Anna Burles sets out AI priorities for her year as BIID President

Anna Burles, co-founder of London interiors and branding studio Run For The Hills, has set out artificial intelligence as a central theme of her year as President of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).

In a feature published by the BIID on 9 November, Burles said she would work with the institute during her presidency to explore how it uses AI tools to make the member experience more immersive. She also said she wanted to focus on how the industry can give graduates hope in the age of AI through placements and training.

Burles took over from Liz Bell at the BIID Annual General Meeting on 17 September at The National Liberal Club in London, the institute said. She holds the post for the 2026-2027 term.

"But Pandora's box is open, and as an industry we have to reconcile how we're going to live with and embrace it, rather than potentially be left behind," she said.

AI in the studio

Burles said her studio began experimenting with ChatGPT about 12 months ago and now uses Claude Cowork every day, building artifacts and plug-ins. She said she attended a one-day seminar and that the team had otherwise largely taught itself.

As an example, she said she asked the tool to go through all of the studio's past project proposals and categorise them by size, deliverables and type. It catalogued hundreds of projects in about half an hour, she said.

The studio also uses Gemini within Gmail, Google's NotebookLM and the AI note taker Fathom, according to the feature.

Burles said the time saved is not simply cut from projects. It is moved into areas that were previously stretched, she said, giving more time on site, more time with the builder and more time mentoring her team.

She also warned of the limits of the technology. "You can't rely on the accuracy of anything it does. It makes so many mistakes and assumptions, and it's often very flattering - telling you what you want to hear," she said.

Burles added that the studio is careful about which parts of its computers the tools are allowed to access.

Background

Burles is Creative Director and Co-Founder of Run For The Hills, which the BIID described as a multidisciplinary studio working in interiors, branding and art for residential and commercial clients. She is a BIID Registered Interior Designer.

The studio was founded in 2012 by Christopher Trotman and Anna Burles, according to its own website, and is based at One Lonsdale Road, Queen's Park, London NW6. The studio says its clients range from start-ups to restaurant and hotel groups.

According to the BIID feature, Burles came to interiors at 37 after working as an event stylist and, before that, as a radio reporter at the BBC and ITN Radio.

The BIID describes itself as the only professional institute for interior designers in the UK. It was founded in 1965 as the Interior Decorators and Designers Association. It is governed by a Council of Directors, led by a President who serves a one-year term, according to the institute's Council page.

Other AGM business

The September AGM was preceded by the institute's Inside Knowledge Peer-To-Peer Learning Conference, the BIID said. At the meeting, the 2026 BIID Merit Award was presented to BIID Registered Interior Designer Mathew Freeman, and Michael Schienke was re-elected to the Council for a second term.

Liz Bell, who became President at the September 2025 AGM in succession to Angela Bardino, is now listed as Past President on the institute's Council page.

Debra Kacher is listed as President Elect and is due to follow Burles when the one-year term ends.