CONFERENCE REVIEW


DESIGNS FOR LIFE BIID and itsmembers celebrate creativity as we enter a newphase of remarkable design


The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) enjoyed a successful debut for its inaugural one-day conference, ‘Celebrating British Design’ which took place at RIBA HQ, London. Interior Design Todaywas aMedia Partner at the event andwe attended the day to sit in and listen to what the professionals in our industry had to say about great design and our wonderful British heritage. FromSir Paul Smith’s revelation that he considers his designs to be a hybrid of Mr Bean and Saville Row, to the fascinating panel discussion that considered the many faces of British design and craftsmanship, itwas a day to be remembered.


C


elebrating British Design attractedmore than 173 delegates fromacross the


design spectrumto hear contributions fromglobal fashion icon Sir Paul Smith, Deyan Sudjic of the DesignMuseum, the RCA’s Dr Paul Thompson, journalist Rosie Millard, Sue Timney and others.


The Conference also sawthe Institute presentHonorary Fellowships to Sir Paul Smith, Zandra Rhodes, Dr Paul Thompson, photographerAndreas von Einsiedel andGrahamWatts, OBE, Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Council. “This Conference has been a


tremendous success,” says BIID Past President, Diana Yakeley. “All the speakerswere informative and thought provoking. Their thoughts on the success of British design, past and present, and their views on the future challenges it faces were by turns, revealing, inspiring and singularly provocative. Iwould like to thank everyone involved. “Celebrating British Design” proved to be an exceptional day for designers.” Glenn Adamson, Head of


Research at the V&A, began the eventwith a talk entitled, ‘The British Interior: Views fromthe V&A’. Glenn captivated the audience, discussingmodern British design, in connectionwith recent landmark V&A exhibitions. Katy Lithgow, Head Conservator at the National Trust followed with a presentation,which


explored howthe conservation of historic buildings and their interiors has enriched cultural influences onwhichmodern designers can draw. Then, Sir Paul Smith took part


in a special ‘in conversation’ sessionwith acclaimed journalist, RosieMillard,which looked back on his career as a British designer, and his inspirations. Sir Paul also shared his insights on fashion, its influence on interiors and the global viewof British design. Apanel discussion, intelligently


chaired by Paul Finch,OBE, then posed the question, ‘Whatmakes British DesignWorth Celebrating?’ Offering their perspectiveswere Dr Paul Thompson, Rector of the Royal College ofArt, Sue Timney, Designer and Vice President of the BIID, and Christine Losecaat, Creative IndustriesAdviser to UK Trade&Investment. The panel explored the reasons behind the UK’s design reputation and examined the issues it faces in maintaining its status. Deyan Sudjic, Director of the


DesignMuseum, closed the event with a presentation on ‘Design and its Futures’. This looked at the


role of British design and its standing in the international arena. Using the former Commonwealth Institute as an example, Deyan discussed how the iconicGrade 2 listed building will be reworked to accommodate the newDesignMuseum, due to open in 2014. Throughout the day, delegates


also took the opportunity to network andmeetwith the event’s sponsors, Bluefin Professions, Crestron, Grohe and Hettich in a dedicated showcase area at the Conference. “The conference has been an


exceptionally constructive, educational and entertaining event for the design sector,” enthused Sue Timney, newly elected President of the BIID. “We are delighted that somany designers attended the Conference and the feedback has been universally positive. It gives us a great platformto build on for next year’s eventwhichwe anticipate to be every bit as engaging and successful as this year’s Conference”. 


www.biid.org.uk idtmagazine.co.uk | Interior Design Today | 19


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