Author Archives: Maddy Gorman

Annual Sponsor Spotlight: Wilsonart

Company Name: Wilsonart – Engineered Surfaces
Your Name: Kirsten Solly
Local Rep’s Position/Years: 6 years with Wilsonart, 30 yrs in the industry
IIDA member since: 2008 at least

About your company, size/location, products and/or services:
Wilsonart is driven by providing beautiful, hard-working, on-trend and high performance engineered surfaces for whatever you need to cover. For decades, we have given designers and builders the right tools for the job, no matter how specialized. Today, we bring you a portfolio of solutions both decorative and functional, that spans retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, office and institutional applications. Wilsonart is dedicated to getting our customers what they want, when and how they want it. Over 4,500 people strong, based in Texas, Wilsonart is made up of dedicated people who care about doing the right thing, every day.

What is your favorite IIDA event and why?:
Annual Celebration because it’s Summer, the sun is out and everyone likes to win something! Celebrate accomplishment and transition.

What is your favorite product/service offered by your company and why?:
Quartz  – Beautiful, our New THINSCAPE tops – INNOVATIVE , and Laminate digital solutions – creative, one of kind designs.

What aspect of your company are you most proud of and why?:
Our people. People who care, we build relationships, we genuinely want to provide solutions and solve problems.

What value do you see in being an IIDA Oregon Chapter Annual Sponsor?:
Time spent to really get to know our design community- the people that make it happen. I think design and the whole process of making a vision real is inspiring. There is a place for everyone that has an interest.

What impact do you see the IIDA Oregon Chapter having on the A&D community in Oregon?:
The Chapter is very welcoming and offers many ways to learn and connect outside your individual firms to be able to grow your network and continue learning is important to build a great career that you are excited and satisfied with. It’s your LIFE – enjoy and be passionate about what you do.

What is your personal mantra?:
BE real, BE kind; we’re here together.

What gets you excited about design?:
I love the whole process. It’s amazing when you think about it, and understand ALL that comes together. So MANY people who need to communicate and provide expertise and inspiration and deliver to make something REAL and the impact that has on how we see and experience our world – goosebumps!

Annual Sponsor Spotlight: PacificWRO

Company Name:
PacificWRO

PacificWRO is Oregon’s only Herman Miller Certified Dealer, and we are passionate about designing and furnishing spaces that inspire people. As a contract furnishings dealer, we specialize in helping people design the right space, select the right furniture, and install the project in the right timeframe. In addition to Herman Miller, we source furniture from hundreds of other brands to ensure that our clients achieve the look and feel that they are proud to show off.

What is your favorite IIDA event and why?:
The Annual Design Crawl is our favorite event of the year. Think about it – we’re chauffeured around town in a tour bus, we get to visit some of the top design projects in Portland, and we get to spend quality time with friends and associates in our industry… it’s a win-win-win event for everyone!

What is your favorite product/service offered by your company and why?:
At PacificWRO our finish line is not simply furnishing an office, but rather it’s helping our clients plan every last detail so they end up with a space they love.

That means we obsess over the small details because the truth is – they’re not so small. In our industry, attention to detail is what makes a project. And our unwavering attention to detail is how we are able to offer a world-class furniture buying experience for our clients.

What aspect of your company are you most proud of and why?:
We are proud of the transformation that our company has made this past year. It’s no surprise that “PacificWRO” might be a name that is unfamiliar to some in our marketplace. It might be unfamiliar because it’s still a new name for us. This past Fall, two furniture dealers – Pacific Furnishings and Workplace Resource of Oregon (WRO) – merged into one company, which is now PacificWRO.

The merger gone remarkably well and our combined team is flourishing. We believe that we are better resourced now more than ever before to help our clients transform their space.

