MillerKnoll Brings Together A&D Leaders to Discuss Industry Impacts

ZEELAND, Mich., December 15, 2025 - MillerKnoll, a growth-oriented small-cap value company in the industrial and consumer sectors, published its 2025 Architecture & Design Leader-to-Leader Recap Report now available for download.

The company brought together design leaders from a wide range of backgrounds, geographies, and experiences for a three-day summit in Detroit focused on the forces reshaping the industry. Gathering these leaders allowed for engaging discussions surrounding the role of design in a landscape shaped by AI, sustainability, and an evolving workplace.

"Our industry is constantly evolving, and we must look ahead and take emerging changes into account when planning spaces. This summit was a chance to gather A&D leaders to have meaningful conversations surrounding workplace planning and the industry as a whole," said Joseph White, MillerKnoll Director of Design Strategy. "The Leader-to-Leader report is meant to serve as a guide for creative, informed, peer-driven inspiration."

Here are a few of the key takeaways from the summit:

• Speed versus excellence-Meeting client demands for fast turnarounds and high-quality design, while supply chain disruptions and tariffs make it harder to balance time, budget, and quality.
• Authentic sustainability-Shifting the industry from greenwashing and carbon offsets to genuine circular design, with transparent manufacturing and long-lasting products.
• Workplace activation-Creating spaces that prioritize people and connection through intentional design and strong organizational leadership.
• Integrated delivery models-Avoiding traditional linear processes-and the delays and miscommunication that accompany them-in favor of more collaborative tactics that bring all stakeholders together from day one.
• Evolving AI strategies-Utilizing AI as a thought partner in workplace design guided by human critical thinking skills, while encouraging young designers to develop new skills as AI increasingly handles more production tasks

"Everyone's looking for that flexible, adaptable space, but trying to be extremely human-centered at the same time, which seems to be in conflict. I think there's a shift [in ideas] that universally used is not necessarily beneficial to all...Instead of making it universally flexible, how can we provide dynamic spaces that allow for choice," shared Lily Diego, Gensler.

Further Reading & Viewing

• Click here to download the design report from our third annual Leader-to-Leader A&D event.
• To view the latest episode of Design Perspectives, please click here.
• To view past episodes of Design Perspectives, please click here.

About MillerKnoll
MillerKnoll is a global collective of design brands built on the foundation of two icons of modernism: Herman Miller and Knoll. The portfolio also includes furniture and accessories for commercial and residential spaces from Colebrook Bosson Saunders, DatesWeiser, DWR (Design Within Reach), Edelman, Geiger, HAY, HOLLY HUNT, Knoll Textiles, Maharam, Muuto, NaughtOne, and Spinneybeck | FilzFelt. Guided by a shared purpose-design for the good of humankind-MillerKnoll generates insights, pioneers innovations, and champions ideas to better align spaces with how people live, work, and gather. In fiscal year 2025, the company generated net sales of $3.7 billion. For more information, visit millerknoll.com.