Erica Cummings, NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C, is an Interior Design Principal in our Washington, D.C., office, where she focuses on workplace design for the Public | Corporate market in the mid-Atlantic.
She has extensive experience planning and designing office interiors, tenant improvements, and hospitality spaces for commercial enterprises, associations, law practices, and other professional services firms. Throughout her career, she has promoted a collaborative partnership with clients and user groups to create workplaces that capture an organization’s culture and mission—and make people feel welcome.
Since joining HGA in 2023, she has guided new outlooks to workplace strategies. The mid-Atlantic is a particularly dynamic market, driven by changes in office occupancy and work styles—an equation reflected across the country. Keeping her pulse on the industry, she just served as a juror for the national product awards program at NeoCon, the premier conference for the commercial interior design industry.
In the following, Erica discusses the evolving workplace, daily challenges that inspire her, and takeaways from NeoCon.
Erica Cummings
Interior Design Principal
What changes have you seen in the workplace in the two years since joining HGA?
We talk a lot about “return–to–office.“ But what we are really talking about is hybrid as the new way of work life. Hybrid functions in varying capacities for different clients, and each client approaches it differently depending on their industry and office location.
In what way?
Much of the conversation starts with understanding who needs to be in the office and when they need to be there, which days have the highest occupancy, and why some days have higher occupancy than others—then planning spaces around that. The biggest change I’ve seen is rightsizing office space. Rather than planning based on headcount, we are focusing more on understanding how people use workspaces, how they interact with each other, and then balance that with hybrid work data to ensure the office is not over capacity or underutilized on any given day.
What are people looking for when they go to the office?
Connection, collaboration—and mentorship. The younger generation is craving in–person mentorship experiences. And while it can be done, these experiences are difficult to schedule and plan for. Mentorship tends to flourish when it happens organically. Overall, we are best when we are together and in sync. Having some in–person contact can be the catalyst for collaboration to thrive in a hybrid work environment. It is a matter of providing the right amenities and resources to encourage different work zones, from scrum rooms to group meetings, one-on-one meetings, or just socializing, backed up with head–down focus space for the in–between times.
I have found so much joy when the client and I really connect on the organization's mission and values.
Erica Cummings
Interior Design Principal
Is there a particular project that gives you satisfaction or joy?
This goes into what personally inspires me. I have found so much joy when the client and I really connect on the organization’s mission and values. I’m reminded of one project specifically that I completed several years ago. As people moved in, the company put up a board to collect anonymous comments on the new design. One comment particularly resonated with me: “I finally feel like I work in the office of the company I know I have worked at all along.” I loved that because I knew we created something that was truly a reflection of them—and not about us as designers.
Do you have a great home office?
Well, I do have a home office, but I also move around a lot. Years ago, I freed myself from being tethered to a desk by embracing a second portable monitor for my laptop, so I can truly take my setup anywhere. I have a desk at home that I sit at for more formal meetings, but a lot of the time I’m on my sofa with a laptop or at the dining table. I also embrace hybrid models. I am in our D.C. office three days a week, sometimes four or five depending on client meetings. If I am not at home or in the office, I’m on a client site, or meeting with clients, or at a development event. Even within our office, I’m floating between desks, booths, pantry tables, etc. I’m basically all over the place.
You just judged the Best of NeoCon product awards. Tell us a bit about that experience.
NeoCon continues to showcase the inspiring spirit that propels the design industry forward. I was honored with a unique perspective this year, working alongside my fellow jurors to review innovations in products and applications. It was inspiring to see how our collective efforts enabled and uplifted those individuals setting exemplary standards in design and creativity. I’m truly grateful to my colleagues at HGA and fellow jurors for the enriching dialogue and shared experience that made the week in Chicago so rewarding.
Read on . . .
To continue the conversation, read Erica Cummings’ co-byline with HGA colleagues Alicen Damico and Perry Stephney in Work Design Magazine, “Maximizing Magnets and Minimizing Barriers to Improve Office Life.”