Today we are proud that our combined team has furnished some of the most iconic buildings, companies, campuses, clinics, and spaces across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

What value do you see in being an IIDA Oregon Chapter Annual Sponsor?:
We believe a transformed space doesn’t just improve a room; it improves the lives of the people in the room. There’s no doubt in our minds that interior design changes people and improves lives. That’s why we are a proud sponsor of the IIDA Oregon Chapter. Several of our team members are past, present, and future members of IIDA, and we are thrilled to be support the work of such a great organization.

What gets you excited about design?:
As a Herman Miller Certified Dealer, we come from a heritage and legacy of world-renowned designers – people like Charles & Ray Eames, George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, and countless others.

Today, we find great satisfaction and excitement working with local designers who are pushing the boundaries to create timeless designs, just like Eames, Nelson, and Noguchi. Our local design community is a source of true inspiration every day.

COVID-19 Update

In order to protect the health and safety of our members and the general public, the IIDA Oregon Chapter will indefinitely postpone all events through 2021. As we continue to assess the situation, that date could be extended. Our main priority is your health.

While it is not ideal that we need to cancel events, we as a board feel the need to be proactive in our response. This requires a collective effort. It is an example of how working together as a community can truly have a measurable impact. 

During this hopefully brief hiatus we are exploring ways to bring additional content and learning opportunities to our membership through digital means. Do you have content that would make a great webinar? Do you know a speaker who would make a meaningful digital presentation? Please let us know!

We will also be refining how we work internally so that we can continue to grow and provide benefit to our members when we return to normal operations. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at info@iida-or.org.  

Thank you for your support and understanding. We wish you good health!

 

 


Kyle Holzkamp, IIDA Oregon Chapter President

Three Questions with AllGo

 

In advance of our August Forum – Designing Size-Inclusive Spaces with AllGo, we caught up with AllGo’s inclusive design consultant, Hannah Silver. Read ahead for a preview of our conversation on August 13th.

Photo featuring plus-size models by Michael Poley of Poley Creative for AllGo, publisher of free stock photos featuring plus-size people.

How did you and AllGo Founder Rebecca Alexander get connected and decide to start shining light on size-inclusive design?

Rebecca and I met through a mutual friend who noticed that we were having similar conversations about inclusion and comfort (or lack thereof) in certain public spaces, but from complementary personal perspectives. Her LinkedIn really impressed me – a background in business development and founder of a really cool start-up focused on plus-size accessibility. We decided to meet up to talk casually at what is now one of our favorite examples of great size-inclusive design in Portland – Palomar on SE Division. We had a lot to talk about right off the bat just choosing where to sit, since they have so many options: cozy bench seating with moveable tables, bar height stools with backs or no backs, different standard-height seating options (and everything is very beautiful). We realized that my focus on physically accessible design had major overlaps with the needs of the plus-size population. Everyone deserves to seek and find comfort in the built environment as they explore new restaurants, entertainment, stores, workplaces, parks. According to AllGo surveys, 95% of plus-size people (predicted to be half the American population in 2030) experience anxiety about going somewhere new because they are afraid they will not fit. That’s not fair. We can design better.

A naturally daylit, plant-filled restaurant/bar with a lofted space over the bar, featuring standard-height pink chairs without arms. The ground floor bar features yellow bar stools with back support. There are pink backless stools at tables in the near right corner, and blue standard-height chairs in the background near tables and bench seating along the back wall. (Image from https://www.portlandmercury.com/lush-life/2018/06/27/20881660/palomar-now-with-food-that-lives-up-to-the-cocktails)

If a designer wants to make a space inclusive for people of all sizes, where do we start?

We have all only experienced living in our own bodies, so if we have never been plus-size, it’s likely not our default to center plus-size needs in our designs. The reality is that most people designing spaces are not plus-size, which is an issue in itself. In that absence of personal experience, we can grow our empathy and awareness through learning more personal stories. Roxane Gay’s moving autobiography “Hunger” was critical for my understanding of plus-size issues.

