01 What’s Up
From the President
By Ingrid Hornung, President, Design Matters National 2020-2022
I write this at the end of my first year as President. When I started, I could not have envisaged what this last year would bring! In this issue we explore the many challenges this has presented to the professions we represent, and some of the ways we have sought to rise to those challenges. We developed new ways of working together, and apart; We responded to a big rise in renovation rates, driven both by need (as people spent more time in their homes than ever before) and also by government stimulus; We responded to the challenges that the builders we work with faced; as the construction industry was affected by both material and labour constraints (due to so many different causes!)
As an organisation I’m proud of the ways we have found to support members during these times; and how our members have supported each other. I believe this attitude is the thread that connects everyone in our organisation; from its very beginnings, right through the last 39 years as we have grown; and into the future. While there’s a sense of having to brace ourselves for what may be around the corner, post the pandemic, I find myself filled with a sense of optimism and hope; as we recreate our connections with family, at work, and in our communities: in almost every aspect of life. I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season with your friends and family; and I look forward to meeting many more of you in person during the next year! Ingrid Hornung
I hope you find inspiration and food for thought in these pages; I know I find inspiration in the creative ways that members have responded to the ‘brief’ that these times have given us!
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