BIID Announces New President and Award Winners at 2022 AGM

Left to right: Harriet Anstruther, Mathew Freeman, Sue Timney

The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) is delighted to welcome the new BIID President for the 2022-2023 term, Mathew Freeman, who officially took over the role at the BIID Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 7th July, held at Beaufort House, London. The BIID AGM provides members with the chance to learn about the Institute’s progress over the past twelve months and vote in new directors.

New BIID President

The AGM marked the official hand-over to new BIID President Mathew Freeman, who takes over from Lindsey Rendall. Mathew is a BIID Registered Interior Designer and founder of Freeman Studio which specialises in high-end residential interior design. He has over twenty years' experience working as an interior designer in London.

Mathew studied Interior Architecture at University Wales Institute Cardiff. After graduating he joined HLM where he became Creative Director of their luxury residential brand, 33 Interiors. In 2018 he joined Goddard Littlefair, working on high-end residential schemes with private clients, multi-unit developments and show apartments.

Mathew joined the BIID Professional Practice Committee in 2015 and went on to chair the Membership Committee. He also represents the BIID on the Business Panel of the Construction Industry Council. Mathew is passionate about passing on his knowledge and nurturing the next generation of designers and he is closely involved with the Institute’s work with students and educators.

Mathew commented: “It is a real honour to be elected president of the BIID and I’m looking forward to working in collaboration with our hard-working BIID council, to support our members, raise awareness of the institute and to create opportunities for our talented community of BIID members to thrive.”

CPD Award

Commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) helps to ensure that BIID members are keeping up to date with the latest developments in a rapidly changing industry. All BIID Members are required to undertake an annual CPD requirement of 20 hours.

The CPD Award honours the BIID member who gained the most structured hours in that year. At the 2022 AGM, the recipient of the award was BIID Registered Interior Designer Harriet Anstruther, who accrued 198 CPD hours between 1st April 2021 and 31st March 2022.

Harriet is an interior designer, writer and art director with over twenty five years of design experience working in textiles, film, fashion and the arts. She launched her interior design business HAS in 2012. Harriet is the author of REVEAL; Interior Design as a Reflection of Who We Are, which gives insight into her central interest in the psychology and haptics of design in all its disciplines.

Merit Award

The Merit Award honours a BIID member who has particularly excelled in three key criteria: excellence in interior design practice; a contribution to the development of the Institute and a commitment to the wider field of design education. Chosen by the awards committee, the 2022 award was given to BIID Registered Interior Designer Sue Timney.

Sue has worked in Britain, Europe and Japan for over 30 years creating interior projects celebrating her own brand of exotic classicism under the Timney Fowler and Sue Timney banners. 
She was made Visiting Professor and Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art in 2007 and also holds the Textile Institute’s Design Medal. She is a Past President of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and was elected to serve again as a Director on the BIID Council.

In 2010 a retrospective of Sue's work was shown at The Fashion and Textile Museum in London. Her design biography ‘Making Marks’ was also published by Pointed Leaf Press in New York at that time. Timney was commissioned by the V&A and Random House in 2012 to design a British Vintage Classics book to celebrate British Design. Her interior work was also featured in the Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibition ‘British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age’ and ‘175 years at the RCA’ held at the Royal College of Art.

The AGM was followed by the BIID Summer Party, at the Arlo & Jacob showroom.