Perspective: Changemakers | Member Picks

Jul 19, 2022 By IIDA HQ

IIDA Chapter presidents share their current favorite books, movies, tv, music, art, and guilty pleasures.

By IIDA HQ Jul 19, 2022

Published in Perspective

Get to know our IIDA Chapter presidents on a more personal level with Member Picks. We talked to a few of our chapter presidents to give us their recommendations for books, music, art, and more, even their guilty pleasures. Take a look at some of their recommendations below and see which recommendation might be a fit for you.

Verda Alexander, IIDA
Northern California Chapter President
Co-Founder, Studio O+A

Art: Caroline Kent - just saw this artist at the MCA in Chicago, amazing!
Books: Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein—a must-read!
Music: Sofi Tukker,I discovered them in a spin class. Fun and high energy.
TV: “Candy”
Film: “Don't Look Up”
Guilty Pleasure: Orange wine - especially from Greece
Inspiring Project: The Eco Playbook, O+A's handbook for how to design with the future in mind. Downloadable on our website.

Verda Alexander, IIDA

Installation view of Chicago Works artist Caroline Kent's "Victor/Veronica: Making Room" at MCA Chicago Photo Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago

6lack, image courtesy of Rolling Loud.

Jessica Cody, IIDA
Northern Pacific Immediate Past President
Interior Designer at Helix Design Group, Inc.

Art: Jeff Koons, I'm drawn to the color and scale of the balloon pieces!
Books: Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion both by Jane Austen
Music: 6lack
TV: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Film: “Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart” (HBO)
Guilty Pleasure: Cosmic Brownie
Inspiring Project: Simply Soulful Cafe in Seattle, WA is an inspiring project for many reasons! As an interior designer at Helix Design Group, I designed the interiors while working with owners Barbara and Lillian, and the developer, Vulcan. While looking to open a new location, Simply Soulful was approached about the project located in Seattle's Central District because Vulcan was seeking businesses to occupy their new mixed-use building that would reflect the Black community that has historically inhabited the neighborhood.

Jessica Cody, IIDA

Eriko Hosoi, IIDA
Japan Chapter President

Art: Katsushika Hokusai
Books: HAPTIC: Awakening the Senses by Kenya Hara
Music: Hikaru Utada’s album Fantôme
TV: “Kyoto People's Secret Fun” (NHK）
Film: “DINING OUT with LEXUS”
Guilty Pleasure: I am absorbed in reading comics.
Inspiring Project: Jean Paul Gaultier's store design in Paris. The store was located in Jean Paul Gaultier's La Galerie Vivienne in Paris, which I visited when I was 20 years old. High ceilings, old railings, and a long storefront in the back. The chemical reaction between the space and the fashion that Gaultier creates was exciting.

Eriko Hosoi, IIDA

Katsushika Hokusai's "Poem by Sangi no Takamura" (Ono no Takamura), from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki). Image courtesy of Sotheby's.

Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts mural artist Michi Farias. Image courtesy of Lions & Rabbits Center for the Art

Megan Murray, IIDA
IIDA Michigan Chapter President
Principal Interior Designer at Megan Murray Interiors

Art: All of the awesome public art we have in Grand Rapids, MI! Come check out all of our murals! Our adopted chapter charity for 2022 is Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts, which helps create, fund, and promote a lot of this art and the artists who create it! Check it out!
Books: Currently I am listening to the Divergent series by Veronica Roth (less mystery, more thriller and sci-fi).
Music: Some of my current favorites are The Black Angels, Wooden Ships, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Marcus King, The Teskey Brothers, The Budos Band...I could go on forever!
TV: “Winning Time” is fantastic, even if you aren't a sports fan. We also recently watched “Outer Range” and were surprised by how much we loved it!
Film: “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” (yes, you will cry but you will also laugh and smile)
Guilty Pleasure: Perhaps the occasional cheeseburger when my husband is out of town and I am home alone. There is a place in Grand Rapids called The Winchester that has a pretty mean burger and fries. But I don't really feel guilty about eating it - hehe!
Inspiring Project: I was able to work on a project recently that was for a community organization that helps people to have access to affordable and fresh foods. This organization is called Community Action House. Instead of the typical food pantry model, they have a grocery store that is filled with fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meats, dairy, staples, and even some meal kits.

Megan Murray, IIDA

Madeline Rohrer, IIDA
Mid-America Chapter President
Interior Designer at Perspective Architecture + Design

Art: Whitewood canvas aka Sarah White, Kansas City artist Sarah White (@whitewoodcanvas). My husband gifted me one of her pieces for our wedding this winter. It is one of my most treasured possessions.
Books: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Music: Heim’s Women in Music Pt. III. catch them live if you have the chance, you will not regret it.
TV: “The Great” on Hulu
Film: “Office Space”
Guilty Pleasure: Reality TV: “Project Runway,” “The Kardashians,” “The Bachelor,”...I love it all.
Inspiring Project: T-Mobile HQ2: 6360 in Overland Park, Kansas. The client really pushed me and the project team to create a high-design space that is equitable for all types of people AND beautiful. It has been a pleasure to see the project come together over the last year.

Madeline Rohrer, IIDA

T-Mobile HQ2: 6360 in Overland Park, Kansas. Image courtesy of Perspective Architecture + Design.

Adrienne Searcy, IIDA
Indiana Chapter President
Registered Interior Designer

Art: Get outside and take in the trees, the flowers, the waters, and the mountains.
Books: The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Music: Love & War & The Sea In Between by Josh Garrels
TV: “Impractical Jokers”
Film: “American Gospel,” “What the Health,” and “Forks Over Knives.”
Guilty Pleasure: Whole Foods plant-based desserts
Inspiring Project: I am most inspired by the projects where the space tells a story about the business or organization—where every design element is a subtle nod to who they are, what they do, and how they got here.

Adrienne Searcy, IIDA

Hannah Taddeo, IIDA
IIDA Northern Florida Chapter President
Project Manager at Micamy Design Studio

Books: Layla by Colleen Hoover
Music: Paradise to Me” by Niko Moon
TV: “Modern Family”
Film: “The Game Changers”
Guilty Pleasure: Strawberries and whipped cream
Inspiring Project: Etz Chaim Synagogue— learning about a different religion and culture in order to design towards their needs has been very inspiring.

Hannah Taddeo, IIDA

Cast of "Modern Family," photo by Jill Greenberg via Getty Images

"The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett, image courtesy of Harper.

Sydnie Young, IIDA
Intermountain Chapter President
Senior Associate Interior Designer at FFKR Architects

Art: Artists Brooke Smart, Caitlin Connolly, Megan Trueblood, and Brit Hansen.
Books: I'm currently listening to The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Music: Coldplay, José González , Lord Huron, Novo Amor, Adele, Jack Johnson, and many more.
TV: “The Office,” “Grace and Frankie,” “Schitt's Creek,” “Parks & Rec,” anything where I can laugh and not have to think too hard.
Film: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
Guilty Pleasure: Eating cookie dough in my hammock on a summer night, and a good manicure/pedicure.
Inspiring Project: The Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI) Campus of Hope crisis care center, a current project, focusing on de-stigmatizing mental health care and re-imagining what "mental health should look like" with wonderful people for our community.