June 2021

Silver masi Award recipient | Hospitality and/or Restaurant | Christine Perry of DIALOG Design, for Buffo Restaurant (IDA)

President's Message

Dear Members of the Interior Designers of Alberta,

What would you do if you knew increasing your social connections not only made you happier, but increased your performance at work and made you more successful?

With the great success of our initial ID CONNECT session, I have been thinking more and more about this most important mission of our association, to connect and support our Interior Design community. In Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, he cites extensive research, “Studies that show that each positive interaction employees have during the workday actually helps return the cardiovascular system back to resting levels (a benefit often termed “work recovery”), and that over the long haul, employees with more of these interactions become protected from the negative effects of job strain. Each connection also lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress, which helps employees recover faster from work-related stress and makes them better prepared to handle it in the future.”

The COVID pandemic has created a greater sense of isolation and many of us are trying to tough it out alone. In a society that values the achievement of the individual and fosters competition to be the best, win the project, and get all the recognition, we have not set ourselves up to easily create a diverse social investment. Many of you also might be doing all right on your own, but what if you are leaving big potential on the table? What could be gained by expanding your network of social support? I would like to challenge each of you to make one social connection per day for the next month and see if it makes a difference.

As we begin to connect members in our Interior Design community, we infuse our small council with much needed diversity and creativity. The more we connect, the more we can do. Together we are a much stronger voice in our legislative pursuits for title protection, we can actually implement some of the many fantastic advocacy ideas, and maybe even find some time to give back to our community through projects such as supporting/mentoring our students, low-income housing projects, or other creative pursuits to enhance the well-being of people. To put it bluntly, we need more members to bolster our numbers, we need more volunteers to divide up the work, and we need our profession to be taken seriously by unifying all interior designers in Alberta under one association.

In short, we need you to connect with us. I hope I have built a strong case for you to get involved and to understand the benefits of making a social investment, as well as creating a more professional definition of an Interior Designer. To quote Shawn Achor, “What we spend our time and mental energy focusing on can indeed become our reality”. I started with a question and so I will end with one:

What can you do to support the profession of Interior Design in Alberta?

Respectfully yours,
Louise Aroche

Louise Aroche

IDA President

Member Matters

Congratulations Class of 2021!

To all student members who graduated, The Interior Designers of Alberta extend our warmest wishes on your achievement!

Your career path may be uncertain right now, and that's ok. Be flexible, patient, and persistent. You may need to pivot to find your next step. A career journey is full of turns we don't plan, but they allow us to learn and grow. One of your biggest assets is your network. Reach out and connect. Many interior designers were in your shoes and had to find their first job when the economy was in a downturn.

We are here to support you with great resources:

Non-members can subscribe to our newsletter to be better informed.
ID Connect sessions are an informal virtual gathering to stay connected while physical events are not happening. This offers great networking and learning opportunities. Visit our events page here
An industry specific job listing to see the skills employers are looking for, and the type of work they do. Visit our job board here

Current student membership will continue for up to six months post-graduation. You can join as a student now to take advantage of the lower rate. For any questions about the IDA, email info@idalberta.ca.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS

Cindy Rodych | Registered
Caleb Salomons | Intern

Rebecca Mycroft | Intern
Danielle Caffaro | Student
Hayley Phillips | Student

2021 masi Awards

Final Submission Deadline | July 14, 2021