The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) is the only professional institute for interior designers in the UK. Our growing membership represents both the commercial and residential sectors, from heritage to cutting edge. In addition to rigorous entry requirements which assess training, experience and professionalism, they require our members to continue their professional development throughout their career to ensure their continued expertise in design process, practice and regulatory matters.
For those wishing to find an interior designer or to confirm the credibility of a potential interior designer they offer a directory of our Registered Interior Designers.
Each year BIID celebrates the very best of British interior design through its awards program. The BIID Interior Design Awards showcase the best interior design projects completed across the UK.
Winners are awarded across 7 regional categories ranging from the largest commercial project to the smallest residential dwelling. In addition, there are two landmark prices – the Interior of the Year Prize, which is awarded to the best interior design project in the UK and the Anna Whitehead Prize, which is awarded to the best achievement in sustainable interior design. 9 awards will be given out in total, along with acknowledgements of Highly Commended projects.
In this podcast, we are joined by two previous award winners and one of the judges of this year’s awards to discuss the value of the awards programme.
James Gavigan is co-founder of House of Kin (houseofkin.com) who were the Greater London winners for 2023 with their Riverside project. The Riverside is a unique nursery that preserves the character of the original church building, whilst combining clean aesthetics, soft colours, and simple lines with homely and interactive touches. The judges praised its harmonious and child-friendly design, emphasizing sustainability with cork-clad walls, wood waste flooring, and recycled plastic bottle tiles. The space is imaginative, thoughtful, and perfect for children's learning and growth.
Susie Pfeiffer founded Pfeiffer design who won the Anna Whitehead Prize in 2022 for their design studio. The studio was designed with sustainability at the forefront; it uses a wide range of the latest sustainable technologies, sourced locally and is an inspiration to others looking to use similar sustainable elements within their own homes and offices.
Asif Din is one of the judges for the 2024 awards. He is the Sustainability Director at Perkins & Will. He has worked across the world as an architect and is a keen advocate of Zero Carbon design projects and the use of circularity in design.
Susie and James explain the importance to them, as past winners, of the BIID awards. How, the bring kudos and opportunity to their businesses but also how they bring the design community together and elevate design standards, especially when talking about sustainability and fostering creativity so that design doesn't become bland.
From a judge’s perspective, Asif comments on how it is often clear that biophilic aspects such as sustainability and environmental factors have been considered from the start as clear elements in any project. Such projects stand out and are key to achieving success at the awards.
Throughout the discussion it is clear that just adding sustainable materials to a design doesn’t make the overall design sustainable. Consideration has to be given to materials being appropriate for the design; the design can’t simply include “box-ticking” elements.
The participants are all clear that a sustainable design doesn’t involve a compromise on aesthetics. Indeed, taking a biophilic approach to design can enhance the look and feel of a space and contribute to a deeper, more meaningful aesthetic that resonates with the principles of balance with nature.
Overall, the conversation brings to the fore the joy and inspiration that great design that fully embraces biophilia brings to those who use the spaces created. Oh, and you might also win kudos and recognition in the form of a BIID award!
To enter the awards visit: https://biid.org.uk/biid-interior-design-awards 2024 deadline is 10th April.
https://biid.org.uk/winners-23
Chapel Barn: https://www.pfeifferdesign.co.uk/our-approach/sustainability/
BIID Interior Design members are featured regularly in our Journal, have you got a copy of the Journal? You can purchase a copy directly from us at the journalofbiophilicdesign.com or Amazon. If you like our podcast and would like to support us in some way, you can buy us a coffee if you’d like to, thank you x
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
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