As we close out 2025 and look toward the year ahead, officeinsight magazine has an exciting lineup planned that I’m eager to share with you.

First, we’re welcoming a new group of columnists who will bring fresh perspectives and expertise to these pages. Many thanks to Maria VanDeman as she steps away from her column-writing duties after contributing so much to our coverage. Her insights have been invaluable, and we wish her well.

This year, we’re adding even more voices to the conversation, beginning with Krystal Lucero in this issue. I can’t wait for our readers to “meet” Krystal, who will provide a fantastic view of what it’s like as a designer working in this industry day-to-day. Her perspective will be grounded in the real challenges and opportunities that working designers face, not the aspirational version that shows up in marketing materials.

We’re also adding designer Sarah Kuchar-Parkinson, educator Jon Otis, and marketing specialist Kevin Budelmann to our columnist ranks. They join Bill Wittland, Yong In, and the experts at IIDA as regular contributors to officeinsight. Each brings a distinct lens to the commercial interiors industry, and I’m confident their varied expertise will enrich the conversations we’re having about where this industry is headed.

Beyond new columnists, we’re working on some special projects tied to Chicago Design Week that we think will serve the design community in meaningful ways. The details are still coming together, but the goal is to provide coverage and resources that help attendees navigate what has become an increasingly fragmented event landscape in Chicago.

We’re also developing an entirely new publication, which we plan to launch in June. I can’t say much more yet, but it’s a project we’ve been thinking about for some time, and it addresses a gap we’ve been watching. More news about that very soon.

And as we head into 2026, which promises to be as demanding as 2025 we are taking a look back at the past year in today’s issue. I’m a firm believer that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so take a look back at 2025 in our issue found here.

We need each other more than ever in 2026 and at officeinsight magazine, we promise to bring you news that really matters to our industry.

After all, material costs remain volatile. Technology is advancing faster than organizational culture can absorb it. Design trends are shifting before inventory even reaches warehouses. The rules keep changing, and the companies that will thrive are those treating change as the operating environment rather than an inconvenience to be managed.

Our job at officeinsight is to document what’s actually happening, separate real trends from hype, and give you the information you need to make better decisions. With this expanded roster of contributors and the new projects we have in development, I’m confident we’ll be able to do that even more effectively in 2026.

Much to come this year. As always, thanks for reading.