And of course, AllGo has a lot of great blog posts and resources on www.canweallgo.com! Here’s a great article about how painful seating can be, and here’s one recommending chairs that work for people of size in office spaces. And my favorite to share – our very new video! Check this out for a great overview of best practices:

What are you most looking forward to about the March Forum at Environments?

Rebecca and I have been talking about size-inclusive design for over a year, and she had been collecting data on how plus-size people experience space for years before that. It’s really exciting to finally share our best practices with designers so they can run with them! The conversation is very belated.

I’m also really looking forward to breaking down this topic with our sharp panelists. We have a great array of folks who will address the conversation from their perspectives ranging from designer to client/user, plus-size to straight-size. Pat Welch of Boly:Welch was one of the first folks who came to AllGo for feedback on their company’s space, Lena Roper of Code Unlimited will ground us in related accessible design strategies, Jen Inaldo brings her history of hospitality FF&E procurement to the table, and Rebecca, of course, holds down the overarching size-inclusivity conversation.

Hope to virtually see lots of folks for this discussion on August 13!

Photo featuring plus-size models by Michael Poley of Poley Creative for AllGo, publisher of free stock photos featuring plus-size people.

Student Member Spotlight: Elizabeth Burns

Name: Elizabeth Burns
School/Year in School: Oregon State University/Senior
IDA Member since: 2018

Favorite IDA Event:  
My favorite IDA event is the student design charette. In the moment, it definitely felt a little stressful, however, I’ve reflected back onto the event and even a year later I can recognize the
valuable things I learned. Last year, my team did not place well in the rankings due to our lack of a cohesive concept. For my next class project, I spent a large chunk of my time forming and solidifying a concept. In addition to receiving a high grade, I entered the OSU Design Network showcase with this project and won first place for the design. The judges explained that a large factor for this win was due to my cohesive concept shown in both my project and my presentation. I don’t know if I could say the same outcome would have occurred had I not attended the design charette. Plus, it’s a fun way to challenge your brain and learn to listen to your instincts!

What does being a designer mean to your life?
For me, being a designer is such a beautiful and valuable career. It is based so strongly on
empathy and placing yourself in the user’s shoes to understand the way they function. This
empathy allows you to problem-solve in such a personal way that better helps that user to
complete the desired tasks. It’s also a humbling career because poor design results in
frustration and therefore recognition, whereas good design simply improves the life and
wellbeing of the user without drawing attention to itself. Being a designer, to me, is about
providing a service based on personal connection that improves the lives of all the people it
touches.

What project have you worked on that you are most proud of? Why?
The project I have worked on that I am most proud of is a design I am currently in the process
of designing. It is a phased-design for the Catholic campus ministry building at OSU’s campus. This project came up at the perfect time in my career path as it started shortly after I began my
internship. It has been one of the best learning experiences for me as I have been able to
combine my design knowledge learned in school with the practical knowledge of construction
learned in my internship/job. I am proud of this project not only for the way the design has
turned out and affected the space, but also for how I confidently took on the role of being the
only designer for the first time. It was the first time I got to see what I had envisioned in my
head come to life.

What is your personal mantra?
My personal mantra is: “Do small things with great love.”

What gets you excited about design?
I get so excited and energized in design when I collaborate with others and come up with an
awesome solution I never thought of before. I love when another designer and I start a trail of suggesting different ideas that build of each other and eventually lead to the perfect solution.
Recently at my work when I was creating a design for my client, I worked out a wheelchair
turning radius problem with my co-worker, and we collaborated on a solution. When I
presented the idea to my client, she was extremely excited about the idea and how she hadn’t
thought of that before. Those moments are both so exciting and fulfilling.

2020 NEXT | Meet the Speakers

Meet the speakers of NEXT, a breakfast keynote featuring insights of thought leaders from the design industry and beyond.

The Next breakfast will be held on Friday February 21st at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Tickets available here.

