High-Profile Monthly (HP) asked IIDA NE Awards night co-chairs Heather Brunini and Marcus Hamblin to share the importance of this annual event with our readers. The winners will be published in the next issue of HP.
Heather Brunini
HP: What is IIDA NE?
IIDA NE: The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) works to advance the value of interior design and its practitioners as well as to cultivate leadership within the profession. IIDA has more than 12,000 members in nine specialty Forums in 30 chapters around the world committed to enhancing the quality of life through excellence in interior design and advancing interior design through knowledge. The IIDA New England Chapter (IIDA NE) was incorporated in 1972 and serves the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Marcus Hamblin
HP: Why were the Design Awards created?
IIDA NE: The Design Awards event was created in 2007 to celebrate teamwork and showcase interior design projects throughout New England.
HP: Who is included in a “team” for an award?
IIDA NE: The team consists of anyone that works on the project: general contractor, owner’s project manager, lighting consultant, structural engineer, furniture vendor, flooring manufacturer, etc. The entry form asks for you to name up to 10 team members.
HP: What categories are considered?
IIDA NE: The project categories include Building Repositioning/Building Amenities*; Community & Culture; Education; Healthcare; Hospitality; Research Lab; Residential; Senior Living*; and Student Housing*.
Professional entries may be submitted by firms who led the design of the project and reside in New England (Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., R.I., and Vt.). Projects must have been completed as of January 1, 2016 or later.
Student Project Categories include Undergraduate Design and Graduate Design.
Student projects must be completed while attending a design or architecture undergraduate or graduate program. Students must be currently attending said program or have been graduated for no more than one calendar year as of January 1, 2018.
HP: What is the judging process?
IIDA NE: The three professional program judges are selected from the wider design community. We incorporate design professionals from interior design and architecture, commercial product design, and design-related publications. This diverse mix of judges provides a unique approach to the continually growing breadth of projects.
Our judges are provided with a score card with categories that review the entries’ project narrative, professional photography, and floor plans. Each category has a score from 1 to 10. Projects are judged for innovation, thoughtfulness, and the overall impact of the design. Each judge scores the projects separately. The scores are then tallied, and the judges meet to discuss any ties within each category. There is a winner in each category, a Best of State winner (Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., R.I., and Vt.) for states where there are more than three entries, and a Best of Show winner.
HP: When, where, and who can attend this year’s awards?
IIDA NE: The 11th IIDA New England Interior Design Awards will be hosted at the Boston Park Plaza on Wednesday, March 14. The event has successfully attracted peers from all aspects of the design, real estate, construction, and engineering industries. This year, we have moved the event to an exciting new venue, allowing us a larger capacity and more opportunities to recognize our sponsors. The event will feature a cocktail hour, plated dinner, and awards presentation and will conclude with an onsite post-celebration. Tickets are open to the public
Heather Brunini is workplace strategy manager at Total Office Interiors, Boston.
Marcus Hamblin is a designer at Gensler, Boston.
Special thanks to Caitlin Greenwood, architect, MPA, Boston.
