Rephonic
Artwork for Once Upon a Project
Design For All
Pinnacle Sky House
Shaw Contract
Wellness
Hip Hop Architecture
Roivant
Equitable Workplace
Park City
Creative Wellness
Sustainability
Urban Planning
Asia Pacific Sustainability
Biophilic Design
Detroit, United States
Interior Design
Textiles
Neocon
Hybrid Work
New York
Healthcare

As interior designers, we’re accustomed to celebrating the end of a project. But what about the people and process behind those designs? Once Upon a Project delves into the stories of creating the spaces that we inhabit with the designers who dreamed them up. Join AJ Paron, EVP and Design Futurist of SANDOW Design Group, in unraveling what it takes to bring interior design projects to fruition—fro... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes40Founded4 years ago
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Artwork for Once Upon a Project

Latest Episodes

How do you design a workplace that's ready for constant change? AJ Paron speaks with Karen Marie Stonely, founding principal of SPAN Architecture, about how her firm has reimagined its studio through decades of disruption, from 9/11 and the pandemic ... more

What makes an office worth coming back to? This episode explores Roivant's first purpose-built New York headquarters at Penn One, designed to foster connection, collaboration and culture for a hybrid workforce. AJ Paron speaks with Sommer Schauer of ... more

What does it mean to design a workplace that cares for caregivers? This episode explores Northwestern Medicine’s Faculty Office Center in Chicago, a restorative environment created to support physician wellbeing through biophilic design, flexible wor... more

What does equity look like in the hybrid workplace? In this episode, AJ Paron speaks with Alivia Stalnaker and Alexis Kim of SmithGroup about reimagining AlixPartners’ Chicago office for a post-pandemic reality shaped by flexibility, wellbeing, and c... more

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Recent Guests

Sommer Schauer
Principal and Design Director, Perkins and Will, New York Office
Perkins and Will
Episode: Designing the Office as a Destination
Jill Giorgis
Client lead at Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine
Episode: Redesigning the Physician Office Experience
Mark Hirons
Led architectural design from CannonDesign
CannonDesign
Episode: Redesigning the Physician Office Experience
Alexis Kim
SmithGroup, Detroit office (guest)
SmithGroup
Episode: Designing an Equitable Workplace for Hybrid Work
Alivia Stalnaker
SmithGroup, Detroit office (guest)
SmithGroup
Episode: Designing an Equitable Workplace for Hybrid Work
Whitney Eveler
Design Director at Gensler, Boston Office
Gensler
Episode: Designing for Belonging
Caroline Zimbalist
Biomaterials artist and designer
Shaw Contract collaboration partner
Episode: Design for All (Live at NeoCon 2026)
Michael Ford
Architect, educator, and cultural force known as The Hip Hop Architect
Momentum collaboration; Hip Hop by Design
Episode: Design Blueprint for Liquid Architecture
Lily Diego
Creative Director, Gensler Detroit
Gensler
Episode: Building Hope in Motion

Host

AJ Paron
Host of the show, EVP and Design Futurist at SANDOW Design Group (via SURROUND network)

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#61
United States/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#250
Canada/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#164
Belgium/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#227
Ireland/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#245
New Zealand/Arts/Design

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Designing the Office as a Destination
Q: What was the central challenge of designing a workplace where occupancy changes dramatically throughout the year, and how did you address that in the space?
The central challenge was to create a lively, energy-rich environment for up to 250 people during peak times while avoiding a ghost-town feel during quieter periods. This was addressed by concentrating energy in a flexible hub with a strong hospitality-forward program, providing a range of spaces and movable furniture to reconfigure for different scales and activities, ensuring visibility and interaction across floors.
Designing the Office as a Destination
Q: Tell us about Roivant, who are they, what kind of company are we talking about, and what made this project different from traditional office spaces they've done before?
Roivant is a biopharmaceutical company focused on accelerating medicines that matter. The project was different because it was their first purpose-built space, crafted specifically for their needs rather than adapting existing spaces for their work, which required designing for a now-typical hybrid, globally distributed team and a highly variable in-person presence.
Design Groundwork for Healing Spaces
Q: What did the Wellbeing Center pilot aim to achieve beyond medical treatment?
The pilot sought to create a holistic ecosystem where patients, caregivers, and clinicians share a space that supports social belonging, mental well-being, and practical needs like housing and food, reducing loneliness and improving overall health.
Design Groundwork for Healing Spaces
Q: Why bring lived experience into the project, and how does it affect the design process?
Having the lived experience of those affected is critical; it builds trust and ensures the project tackles real needs rather than assumed problems, with the pace set by the those living the experience.
Design Groundwork for Healing Spaces
Q: Tell us about Experience Happiness and the Happiness Practice.
Experience Happiness focuses on eradicating burnout by cultivating inside-out authentic happiness; it emphasizes shifting from a 'human doing' to a 'human being' and outlines five principles that rewire neural pathways to sustain well-being.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Once Upon a Project

What is Once Upon a Project about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The series centers on human-centered design across interiors, architecture, and workplace strategy, featuring conversations with designers, architects, and brand leaders who explore the stories behind notable projects. Episodes span topics like creating belonging in modern workplaces, inclusive Design For All initiatives, the infusion of culture and music into materiality, wellness-driven design in healthcare and offices, and sustainable, biomaterial-informed practices. Notable threads include co-design with clients and communities, the practical challenges of translating concept to space, and the way wellness, accessibility, and sustainability shape everyday environments. The show often mixes project case studies with practical takeaways f... more

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2. The Daily
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4. Good Hang with Amy Poehler
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Once Upon a Project launched 4 years ago and published 40 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Once Upon a Project?

Recent guests on Once Upon a Project include:

1. Sommer Schauer
2. Jill Giorgis
3. Mark Hirons
4. Alexis Kim
5. Alivia Stalnaker
6. Whitney Eveler
7. Caroline Zimbalist
8. Michael Ford

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