Paloma Medina | Owner, 11:11 Supply

Paloma Medina is a performance coach, trainer, and owner of 11:11 Supply, a store that specializes in beautiful work tools designed to help you feel more productive, happy and balanced in your everyday life. Her background includes working with tech companies, homeless healthcare clinics, as well as individual leaders and CEOs. She was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and has made a home since on the West Coast since she was 8 years old.

 

 

Angela Medlin | Founder/Director FAAS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angela Medlin, Founder of FAAS (pronounced ‘phase’), the Functional Apparel & Accessories Studio, is preparing the next generation of diverse designers to enter the apparel industry as exceptional problem solvers. Angela leads this one of a kind educational platform with a successful 30 year apparel career in her back pocket. Her professional experience includes designing and directing for prominent global brands that include Nike, Adidas, The North Face, and several others. Now, through FAAS, Angela coaches future designers to create innovative, sustainable products that will not only drive industry trends, but, also, address specific performance and/or protective apparel problems for the consumer.

IIDA Oregon Student Design Charette Juror Spotlight

Britni Jessup
As the Interiors Director at Rowell Brokaw, Britni has extensive experience with mixed-use, corporate and academic interiors. Her incredible eye for detail, fascination with materials and ability to understand the needs of clients enables her to make design choices that resonate with the human experience. Britni led the interiors portion on the UO Columbia 150 Hall Remodel, the Northwest Community Credit Union Support Center in Downtown Eugene, multiple Northwest Community Credit Union branch remodels, the Roseburg Forest Products Headquarters, and Hot Mama’s Kitchen + Bar. Britni is currently leading the interior development of Amazon Corner, 1203 Willamette, and UO Tykeson Hall.

Raised in Eugene, OR, she received a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in International Business Administration with a concentration in Finance at the University of Washington. After completing her M.Arch degree at the University of Oregon, she spent two years working in the University’s Center for Housing Innovations Case Study Lab in the Architecture Department. As part of a grant from the United States Green Building Council, she worked with a team researching and documenting the human stories behind green buildings. Prior to coming to Rowell Brokaw, she spent one year working on special projects for a commercial interiors firm and three years working in the office of Willamette Architecture 360. As a Lead Designer at the firm, she managed a team concentrating on residential schematic design for international clients. She compiled design packages for a range of project types, including high-end homes, multi-family homes and community buildings. While working internationally, she also ran a small business assisting with local tenant improvements and interior architecture projects.

 Britni is and has been a volunteer for many organizations, including the Architects in Schools program run by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the United Way Emerging Professionals group, the Student Association for Women in Architecture (SAWA), and the Washington Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (WSAAC). She has served on the Advisory Board for the Imagination Library (a part of the Eugene Public Library Foundation) and currently serves on the BRING Recycling Board. In addition to her design and business background, Britni was the Team Captain and an Academic All-American athlete at the University of Washington on the volleyball team.

Click on the image below to enlarge.

 

Katie Hall

Katie Hall is a licensed architect and NCIDQ certificate holder in Oregon, specializing in three-dimensional branded environments. Her portfolio consists of a broad spectrum of project types which include public safety, office environments, retail, laboratories and bus shelters.  Katie believes that strong conceptual development, efficiency and organization are a necessary foundation to innovative, thoughtful and well developed programs and projects. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. She’s a member of IIDA as well as the American Institute of Architects where she serves on local and regional committees. Currently, Katie is the chair for the Northwest and Pacific Region Firm Awards and Eugene Committee on Local Affairs. Katie has served as jurors for the University of Oregon and Cal Poly State University studios reviews.

Click on the image below to enlarge.

 

Leah Pettus-Czar

Leah Pettus-Czar is an Associate Principal at GMA Architects in Eugene, Oregon. She received her undergraduate degree in costume design before receiving the dual Masters in Architecture and Interior Architecture from the University of Oregon. Leah is also an instructor at the University of Oregon where she teaches coursework including Interior Finish Materials as well as the occasional studio. With a background in costume design and art Leah is particularly interested in the ways material, texture, and color bring meaning to interior environments.

