Imagine a Place is an evocative prompt. An open-ended cue to think about space and how it is used. And since 2018, this expansive communication platform from OFS has educated and entertained thousands with its podcasts, videos and print publication.
OFS is launching what it calls Imagine a Place 3.0, which will still include a podcast feed, long-form videos and an OFS-focused publication. It is a new era for OFS and its popular platform, said Aaron Estabrook, senior director, digital and communication strategy.
Though the first iteration of Imagine a Place proceeded him, Estabrook has been instrumental in building the communication platform into one of the most admired and followed in the industry. But the departure of Doug Shapiro, the former vice president of research and insights at OFS and the charismatic host of Imagine a Place’s signature podcast, pushed forward an already planned update and to re-imagine Imagine a Place.
As part of Imagine a Place 3.0, OFS is paring down the number of outside podcasts on its podcast network. Maria VanDeman was promoted to director of design strategy and is the new host of the Imagine a Place podcast. Wesley Edmonds, director of workplace, adaptive solutions, will host a podcast called “In the Room,” which is a podcast recorded live at various industry events. “In the Room” was launched late last year. “In the Room” will host live podcasts at events like ICFF, Design Days, BDNY and potentially a few others. And Carolina, a sister brand to OFS that specializes in healthcare furniture, will launch a new series called “Crafted for Healing.” A host for that program has not yet been named.
The only outside podcast OFS is keeping is “The Design Pop” by Alexandra Tseffos. “We made a conscious decision to hang onto her and really wrap our arms around “The Design Pop” and the dealer designer community,” said Estabrook. “We care very much about the dealer designer community and we can’t think of anybody better than Alexandra to speak to them.”
Imagine a Place 3.0 will also work on two long-form video projects. One will feature a doctor building a hospital in rural Kenya and Hank Menke’s work on the project. A second long-form video called “Crafted” is being created to explore a unique technical program at nearby South Ridge High School. The high school started a program to teach students high-tech manufacturing. Students are learning about woodworking, automation and CNC machines — the intersection of programming and durable goods building. The project was championed by Cory Menke, the company’s vice president of operations.
In many ways, Imagine a Place is returning to its roots. The platform grew rapidly at the start of the pandemic — call it Imagine a Place 2.0. The second iteration of Imagine a Place was a time of rapid growth and progress and ran roughly from 2020 to 2024. “It was an incredible time,” said Estabrook. “I mean, we did a podcast on center court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (home of the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis) with Adam Stover (senior principal of Populous). The opportunities that were coming to us were incredible, just absolutely incredible.”
The podcast network grew rapidly and added podcasters from outside OFS like Cheryl Durst of IIDA and author and speaker Rex Miller.
And the idea of Imagine a Place — though it never became a company catchphrase or motto — began bleeding into the sales organization of the company. Sales began picking up Imagine a Place and used it as a way of starting a conversation with the architecture and design community.
The original Imagine a Place podcast began in earnest in 2020. Though OFS planned to launch the podcast by NeoCon that year, the pandemic prompted the company to start it early as a way to connect to its customers.
“We weren’t the first people to do (a podcast), so it’s not as if we were breaking new ground, but we were probably the first to do it in a way that was more conversational in tone. We had a very strict no editing policy, so we left in “ums” and non-sequiturs. There was a lot of times it was provocative, what people were saying about the industry or even our products. The only thing that we would edit out is the glamorous things people would say about us or our products. We wanted to make sure this wasn’t a podcast or a platform about furniture necessarily,” said Estabrook.
Imagine a Place 3.0 will pick up where 2.0 left off, but with a tighter focus. VanDeman, who also is a columnist for officeinsight magazine, will be key to Imagine a Place’s future success. Estabrook said VanDeman was a regular guest on the Imagine a Place podcast and even filled in as a guest host. She was a natural fit to take over the Imagine a Place podcast.
“She’s deeply insightful, she’s really smart, she’s a great communicator and she’s super warm,” he said. “She wrote a children’s book called ‘Design Your World,’ and that’s when we started to realize that she is an all-star communicator, whether she’s writing, speaking, podcasting or on video. I’ve been at hundreds of dinners with her. She is so warm and she fits the spirit of Imagine a Place which is this conversational, heartfelt warmth. She’s truly curious. That is something people really love and I think it’s one of her best qualities.”
VanDeman said she is thrilled to take over the podcast, but even more excited about her new role in the company. VanDeman will be a bridge between the OFS sales team and marketing. Her job is to make sure that OFS teams are equipped to understand the design side of the industry and also have the tools to support designers that the company works with.
“The interior design industry is such an important client base because they’re touching so many of the big projects that we’re working on, and they’re involved with a lot of the vertical markets of healthcare, workplace, hospitality,” she said.
The job fits in perfectly with the mission of Imagine a Place.
“(The podcast) definitely connects when it comes to designers and my own background in design,” she said. “I can truly empathize and understand with what designers are going through, and it also helps me learn from what I’m hearing from the design side, and it makes me better at my job just connecting those dots.”
While some companies focus on deep research and others on product marketing, OFS believes in storytelling, which is a key part of Imagine a Place. It’s about human connection, connecting with people on a more personal level outside of just furniture and business. In its latest iteration of Imagine a Place, OFS plans to keep the stories coming.
