Perspective 2023: Editor's Picks

Jan 09, 2024 By Vasia Rigou

Celebrating a year of inspirational design and powerful voices

By Vasia Rigou Jan 09, 2024

Published in Articles

As 2023 draws to a close, IIDA celebrates a year of captivating and thought-provoking content in our member magazine, Perspective. This year's issues have been a beacon of inspiration, casting a spotlight on exceptional talent, revolutionary design, and vital themes such as futurism, sustainability, and the significant role of women in shaping design.

Under the guidance of IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, our three issues have delved into themes central to our industry's heart. Perspective: Future Female spotlighted influential women propelling our industry forward. Perspective: Future of Work explored innovative workspaces and the visionaries reshaping them. Lastly, Perspective: Sustainable Futures bravely envisioned a future, equipping us with the mindset for innovation and resilience. The best part? Each edition has not only enriched IIDA members but also the broader community, underscoring the influence and interconnectedness of our industry.

As we prepare for 2024 we are delighted by the strength of our shared design community, grateful for your heartwarming support, readership, and care, and committed to sharing even more stories, exclusive member content, tools, and insights in our future issues. Until then we invite you to dive into the narratives that have shaped our year and join us in celebrating the creativity and human connection that define our industry. Here's to another year of exceptional design and storytelling!

Perspective Future of Work: Patricia Urquiola

From her roots in Oviedo, Spain to her global experiences, Patricia Urquiola's journey has shaped her innovative approach to design. Her name has become synonymous with exceptional architecture projects, imaginative industrial and craft objects, and colorful, versatile spaces—from interiors to art exhibitions. In an insightful conversation, Urquiola, a leading figure in the design world, shares her early influences (she studied under some of the grand masters of intelligent Italian industrial design in Milan), the importance of color, texture, and materiality in her work, her diverse collaborations, and the vital role of sustainability in today's design landscape. Join us as we delve deeper into the wellspring of her creativity, the evolution of her design philosophy, and her vision for the future of design at large. Read here

Perspective Future of Work: Renew

Located on the outskirts of Barcelona, the repurposed cement factory “La Fábrica” is home to the Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) and the Bofill family. It also doubles as a breathtaking experience for visitors across the world. The story goes all the way back to 1973 when Ricardo Bofill found a disused cement factory—an industrial complex from the turn of the century consisting of over 30 silos, subterranean galleries, and huge machine rooms—and he decided to give it a new life.

The Spanish architect is known for his unique architectural style and monumental works including some of the most iconic buildings and urban projects of the late 20th and early 21st century. But the transformation of "La Fábrica," is a masterpiece of adaptive reuse: It combines preservation, nature, and contemporary design, offering inspiration for future architects in balancing historical respect with forward-thinking design. Read here

Perspective Sustainable Futures: How to X

An optimist by nature, David Bergman, Assoc. AIA, has shaped his career into one where he is not only exploring sustainable and eco materials and methods in his own design–but also as an educator. As the Program Director for the New York School of Interior Design's (NYSID) Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design, where he teaches aspects of ecodesign, Bergman is uniquely positioned to shape the future of sustainable design through education. As an educator, author, and of course, a designer, Bergman recognizes the unique impact that interior designers have on the communities that inhabit these spaces, and the environment surrounding them. Through a life of investigating the built environment and the natural environment, and many years of practice as an architect he still asks: How can we use design to make not only a meaningful impact, but one that sustains our planet as well? Read here.

Perspective Future Female: A Day in the Life

Emerging interior designer Brianna Hunter, IIDA has taken the workforce by storm with her brilliant ideas and user-focused perspective. She has been working in hospitality, multi-family high-rise, workplace, and retail design for almost four years now, and every day she learns something different about her approach to design. In her current position as a project designer at MKDA Miami, she uses her analytical skills combined with innovative design thinking to create projects that focus on detailing and user experience.

Hunter also serves on the IIDA South Florida Chapter's board where her passion for design and enrichment meet as she dedicates her time to mentoring and helping students create their own design community. Recently Hunter attended the Florida International University (FIU) Interior Architecture Thesis Super Jury where she spoke about her experience of mentoring a student through her final semester. Hunter details the ins and outs of her role in Perspective’s “A Day in the Life” series. Read more.

Perspective Future Female: Samantha Josaphat

When Samantha Josaphat, NOMA, was little she remembers house hunting with her mom down South, more specifically in metro Atlanta. There was only one problem: she just wasn't interested in what she was seeing. “A lot of the homes were in the suburbs and they were very cookie cutter—we had very limited options to choose from. None of the layouts made sense to me,” she remembers. “I would say to myself: ‘Why would you do this and why would you do that?’ So I decided I was going to be a builder so I could build houses the right way.

I still didn't know that architecture was a thing,” she smiles. “So in high school, I mentioned this to a professor: ‘I'm going to be a builder because I don't like the way homes are designed,” she declared. “And the professor was like: ‘Do you mean an architect?’ So she explained it to me and suggested I take her CAD drawing class. I found that really interesting.” The family ended up getting a house, and fast forward to today, Josaphat is five years into a business she founded herself doing what she dreamed to do as a kid: build better spaces. Read on as the Brooklyn-based architect and interior designer talks about creating meaningful spaces that foster human connection, the power of letting go, and the upsides of being an underdog. Read more.