The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) hosted its annual Industry Roundtable on January 6-8, 2017, marking the 20th year IIDA has gathered distinguished industry leaders for thought-provoking discussion on topics relevant to the Interior Design industry. This year’s roundtable, “Design Then, Design Now, Design Next: A 20-year Retrospective,” offered participants a rare opportunity to explore the history of the profession and assess the emerging economic, cultural, and social trends that are shaping the next generation of commercial interior design.
“Twenty years ago, commercial interior design was experiencing a transformative shift,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, LEED AP, who moderated the discussion. “We began asking, ‘How do people work?’ instead of, ‘Where do people sit?’ We started to think beyond the job title and consider how people relate to one another in the workplace. We saw that work and life were overlapping in new ways. And, we recognized that good design is the solution for optimizing work and productivity in this new era.”
Eileen Jones, IIDA, SEGD, AIGA, LEED AP, principal and global practice leader, Perkins+Will, opened the event with her keynote presentation, “A 20-year Retrospective of the Commercial Interior Design Industry,” which provided an overview of how technology, sustainability, and the evolving purview of design have shaped the profession.
“Standing here at the end of the Information Age, we are in a unique position to figure out what is next and how we can change the world with design,” said Jones.
The Roundtable also featured speakers Julie B. Cummings, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, director of human resources, BKD, LLP; Jim Young, co-founder, Realcomm Conference Group; and Jim Ware, Ph.D., founder and executive director, Future of Work….unlimited, who presented sessions on The Future of People; The Future of Place; and The Future of Work, respectively.
Industry Roundtable participants included IIDA International Board of Directors President Marlene M. Liriano, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C (Managing Director, IA Interior Architects) and President-elect Primo Orpilla, FIIDA (President and Co-founder, Studio O+A) as well as board members Edwin Beltran, IIDA, Assoc. AIA (Principal, Interior Architecture and Design Practice, NBBJ); Julio Braga, FIIDA, LEED AP (Design Director and Principal, IA Interior Architects); Gabrielle Bullock, IIDA, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C (Principal and Director of Global Diversity, Perkins+Will); Susana Covarrubias, IIDA (Studio Director and Creative Director, Gensler); Jeff Fenwick, Industry IIDA (President and COO, Tarkett North America); Scott Hierlinger, FIIDA, LEED AP (Design Director and Co-principal, Nelson); James Kerrigan, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C (Design Principal of Interiors, Jacobs); Doug Shapiro, Industry IIDA (Director of Sales for Workplace, OFS Brands).
Other designer participants included: Annie Chu, IIDA, FAIA (Principal, Chu + Gooding Architects); Barbara Dunn, FIIDA (Principal, Gensler); and Hunter Kaiser, IIDA, CVO (Founder, Hunter Kaiser : Creative for Life). Corporate participants included: Tom Peterson (Midwest Vice President of Sales, Bentley Mills, Inc.); Mark Shannon, Industry IIDA (Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Crossville, Inc.); Melissa Sopwith, Industry IIDA (Director of Marketing, ESI Ergonomic Solutions); Diane Travis (Workplace Design Supervisor | Strategic Response Studio, Haworth); Amy Storek, Industry IIDA (Vice President – North America A+D Sales, Herman Miller); Jon Strassner (Director of Workplace Strategies, Humanscale); Roby Isaac (Vice President of Commercial Design, Mannington); Stacy Walker, Industry IIDA (Director of Customer Experience, Milliken); Jackie Dettmar, Industry IIDA (VP Commercial Product Development & Design, The Mohawk Group); John Stephens, Industry IIDA (Vice President of Marketing, Shaw); Jennifer Busch, Honorary IIDA (Vice President A&D, Teknion); and Daniel J. Tuohy, Industry IIDA (CEO / President, Tuohy Furniture Corporation).
An executive report, to be released in March 2017, will provide a summary of key insights from Industry Roundtable 20. For more information, please contact Vera Reinke, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, at 312.379.5171 or vreinke@iida.org.
About International Interior Design Association
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is the Commercial Interior Design Association with global reach. We support design professionals, industry affiliates, educators, students, firms and their clients through our network of 15,000+ members across 58 countries. We advocate for advancement in education, design excellence, legislation, leadership, accreditation, and community outreach to increase the value and understanding of interior design as a profession that enhances business value and positively impacts the health and well-being of people’s lives every day. www.iida.org