Click on the image below to enlarge.

Charette Best Practices

 

If you want to use these tips in a real-life charette, be sure to register ASAP for the IIDA Oregon Chapter Student Design Charette Qualifier, taking place February 15 at Oregon State University. The winners will advance to the Western Region Student Design Charette in April 2020  in San Francisco California, which will feature the winning teams from all Western Regional Chapters. You must be a student IIDA member to participate in the Regional charette. The winning Western Regional Chapter team will go on to the International IIDA Student Design Charette at NeoCon 2020 in Chicago.

The charette process is a chance to learn essential skills that are highly valued by employers, appreciated by colleagues, and offered as design services to clients. In order to maximize your participation in the charette, IIDA Oregon Chapter as one of the IIDA Western Regional Chapters, * recommends the following best practices:

Create a Timeline:
Time is of the essence, your team will have a mere few hours to complete your problem! Take time after you review the problem, structure and deliverables, to map out how long you should spend on each phase of the design. Think about the charette process as an accelerated schedule for a real-world problem, that only includes concept, schematic and design development phases. Talk about how long your team is going to commit to a certain level of development at each phase. Be sure to leave time to regularly check-in and collaborate with each other; this is a great way to ensure that your overall design goals are achieved and cohesive. Also consider how long it will take to prepare your visual and verbal presentation; outline the content and who will be telling what parts of the story.

Evaluate Strengths and Areas of Interest:
Share what you believe your strengths are and how you see them contributing to the success of the end goal. Also convey any areas of interest that you may have so that your team can benefit from your research and expertise.

Examples may include material sustainability, technology integration, space planning and program applied research, etc.

Identify Individual Scopes:
Based on your discussion about strengths and areas of interest, evaluate the list of deliverables together and assign tasks accordingly. In the profession it takes a variety of individual skill sets to achieve the end result. Each team members role is vital to the success of a project; there is no menial job.

Develop A Strong Concept:
One of the key aspects to developing a winning solution for a charette problem is a strong concept.  In discussion with your team members about the program and context of the site, begin the planning of the problem with a creative brain dump to start forming your concept. This could include diagramming, written sentences, or verbal words that synthesize a clear tangible thought or ideas. Once you have finalized your carefully crafted concept this will ground your design solutions and help you easily develop key ideas that can be applied throughout the entirety of the final design.

Work Collaboratively Together:
The responsibility of the group is to facilitate contribution from each team member. This is in the team’s best interest in regards to content production and in presenting a collaboratively developed cohesive concept. Value each idea, but be willing to move on from ideas that don’t fit.  Each idea builds upon another, allowing for the best idea to surface and evolve.

Communication is key to collaboration and a professionally successful process. As much as you contribute to the conversation, also be an attentive and active listener to your teammates. Ask clarifying questions when you don’t understand and resist the urge to interrupt. Strike a balance between humility and confidence when sharing your ideas and listening to others. As you check-in with each other regarding your progress and process, be sure to provide and accept constructive criticism.

Successful Presentation:
A successful presentation will communicate WHY you designed what you did, in addition to HOW you did it. WHY was that your concept? WHY do believe that your design will improve the end-user’s experience? WHY tells a story, HOW tells a process.

  • Identify what the purpose of your design is. Revisit your team’s initial design goals and evaluate how they might have evolved as the project developed. This will help you to identify what the end goals and concepts were, how your design achieved them and how it informs the story of your design.
  • Consider telling the story of the how the end-user will interact with the environment and how the design improves that experience. In what ways can your team personalize the story of your design so that it is successfully conveyed to your audience?
  • Edit, edit, edit, your story. Identify what exactly it is that you want to communicate and be intentional about your vocabulary. Consider the key points (driven by your concept) you want the jurors to take away about the design.

