Tag Archives: interior decoration and interior architecture

Interior Design and Interior Architecture

Posted on July 25, 2011 | 11 Comments

PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER has stuck his nose into this issue before and it is not my intent to belabor the definitions, differences, distinctions, etc. again. For those of you that are interested in the many semantic, practical and existential differences I offer this AIA Interior Architecture Knowledge Community Podcast titled “Grow Your Practice- The Interiors Advantage“

http://www.idimultimedia.net/clients/aia_podcast/06092009/burke.mp3

In this 23+/- minute discussion Timothy Hawk and Mary Burke (assumed R.A.’s and AIA members) talk about the differences between architectural practice and interior architecture practice. Both make good points in this regard. However, at about 13:33 they are asked to describe the difference between IA and ID. Again I have to say both were diplomatically erudite in their response particularly when they state that ID is a subset of IA- I am sure that will rankle a few ID’ers. Anyway based on my knowledge of the two fields this blurb represents the AIA party line.  Interesting stuff- any thoughts?

P.S. Okay I said I was not going into the definition of, or differences between, interior design and interior architecture but the one comment so far got me to thinking OUCH! So here I sit with a B.S. Degree in Architecture, an M.S. in Interior Design, 23+ years practice primarily within architecture firms, three of which were spent on one project as the “interior architect of record”, I now teach at a University that houses both an Interior Design Program and an Interior Architecture Program. Although not technically an “architect” I think I am qualified to offer an opinion, in fact I owe it to the many interior designers and architects that I have worked for and with throughout my career. So what is the difference?

First we have to acknowledge that for one to be an interior architect he/she has to be trained as an architect, must have passed the Architects Registration Examination and must be licensed as an architect in the state(s) in which he/she practices in order to call themself an “interior architect”. Beyond that little technicality and overlooking the fact that the AIA does not have an exterior architecture knowledge community (ahem)-  here is the rub;

 As an architect, interior architects think differently.

So in that regard the podcast was somewhat correct. Architects think differently so often they listen differently. I agree that for an architect to be successful at designing interior space they actually have to adjust their listening skills. Some have done this quite successfully (see Arthur Gensler) while others not so much.

Also architects look at buildings differently- they see the holistic picture whereas a traditional interior designer might miss key contextual cues because frankly they are not taught to consider the buildings feelings- only the users…sarcasm intended but 4 dimensional gestalt is a foreign concept to most ID’ers let’s be honest.

So I am good with the first 13 minutes of the discussion. Interior Design being a subset of interior architecture…..well my dog stops hunting at that point.

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Posted in American Institute of Architects, ASID, IIDA, Interior Architecture, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers, NCIDQ

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Design Star or Design Scourge

Posted on July 12, 2011 | 10 Comments

 We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Analysis of Interior Design Regulation To Bring You This Important Announcement!

PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER told himself not to continue punishing his hyper-sensitive identity complex by subjecting himself to another season of HGTV’s Design Star series. But lo I cannot avoid it. The HGTV juggernaut is omniscient- it is like being forced, with eyes propped open, to watch a slow motion train/school bus collision. The promotion of the series and its impact on the profession of interior design is unavoidable and in my not so humble opinion……devastating. 

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-design-star/show/index.html

If you are a professionally educated and/or trained interior designer who has vetted your knowledge and skillset via examination, continuing education and a commitment to ethical business practices you know what I am talking about. If however, you consider yourself an innately qualified interior designer who dresses professionally and has a flair for self-promotion and fashion but has no other validation of competency then you probably think I am an arrogant poop shoot.  So be it.

I have ranted incessantly about the public’s perception of ”interior design” and their subsequent level of respect and appreciation for our value to society. Many of us endeavor to distinguish ourselves from the publicity seekers and drama queens by clinging to acronyms such as “RID”, “CID” “NCIDQ® Certificate Number 000000″. Surely the public must understand and respect those credentials. But many professional designers do not fully understand the litany of abbreviations and letters posing as credentials- how can we expect armchair home improvement enthusiasts (A.K.A. “general public”) to grasp the nuances? Well we can’t and we have to stop wasting our time trying to change the paradigm.

In order to avoid the incessant stereotyping some of us have even created our own terms such as “interior workplace strategist”, “interior environmental designer”, and the inevitable “interior architect”. But ultimately we are still “interior designers” and we are subject, by default, to all of its misperceptions. Unfortunately, until we demand better of our professional organizations, even with their limited resources, and apply some out of the box strategic public relations effort we will forever be judged by whomever, or whatever, has the broadest impact on our chosen profession. Take a guess what that might be.

