-after board member, keynote speaker, facilitator, and podcaster – we explore the state of the interiors business as she sees it in the midst of this year’s global furniture fair season. From the effect of an interior on human psychology, to the impact of AI on the industry – this is a comprehensive discussion with one of interiors’ foremost gamechangers, presented at the Obama Presidential Library’s opening exhibit and recipient of the Interior Design Hall of Fame’s first ever Leadership Award. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more.