How Working With Biomaterials Ignites Creativity

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How Working With Biomaterials Ignites Creativity

When it comes to great design, inclusivity is a vital part of the equation—from sensory experiences to wayfinding tools and furniture. But even with intentional specification, some users within a space can be underrepresented. “When you’re putting chairs into a project, you know that the chairs you picked fit 98% of the people,” says Once Upon a Project podcast host AJ Paron. “But if you’re not those 98% of people—if you’re that one percenter, and you have to have a different chair in a different color and a different size—how does that make you feel?”

The show’s latest episode, hosted on the SURROUND Podcast Network and filmed as a panel discussion at NeoCon 2026, explores this concept with Shannon Crider Langley, director of marketing for Shaw Contract, Frances Phillips, senior content marketing manager at Shaw Contract, and biomaterials designer Caroline Zimbalist.

^{Panelists at NeoCon 2026 (from left): Frances Phillips, Caroline Zimbalist, Shannon Crider Langley, and AJ Paron}

Kicking off the conversation, Langley explains that research for Shaw’s annual color trend report led to a deeper dive into broader cultural trends. From there, the brand identified five “Design For All” principles: connection, well-being, experience, learning, and thriving. “What started as a color trend, turned into so much more,” she says. “It became: How do we get to the future?” A driving force behind that question is authentic connection, she adds.

“At the very basis of [connection], there is psychological safety, and you have to have that,” Langley continues. “If you have psychological safety, then you have the freedom to be curious, and curiosity is what drives innovation.” That’s what sparked a collaboration between Shaw Contract and Zimbalist, teaming up to create workshops around sustainable making and use of biomaterials for Shaw’s designers. “Our mission and our promise to the planet and to people is so similar,” Langley adds, noting Zimbalist’s use of biodegradable materials.

From cooking her materials on a stove to using dye to create vibrant hues, Zimbalist invites the material to dictate the final form of her creations. “I live in New York in an apartment where the floor is slightly slanted… so I’m pouring on the ground, and almost all of my pieces have an area that’s, like, heavier and denser, and the other side is quite frail and fragile, but there’s a beauty to that,” Zimbalist shares. “There’s an imperfect, human touch that really resonates with people.”

Spontaneous decisions and risk-taking, Zimbalist says, stem from giving herself permission to “fail” and experiment, ultimately shaping her distinct vessels—the same idea applies to the built environment. “You cannot truly design a space without people in mind, and you cannot design for people without understanding people,” says Paron. “So now, designers, have to learn [building] codes and regulations, to be researchers. You have to be psychologists.”

Speaking to Shaw’s workshops with Zimbalist, which designers and brand leaders are invited to take part in, Langley says: “It was amazing to see everybody just light up and have the opportunity to play.”

Tune in to the full episode to hear how research, material exploration, and a more human-centered mindset are reshaping the future of design—and why designing for all is more vital than ever.

Watch Once Upon a Project podcast live.