Whether this is your first charette or tenth, this exercise is sure to be very challenging  yet invigorating. We hope that you find these suggestions helpful for working as a group. Any Interior Design professional will tell you that the skills learned and demonstrated in a charette will directly apply to your professional career.

As IIDA Oregon Chapter, our members strongly believe the design charette process lends to your professional growth as an emerging commercial interior designer. We have every confidence that you will be successful in your collaborative efforts and look forward to seeing your design solutions!

*IIDA Western Regional Chapters include: Oregon, Northern Pacific, Northern California, Southern California, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, Intermountain, and Hawaii Pacific Chapters 

Content by Peter Harrison, IIDA Oregon Chapter – Director of Student Affairs. Photos by Scott Griggs, Bora Architects.

Member Spotlight: Lisa Mance

Name: Lisa Mance
Company/Position/Years?:
AC + Co Architecture / Senior Interior Designer / Partner / Almost 25 years
IIDA member since: 1995

What are you currently working on?:
Currently working on a variety of projects including a mixed-use building, charter school, tap house, VA clinic and the new Salem Union Gospel Mission.

What does being a designer mean to your life?:
I seriously can’t imagine doing anything else. I love everything about design; there is always something new to learn. Each project is different. To me, design is a perfect profession with a combination of creativity and fun, yet also precise and complicated with building codes, ADA requirements and project parameters.

What gets you excited about design?:
I love the entire process of design. I get excited to jump into a new project and meet the clients, walk through the process of programming, and the best part is watching the floor plan options come to life. In the end, being part of a team that gives our clients a design they love and works for them is the greatest reward.

Favorite design magazine/blog?:
Gray Magazine

On a typical Saturday where can we find you?:
There definitely is no typical Saturday, but most likely walking our two love bug Golden Retrievers, watching a movie with my family or zipping over to the beach or the mountains for some relaxation. I’m always up for an adventure.

IIDA Oregon Featured Members

The IIDA Oregon Chapter is thankful for our wonderful members who make up this vibrant and creative interior design community. We asked a few to share why they are members – take a peek at the great things they have to say, and consider becoming a member in 2020!

Name: Christina Tello
Instagram: @tellointeriors

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter? To help progress the profession of Interior Design. Its also a great way to stay connected with past co-workers and product reps. Makes you realize you are part of a strong talented community.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? The Design Excellence Awards- It is wonderful to see all the amazing design work your peers are doing. Having critiques from designers who don’t live here also gives you an interesting perspective on what is collectively happening now in local design.

Name: Elizabeth Lockwood
Instagram: @Lockreed; @Mayerreed
Podcast (launching Jan 2020!): @Milelongtrace_podcast

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter? Being apart of IIDA Oregon brings the design community together to network, advocate and discuss relevant and pertinent issues facing commercial interior design.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? The The design crawl is my favorite event because we get to see and hear first hand from our peers the design intent and process that went into their work.


Name: Ellen Cusick
Instagram: @emcid

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter?
I am a sole proprietor so I value the continuing education that IIDA Oregon provides in the form of CEUs and other non-accredited forums and events.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? The It’s always the Advocacy Golf Tournament. I’m a terrible golfer, but it is so nice to be out in the fresh air, meeting other industry professionals and supporting advocacy efforts in Oregon.


Name: Joel Chown
Instagram: @chownhardware

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter?
I am a member of IIDA for a couple reasons. First, because it’s a great way to meet industry members in the Portland area which can put a spark to the fire of collaboration on projects in the future. Secondly, because at Chown Hardware, the A&D community is one of our top partners and we value that relationship wholeheartedly. We also want the Portland building community to flourish and succeed from local partnerships.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? The My favorite IIDA event has always been the Advocacy Golf Tournament because first and foremost I love golf. I also just love events that get us all out of our offices and into the world. Apart from the group golfing experience, It’s also a great way to learn about the laws & policies of the design practice on a local and national level.


