Watching the Grammy’s is always an interesting experience. Generally I approach it with low expectations. It leans generic and popular and serves as a publicity machine for the recording industry. There are few surprises, some snubs and often lackluster performances.
This year they were a bit more politically charged than usual, for all the reasons we know. However, we watch it and hope. Personally, I anticipate moments, both in the acceptance of the award and in the occasional stellar performance. This year there were many such moments and in some of those I was inspired to write about the connections I found to our industry.
Beyond the main set design (Happy! Sunny! Bright!), and the specific sets to support the various music performances (Tyler the Creator: Ugh – Lady Gaga: Wow!) there were deeper messages being stated by various artists, and in particular, Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny made history at the 2026 Grammys, winning Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS – the first primarily Spanish-language album to win this distinction in the ceremony’s 68-year history.
His decision to deliver most of his acceptance speech in Spanish has been interpreted in several ways. In the political context, Bad Bunny dedicated his win to immigrants who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams . Earlier in the night, when accepting Best Música Urbana Album, he opened with “ICE out” and stated “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.” The Spanish speech is being seen as part of his broader statement about Latino identity and resistance to current immigration enforcement.
The core parallel I want to make, is that Bad Bunny’s speech emphasized that Latino contributions aren’t separate from American culture. They are American culture. Similarly, international design students aren’t outsiders borrowing American education; they’re actively shaping and elevating American design through their perspectives, methodologies and cultural knowledge.
I would emphasize that a practical policy advocacy is critical. The design field could advocate for expanded OPT (Optional Practical Training) or specific visa categories for designers, similar to how STEM fields have extended OPT periods. Design organizations like IIDA, ASID or the AIA could lobby for recognition of design as critical to American innovation and competitiveness, making the case that keeping international talent strengthens the field rather than taking opportunities from domestic students.
Design schools could create more robust pathways – partnering with firms willing to sponsor H-1B visas, establishing entrepreneurship programs that help international graduates create their own studios, or building exchange programs that demonstrate the economic value these designers bring to American communities.
We need to acknowledge cultural pride as professional strength. Bad Bunny’s message was about not diminishing yourself to fit in. For design students, this translates to programs that encourage them to bring their full cultural perspectives into their work rather than assimilating to a narrow definition of “American design.” This authenticity often produces the most innovative work.
Interior design has a global DNA. The field has always been enriched by cross-cultural exchange. Consider how Scandinavian minimalism, Japanese spatial concepts like ma, Indian textile traditions or Latin American color theory have shaped contemporary American interior design. These aren’t borrowed aesthetics. They’re integrated knowledge systems that have elevated how Americans understand and create spaces. International designers bring this embedded understanding rather than just surface-level inspiration.
The economic argument is that interior design directly impacts real estate value, hospitality success, healthcare outcomes and workplace productivity. International designers often bring expertise in adaptive reuse, sustainable materials or high-density living solutions that American cities increasingly need. Keeping these designers in the U.S. means their innovations benefit American clients, cities and the broader economy rather than competing markets abroad.
Design should be viewed in a holistic perspective. International interior designers often approach projects with integrated thinking about craft, sustainability, community and wellbeing that comes from different cultural priorities. For example, designers from countries with limited resources might bring crucial perspectives on adaptive design and material efficiency that American sustainability efforts need.
Interior design is already globally collaborative — supply chains, manufacturing, material sourcing. But imagine if firms could retain talent that understands how to navigate these international networks, speaks multiple languages and brings cultural competency to projects serving diverse American communities. The designer who understands both Guatemalan weaving cooperatives and Miami’s design market creates opportunities no single-perspective designer could.
IIDA, ASID, AIA and similar organizations could make powerful cases that interior design shapes public health (healthcare design), economic development (hospitality, retail), and quality of life (residential, workplace). These aren’t luxury concerns. They’re infrastructure. Framing it this way could support advocacy for designer-specific visa pathways.
If we view this from a manufacturing perspective, international designers are innovation pipelines, not just customers. A designer trained in Bogotá understands Colombian craftsmanship and can broker relationships with artisan communities that American manufacturers increasingly want access to for authentic, sustainable product lines. A designer from Mumbai brings knowledge of traditional block printing or natural dyeing that could differentiate a textile line. Retaining these designers means manufacturers get embedded cultural consultants who can help them navigate global sourcing ethically and authentically, avoiding cultural appropriation while accessing genuine craft traditions.
Demographics are destiny. The US population is increasingly multicultural, and developments that don’t reflect this will struggle. An international designer who understands multigenerational living patterns can create housing that actually serves Asian or Latino families. Someone who grew up in dense urban environments brings expertise in maximizing small footprints that American cities desperately need. These designers help real estate projects connect with underserved markets. That’s competitive advantage, not charity.
On the product sales side, international designers expand the network and credibility. They connect companies to diaspora communities with buying power, facilitate introductions to international projects and help sales teams understand cultural nuances in client relationships. A sales rep working with a designer who speaks Mandarin, understands feng shui principles, and has family connections in China isn’t just selling to the American market. They’re positioned for cross-Pacific opportunities.
This is about field elevation, not competition. When American interior design demonstrates global fluency, it commands higher fees and respect. Law firms don’t become less prestigious by hiring international attorneys; they become more sophisticated. The same applies to design. Firms that retain international talent signal they’re operating at a global standard, which attracts better clients and projects.
Bad Bunny didn’t ask permission to speak Spanish at the Grammys. He demonstrated that American culture is strengthened, not diluted, by refusing to minimize cultural identity. Interior design faces the same inflection point. Do we treat international perspectives as temporary educational diversity, or do we recognize them as permanent competitive advantages?
So indulge me to be ‘Bad’ one more time. Just as he insisted Puerto Rican culture is foundational to global music rather than peripheral, international interior designers could assert that their perspectives aren’t merely enrichment to American design. They’re essential to its evolution and global leadership.
Therefore, I’m standing with Bad Bunny. Mantengámonos todos unidos! (Let’s all stand together!)
Editor’s Note: Jon Otis, FIIDA is a professor of interior design at Pratt Institute since 1998. He is also the director, Pratt Creative Xchange research accelerator at the Pratt Research Yard. In 2017 he was awarded IIDA Educator of the Year. Otis has served on the IIDA Board of Directors, IIDA Foundation, and currently serves on the IIDA Advocacy Committee. He is also an Advisor for Lot21, and serves on the DIFFA Board of Directors. In 2022 he co-founded the Diversity by Design Fund (dxdf) to support educational initiatives for young students of color. Otis is the founder and principal of OlA – Object Agency since 1999. O|A is a multidisciplinary design studio and design strategy agency in Brooklyn, N.Y.