Gotta go buy some Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop (I am watching my girlish figure don’t ya know) and get my snuggie ready. It’s going to be a great season of Design Star.

P.S. If you missed the casting call for this seasons’s Design Star fret not! You should try this one….AaaaaaaaRrrrrrrrrrrrrGGGGGGGGGGhhhhhhhhhh!

http://www.hgtv.com/about-us/were-looking-for-professional-interior-designers-to-appear-on-hgtvs-newest-hit-show/index.html

 

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Posted in ASID, HGTV, HGTV Design Star, IIDA, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, Stupid Interior Design Tricks

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THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Posted on March 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

Who best represents you and your profession?

You can have this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qqQBookjNs 

You can have this;

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGZtcOCC-iU&feature=related

You can have this;

http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/legislative-video

http://www.asid.org/legislation/Michael+Alin+Video+Legislative+Priorities+2009.htm

In Florida you can have this;

http://www.idpcinfo.org/IDAF_Propaganda_Handout_2-11-11_.pdf

OR THIS

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs060/1102107213116/archive/1104695529814.html

In California you can have this;

http://www.clcid.org/

AND/OR THIS- Who Really Knows?

http://www.ccidc.org/q_a_on_cid_s.html 

OR

If you are fed up with the vitriole and petty turf and ego battles…………you can have this;

IFI- DFIE INTERIORS DECLARATION

It is the nature of Humankind not only to use spaces, but to fill them with beauty and meaning.

Skillfully designed spaces can arouse in us a sense of purpose, or a sense of the profound.

In the spaces that are important to us, we experience not only a sense of place, but a sense of who we are, and of what we can be.

Thoughtfully designed spaces help us learn, reflect, imagine, discover and create.

Great spaces are indispensable for great creative cultures.

They encourage connections between people, ideas and entire fields of thought.

As design professionals, our knowledge enables us to form spaces that respond to human needs.

These human spaces are the domain of our competence, our passion and our work.

We use space responsibly.

We practice our profession with highest regard for engaging the world’s economic and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

We design for health, safety, well-being and the needs of all.

It is, after all, for Humanity, our ultimate client, that we design.

We shape the spaces that shape the human experience.

This is what we do, what we create, what we give.

It is how we earn our place at the human table.

It is why our work is important to our clients, to our societies and to ourselves.

It is the difference we make and why we choose this noble profession.

VALUE- “The profession provides leadership and utilizes an iterative and interactive process that includes discovery, translation and validation, producing measurable outcomes and improvements in interior spaces and in the lives of the people who use them. This process delivers economic, functional, aesthetic and social advantage that helps clients understand the value of their decisions and enables better decisions that are beneficial to users and to society.  It is recommended that the profession become a trusted voice and develop multiple research models in the context of physical, emotional and behavioural patterns of users.” 

RELEVANCE- “The profession defines projects at their commencement, and champions human experience at all levels. Interior designers and interior architects synthesize human and environmental ecologies and translate science to beauty addressing all the senses. The practitioner listens, observes, analyzes, improves and creates original ideas, visions and spaces that have measurable value.” 

RESPONSIBILITY- “The responsibility of interior designers and interior architects is to define the practice and the required expertise, educate ourselves and the public, and to position ourselves in the public realm as experts in the built environment.  The responsibility of interior designers and interior architects is to advance the profession and advocate for social well-being.”

CULTURE- “As a creative enterprise, interior design and interior architecture are a mode of cultural production. They are a place-maker that interprets, translates, and edits cultural capital. In a global world, interior design and interior architecture must play a role in facilitating the retention of cultural diversity.” 

BUSINESS- “The profession of interior design and interior architecture provides value to the stakeholders.  It improves well-being as a factor of economic development.  It provides strategic thought leadership resulting in multifaceted return on investment. Interior designers and interior architects advocate education for the ongoing benefit and awareness of the profession.”

KNOWLEDGE- “Theoretical, applied, and innate knowledge are fundamental to the practice of interior design and interior architecture. The confluence of environmental psychology and the science of anthropometrics are critical to the quantitative and qualitative knowledge that form the practice of interior design and interior architecture.”

IDENTITY -“Interior designers and interior architects determine the relationship of people to spaces based on psychological and physical parameters, to improve the quality of life.”

