Left to Right: Intermountain Board Members Emily Robinson, IIDA, Laura Tungset, IIDA, and IIDA CEO and Executive Vice President, Cheryl S. Durst.

Utah may be best known for its National Parks, the iconic Mormon Temple, and the Great Salt Lake but the growing Interior Design community is making headlines too!

“With the fast-growing Interior Design industry in Utah, it was essential to form a Chapter that could address the needs of these designers,” said Julie McHood, IIDA Intermountain President. “Salt Lake City is quickly becoming the new silicon valley, which is bringing an influx of new design juxtaposed next to Utah’s iconic buildings and interiors.”

With that, the IIDA Intermountain Chapter becomes the 34th Chapter, which is poised to address the needs of this rapidly expanding and diverse design community. The Intermountain Chapter Board is wasting no time reaching out to both existing and new Members alike through engaging events and activities.

“Currently, one of our most well-attended events is Wine Down Wednesday, an informal event which offers attendees an opportunity to casually connect with fellow designers,” explained McHood. “We also just recently participated in AIGA’s Salt Lake Design Week, which celebrates all forms of design from graphics to interiors.”

Perhaps most importantly, IIDA Intermountain is working tirelessly to create legislation in Utah which protects an Interior Designers right to use ‘Certified Interior Designer.'”

“Utah is one of the few states that does not have any legislation that protects and regulates the Interior Design profession, which is why this is one of our biggest initiatives as a Chapter. We are working together with the ASID Chapter to connect with representatives to educate them on the importance of this legislation.”

The Intermountain Chapter looks forward to developing more events, programming and initiatives tailored to their Members’ needs. If you’d like to connect with the Intermountain Chapter, you can find them online and on Facebook.