Name: Kathy Rothert
Instagram: @willisdesignsolutions
@krothert

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter?
Being a member of IIDA is Willis’ way of communicating our commitment to the design profession, and to Oregon designers specifically. Personally, it allows me opportunities to support and connect with designers and industry peers. It also gives me opportunities to keep educated and in touch with what is happening in my community.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? The Next breakfast series is my favorite event. The caliber and diversity of the speakers always provide insight and new ways of thinking on a variety of topics. I always walk away challenged to see my world a little differently.


Name: Natalie Roe
Instagram: @nataliec_roe

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter?
I am a member because I love staying connected with other students and professionals in the field. Through IIDA, I am constantly learning and meeting new people. From webinars to symposiums, there is always a way to stay involved in the chapter and interior design industry as a whole.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? My favorite event this year was the IIDA Student Design Charette. Being provided a design brief, given only a few hours, and working with a diverse team of other students to create a cohesive and effective design was such a great experience. Having to take into account the company’s brand and how the space was going to be used gave us a taste of “real world” design solutions. The time limit and prize money made it very competitive and fun!


Name: Sarah Hill
Instagram: @sarahdoesdesign

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter?
As a freshman and sophomore in college, I went back and forth between studying architecture or interior architecture. I joined IIDA in order to learn more about the interior architecture field, outside of what we’re being taught in class, to see if it was the right path for me. IIDA helped me better understand the field of interior architecture and what one can do with an interior architecture degree. I have stuck with interior architecture ever since and I now look forward to the professional development and networking opportunities that IIDA offers.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? My favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event this year was the annual Student Design Charette. It was so much fun to meet students studying interior design or interior architecture from other schools and being challenged to come up with an entire design scheme in just five hours. I love to travel and meet new people, so advancing to the regional competition and traveling to Denver was very exciting. The friends, connections, and memories that I gained from this experience are truly invaluable.


Name: Molli Dobbin
Instagram: @miss_molli

Why are you a member of the IIDA Oregon Chapter?
I have been a member of IIDA Oregon since I was a student at The Art Institute. I am a member of IIDA because it’s a great way to connect others in the industry. The events are always fun and educational. I love getting to know others within the Portland design community.

What was your favorite IIDA Oregon Chapter event you attended this year? And why? My favorite event this year was the Annual Celebration. It was a nice summer night and a fun time celebrating together. My most favorite event is the Design Awards. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this year but I am excited for 2020!

Member Spotlight: McKenna Barnum

Name: McKenna Barnum
Company/Position/Years?: Hyphn / Designer / 1.5 years
IIDA member since: 1.5 years professionally / 3 years as student

Favorite IIDA Event?:
The Next Breakfast.

What project have you worked on that you are most proud of? Why?:
Hyphn’s showroom renovations (installing soon). I want to create a space for my team that inspires them, supports them and grows with the organization. I want the team to feel valued and excited to come to work every day.

Favorite design magazine/blog?:
Design Milk & Clever Podcast.

On a typical Saturday, where can we find you?:
Outside hiking with my golden retriever or at a plant nursery. 

Interesting fact:
I love photography and traveling – wherever and whenever I can.

Why are you a member of IIDA?:
I love connecting with the community and making friends with those who have a common passion for design. IIDA has already given me so much, I want to be a part of that and help others in return.

Member Spotlight: Samantha Struck

 

Name: Samantha Struck
Company/Position/Years?: StruckSured, Principal/Owner, Lead Designer
IIDA member since: 2013

What are you currently working on?:
Since recently passing the NCIDQ, we have shifted more towards the commercial side, working closely with an engineering firm in Hood River who is heavily invested in projects serving VA hospitals and clinics across the West coast. We have a couple of projects ongoing for the Portland VA Hospital, and are in the midst of negotiating several out of state projects for healthcare facilities. Aside from that shift, we are always working on residential projects throughout the Gorge, and will continue to be accessible to our local residential community while we engage more in healthcare.