 Posted with permission of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers a partner of The International Design Alliance http://www.ifiworld.org/#Homepage

 

I would be interested to hear who you choose and why.

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Posted in ASID, HGTV Design Star, IIDA, Interior Design Educators Council, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers, NCIDQ

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The Daily Half Baked Dish

Posted on February 13, 2011 | 5 Comments

I wonder how that Institute for Justice Kool-Aid tastes? Maybe Mr. Friedersdorf can enlighten me;

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/02/yes-professional-licensing-is-a-big-deal-ctd.html

Even if there are no obvious and publically available legal precedents proving that the practice of interior design by unlicensed individuals is a threat to society logic tells me that if you claim that the health, safety and welfare of your client is not your primary concern, even above aesthetics, then you are in fact a threat to the common good.  Why would you take that position and be proud of it? Why on earth would you not do everything in your power to prove that you are in fact qualified to assume, and successfully carry out that moral obligation? This ultimately defines the difference between interior decoration and professional interior design services.  A dichotomy the Institute for Justice, The Interior Design Protection Council, The National Kitchen and Bath Association and numerous other organizations perceive as a threat to their professional domain- yet are totally unwilling to recognize that particular kernel of truth.

If you choose not to honor your moral and ethical responsibility to our society by ignoring your clients right to a safe and healthy interior environment that will psychologically and physiologically improve their quality of life then that is your CHOICE.  So take your sour grapes and get out of our way. We have a profession to advance.

I just don’t get why we (the ones who bust our asses to earn such qualifications) just sit by and allow this skewed logic to paint our efforts as meaningless.   We continue to get sand kicked in our faces by the 80 pound weaklings yet we remain flummoxed by the veracity of their campaign of misinformation. AAAaaarrrrgggghhhh!

P.S. Facts and figures don’t seem to dissuade the anti-regulation effort maybe shame and logic will. I’m just sayin’

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Posted in American Institute of Architects, ASID, HGTV, IIDA, Institute for Justice, Interior Design, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design Protection Council, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, NCIDQ

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It’s Getting Hot in the Pacific Northwest!

Posted on February 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

Of the 7 or so ID regulation efforts underway the one that irks the angry decorators the most is in Washington State.  Here is the actual bill;

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1788.pdf

The following exemption needs to be cited in all of our conversations with angry decorators who insist that ID regulation will cause them harm;

“(d) Any person who provides decorative services, or assistance in
selection of decorative accessories, surface materials, window
treatments, wall coverings, paint, floor coverings, lighting fixtures
which are not part of a structure, plumbing fixtures which are not part of a structure, cabinetry, surface-mounted fixtures, and loose
furnishings and equipment not subject to regulation under applicable
provisions of jurisdictional codes, regulations, or the jurisdictional
fire codes, providing the person does not refer to himself or herself
as a registered interior designer;”

Interior Decorators and Residential Interior Designers are EXEMPT from regulation and are FREE to practice as they please. Is this a great country or what? Surprisingly the Washington State AIA either is unaware or takes no offense to the ID bill.  Hmmmm!

Now on the other hand Oregon is pushing for an ID title act.

http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measpdf/hb2400.dir/hb2491.intro.pdf

Unfortunately in PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER’S opinion it is not as clear as the Washington bill as to who it is protecting and who it is not. The Washington bill included better definitions and draws a clearer line between decoration, residential interior design and the work of a “registered” interior designer. I wish we could settle on one approach.

Anyway there appears to be a blitz of ID legislation underway. The NKBA and the IDPC are doing their best to rally the opposition. And of course the appeal of the Florida practice act is still waiting for a final ruling. Should be a fun filled Spring!

P.S. Evidently the Arizona ID legislative effort was tabled (?)

http://e-lobbyist.com/gaits/text/86428

 Of course the IDPC claims victory for that but unfortunately we will never know why Arizona House Bill 2309 was stopped. Seems like the interior designers and angry decorators were clearly excluded. Wonder why the angst? Jealousy maybe….Hhhhhmmmmmmm?

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Posted in American Institute of Architects, ASID, IIDA, Interior Design, Interior Design Educators Council, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design Protection Council, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, NCIDQ

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What We Have Here…..

Posted on February 7, 2011 | 6 Comments

Is a failure to communicate.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118030935929752.html

“Florida for years required anyone marketing their services as “interior design” to get a license that called for six years of education and apprenticeship and a two-day exam. That requirement stunned Barbara Vanderkolk Gardner, a mostly self-taught designer who worked on luxury homes in New Jersey—no license required—and wanted to open a practice in Florida. If clients wanted to hire her to pick out pillows, paints and furnishings, Ms. Gardner says, she couldn’t understand why the state would object: “I view myself as an artist, and I don’t think art needs to be licensed.”

