Me with my BIID CPD award '23 on the terrace at the RIBA HQ in London yesterday ✨🎉

I'm a big advocate for education. My retired parents worked in education.

This profession is a pretty scary one without one. Interior design is unregulated, anyone can be an interior designer. It's a profession that requires a lot of learning. Apart from anything, we expose ourselves to risk when working for clients. Continued learning is essential in my opinion as is membership of the government recognised institute for our profession - the British Institute of Interior Design

I'm extremely grateful for my free education, and am concerned for those who now can't seek out their potential in the way we were able. Course fees are so high. We did voice our concern and anger about it when fees and student loans came in. I worry we didn't do it enough though.

I haven't stopped learning since leaving university 30 years ago.

From converting to interior design to learning about business and marketing, to following all my interests within sustainability - exploring vegan design, human centric design and regenerative design, taking lots of courses to support that.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE

Sharing knowledge (and collaborating!) is vital to speeding along change in the face of the climate and biodiversity crisis we are in.

Please join us by signing the pledge at www.interiordesigndeclares.co.uk where we can help each other.

THE reason for joining the BIID was to formalise this learning, supplemented by their own range of continuing professional development courses. I've diligently recorded all of my CPD every year - because for the whole 10 years I've been a member - I have wanted to win this CPD award - and now I have!!

Thank you to my friend and past BIID president Lori Pinkerton Rollet for encouraging me to join all those years ago 😍

Thank you too for all the support I've had from the BIID community for the book I'm writing for RIBA Publishing on sustainable interior design.

And WELL DONE and THANK YOU to past president Susie Rumbold who received the Merit Award yesterday for all she has done for designers and our industry. I hope you've all bought a copy of the BIID Interior Design Project Book!