How Apartment Therapy’s New Designer Class Could Reshape Property Staging

Last updated: October 13, 2026

Apartment Therapy has named its first-ever class of New/Next List Designers for 2026. Five designers made the cut from what the publication describes as an "incredibly impressive" pool of applicants. The honorees are Daniela Araya, Ariene Bethea, Julia Chasman, Kristin Keyes, and Gabriel Yuri, listed alphabetically. According to apartmenttherapy.com, a panel of editors evaluated submissions on creativity, originality, quality of work, and each candidate's contribution to how people live and decorate at home.

The announcement lands at a quiet moment in design-industry coverage. No other major shelter publication has staged a comparable talent-spotting exercise this year. Whether this class defines the next design cycle or simply signals editorial priorities, the selection criteria are worth unpacking for anyone who uses interior presentation to move property.

The Honorees at a Glance

• Daniela Araya: Hudson, New York-based color consultant turned full-service interior designer. A longtime Apartment Therapy contributor known for connecting color theory to psychological insight. Previously worked in media marketing at CNN and Hearst. Active on Instagram and Substack.
• Ariene Bethea: Founder of Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio. Made the leap from human resources after her boss encouraged her to pursue design professionally. Known for a collected, deeply personal approach to interiors.
• Julia Chasman: Los Angeles-based designer with decades of experience on film sets. Longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Brings a cinematic, layered aesthetic to residential work, using antique furniture and bold textiles.
• Kristin Keyes and Gabriel Yuri: Also named to the class; no additional profile details appear in the announcement.

The panel looked for designers whose work "brought the year's defining design trends and ideas to life in fresh, inspiring ways." The publication had already outlined those trends separately as part of its broader New/Next editorial franchise, which covers products, aesthetics, and ideas shaping home style heading into 2026.

Why This Matters for Property Investors

This site focuses on commercial real estate and property investment, so a design-industry announcement might seem like a detour. It is not. Interior presentation affects leasing velocity, perceived value, and exit pricing across both residential and commercial segments. The logic is straightforward: tenants and buyers respond to how a space feels. Better-staged spaces lease faster and command tighter rent rolls.

The five designers share an approach that diverges from generic staging. Bethea builds rooms around personal narrative rather than aspirational lifestyle imagery. Araya treats color as a psychological tool, not a decorative afterthought. Chasman imports cinematic layering from film production into domestic settings. These are not superficial style choices. They are frameworks for making a space feel inhabited, specific, and emotionally resonant.

For investors, that distinction matters. Generic staging signals "move-in ready" to a broad buyer pool. Design-forward presentation signals "this space has character and care behind it," which attracts a different segment of the market. In a world where cap rate compression pushes investors up the risk curve,差异化 through design execution becomes a legitimate value-add thesis.

Our Analysis: Who Benefits, Who Doesn't

The designers benefit first. Apartment Therapy's audience is large and design-curious. The publication's editorial voice leans accessible rather than haute, meaning the honorees gain visibility among mainstream renovators and first-time designers rather than exclusively elite circles. Araya's existing Substack and Instagram presence suggests she was already building an audience; this amplifies it.

Real estate agents and investors who stage properties benefit if they move toward the personal, narrative-driven aesthetic these designers represent. The standard playbook of neutral furniture and white walls still works in a seller's market with tight inventory. It works less well when buyers have choices and need to feel something for a space.

The losers? Staging companies locked into generic catalog aesthetics. If the market rotates toward design differentiation, their default offering becomes a liability rather than a safe harbor.

What to watch: whether other shelter publications follow Apartment Therapy's talent-spotting model. If they do, design-forward presentation edges closer to standard practice, compressing the advantage for early adopters.

A Worked Example

Say you own a mid-market office building with a stale, category-standard lobby. Leasing is slow, cap rates in your submarket have compressed slightly, and the building's income profile is adequate but not exciting. A value-add play might involve reconfiguring the ground-floor space with input from a designer like Araya or Bethea, using color and narrative to give the lobby an identity that sets the building apart from competitors. Done right, that lobby becomes a leasing talking point. It justifies a rent premium or accelerates absorption. The design spend is modest relative to a full renovation but potentially outsized in its effect on perceived quality.

This is not guaranteed. Design investment needs to track with market rent expectations. But in segments where presentation differentiates, it is one of the few levers available without structural work.

Bottom Line

Apartment Therapy's inaugural designer class is a small, niche-industry event. It gains significance because the publication's selection criteria—originality, emotional resonance, personal narrative in design—point toward a broader shift in how interior presentation is valued. Property investors who pay attention to design signals, not just cap rates and lease comps, will be better positioned to spot opportunities where presentation adds measurable value. Watch whether this talent-class model gets replicated and whether the trends these designers embody—bold color, collected interiors, cinematic layering—show up more frequently in staged spaces near you.

Key takeaways

• Five designers named to Apartment Therapy's inaugural New/Next List for 2026; their aesthetic frameworks emphasize personal narrative, color psychology, and cinematic layering.
• Design-forward staging differentiates property in competitive markets, potentially improving leasing velocity and perceived value beyond what square footage alone suggests.
• Generic staging companies face pressure if design-forward presentation becomes standard practice rather than exception.
• The announcement signals editorial emphasis on personal, emotionally resonant design over aspirational aesthetics.