Some of our favorite projects in the Hood River Valley are old farmhouses, typically from around 1910, where we get to breathe a second life into the house, and design it to meet the needs of the current family. It’s great when we get to work on a family home, on a family farm, that one of the owners grew up in, or that has been in their family for generations.

Tell us a bit about your creative process:
Our creative process involves a lot of investigative work on the front end. We spend a significant amount of time getting to know our clients and taking all that information to form the vision/story we want to share. From there, we start with conceptual design and preliminary case studies for the client to get a sense of direction. After those are approved, we bring in the plans and detailed elevations in CAD and start to form ideas on material selections. After another round of client approval, we finalize all the details and selections, and put together the specifications and relevant installation detailing. The final documents are put together for the contractor and client and then we transition into project management mode to see the design through completion.

Why do you support interior design licensing?:
Licensing opened up a whole sector that was not approachable without certification. Although that may seem like a stumbling block, it made me/my team determined to pass the NCIDQ and secure our place within that professional sphere. Knowing that we had to demonstrate that we understand and can consider the health, safety, and welfare of occupants for the projects we are a part of is a privilege that we feel honored to be able to claim. There is so much more to what we do than aesthetics. I can’t tell you how many times we have had to fight for professional recognition on the construction site, or to the general public. Licensing takes away the confusion between Interior Design and interior decorating. Both are important, but ID requires so much more technical knowledge and code based awareness. We are big believers in letting credentials speak for themselves, and not feeling like we have to explain what we do. I remember when I received my confirmation email. I cried. It was a big deal to me to be a solopreneur with a team of ladies, a mom and wife, and be 8 years out of school and have the chance to pass the exam. I am so grateful for that.

What does being a designer mean to your life?:
Design and order are in everything around us. I consider myself highly discerning and sensitive to the environment. I had a client last week tell me that he had never felt so known by someone during a first encounter. Because of my sensitivity to space and people, I can often take away a lot about people from subtle cues and a short discussion. I feel a deep sense of purpose to bring this craft to the world and humbly offer it to my community. Although a significant amount of the work we do comes from being situated in a lifestyle town with a high percentage of second home owners, we have always made ourselves accessible to local families, and those who may have to really save to splurge on design services. For us as a team, being a designer means that we listen, we see, and we serve those around us. 

On a typical Saturday where can we find you?:
On any given Saturday you might find me, my husband, Jordan, and my son, Granger, walking amongst our families 5th generation orchard in Hood River. We’re also in the midst of building our forever home on the family farm. We spend a lot of our free time trying to slow down and be present with our kiddo. In addition to a 9-5, my husband is also an entrepreneur/cider-maker, and has been crafting cider for the past several years (you might spot it at your nearest New Seasons or Whole Foods, it’s called Rivercider). It is all small batch, with apples we grow, and made in our owner cider barn, and it tells the story of a difficult agricultural climate in which farmers are needing to find value added products to keep the farm afloat. So, if you happen to be at any cider festivals or brew fests in the area, you just might find me slinging cider on the weekend as well.

Member Spotlight: Lindsey Carpenter

Name: Lindsey Carpenter
Company/Position/Years?: Mackenzie, Senior Associate, 7 Years
IIDA member since: Professional member since 2017

What gets you excited about design?: The challenge, exploration, team camaraderie, and taking our clients projects from vision to reality. At Mackenzie, we are client focused and at the end of the day, good design only works if your Client is excited about the work too.

Favorite space designed in Portland?: Currently, the restrooms at Ava Gene’s restaurant. I love when all spaces are branded and incorporated into the design. Never a missed opportunity!


What does being a designer mean to your life?: I am very analytical and organized in every aspect of my life. It drives my family crazy, but luckily my architect husband can relate!

Favorite design magazine/blog?: Metropolis Magazine.

On a typical Saturday where can we find you?: Barre class, cooking, working on projects for my own house, and spending time with family and our kitty, Merlot.