Gary Wheeler | Source | CEO at American Society of Interior Designers

As the professionals most responsible for human experience in structures, interior designers take seriously their role in finding safe, functional and healthy solutions for building use during and after this pandemic. These task forces will provide valuable information, data, research, best practices and more for all stakeholders to improve our built environment in light of this international crisis, and ASID is here to support their critical work.

Being able to share the mission of ‘design impacts lives’ with designers from around the country truly demonstrates the far-reaching power of design. We are thrilled to bring the entire community together through a packed line-up of enlightening events and interactive engagements, all thoughtfully curated to spark inspiration and push our industry forward.

I see this pandemic, as horrible as it is, as a huge opportunity for the profession. What it’s doing for interior designers especially is showing others that interiors are the core to moving forward. The biggest challenge is going to be ensuring that individuals feel secure and safe. We can tell them that the [public] spaces they’re going [to return] to are clean and safe and have proper air systems. But getting the individual to go back into the office or hotel or restaurant and feel safe—that’s a mental thing. We can lead that transition, especially across disciplines.