Well maybe those who decorate should just call themselves interior ”artists”. Certainly would save us all a lot of bad public relations.

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Posted in ASID, Florida Interior Design Lawsuit, IIDA, Interior Design Educators Council, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design Protection Council, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, Minnesota Interior Design Regulation, NCIDQ

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How ’bout a Day of Service?

Posted on February 2, 2011 | 2 Comments

ASID Designer Showhouse in Minneapolis canceled due to the economy;

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/115025994.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUHK:uUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_27EQU

While PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER respects the cause and the effort, the platform seems so…I don’t know….80′s.  ASID’ers are certainly free to focus their public relations efforts on the wealthy. But maybe it’s time to reassess your organization’s values (the comments are telling).

In a state with a robust pro-legislation effort it seems that providing a service for the wealthy few may not be the best public relations effort to convince the GENERAL public and Minnesota policymakers that interior designers deserve legal recognition and protection. I’m just sayin’

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Posted in ASID, HGTV, IIDA, Interior Design Educators Council, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design Protection Council, interior design regulation, Minnesota Interior Design Regulation, NCIDQ

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Who Said Life is Fair?

Posted on January 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Following is a plea from the IDPC to Mississippi designers and decorators regarding pending interior design title act legislation in Mississippi (it could apply to all IDPC contested legislation). To wit;

“If allowed to pass, this bill will give NCIDQ-certified designers a state-sanctified, unearned advantage over you, reduce you to a second-class citizen, and place you at an unfair marketing disadvantage”

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs060/1102107213116/archive/1104330871993.html

Well well well that is the most honest admission from the anti-regulation effort to date. So the fact that some interior designers choose to raise their professional standards does in fact scare you. It’s unfair….Awwwwww Waaaaah!  Note the key use of the term “unearned”-very sly I must say but complete fabricated bull!

Since the ID legislative effort has evolved to avoid any legislative limitations on “interior design” and “interior designers” and now carefully limits its legalese to address the title or term “certified” or “registered” interior designers only, it appears that the interior designers by birthright are free to call themselves “interior designers” and whatever they do as ”interior design”. Hallefrigginlujah!

But lo and behold it appears that just because a few interior designers desire to raise the bar of their professional standards by pursuing government recognition those designers, and decorators posing as interior designers, who freely choose not to pursue advanced education, training and validation via examination feel threatened by those who understand that one must work toward and earn advanced professional status. It’s never enough is it? Funny that the IDPC has a longstanding quasi-libertarian mission that states;  

“We support the right of the consumer to determine the level of experience and education they desire in an interior designer and reject the concept that the government should take these decisions out of their hands”

Well the government is no longer taking the decision out of the consumer’s hands. The public is free to determine the level of experience and education they desire in an interior designer. The government only regulates “certified” or “registered” interior designers. Thanks to the efforts of the IDPC the free market is alive and well. Interior decorators are free to call themselves “interior designers” and the public is free to consider their credentials and innate talent or lack thereof. It’s a veritable free market utopia. Interior designers rejoice!

But why the angst anti-regulation folks? It isn’t fair? Quit your sniveling and man up. You wished for a level playing field for interior designers and you got it.

P.S. Thanks to our former students for responding to the angry decorator comments: http://professionalinteriordesigner.com/2011/01/24/like-fingernails-screeching-across-a-chalkboard/#comment-359  The louder the designers by birthright whine the more we value our effort to earn professional respect.  Funny how that works.

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Posted in ASID, IIDA, Interior Design Educators Council, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design Protection Council, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, NCIDQ

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IT’S THE NATURAL ORDER

Posted on January 19, 2011 | 2 Comments

OK watch this video of a 1959 Chevy crashing head on into a 2009 Chevy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk

OK what does this have to do with the profession of Interior Design- you ask?…..and you should. Keep in mind the post crash analysis shows that the driver of the ’59 would have died almost instantly- the driver of the ’09 would have suffered minor leg injuries (due mainly to the inertia of the heavy iron ’59)

As mentioned in my previous post there are those whose mission in life is to de-professionalize interior design.  They insist that ours is a profession beholden to artistic flair and that customers are fully capable of selecting a “designer” to suit their needs. In other words licensing and credentials earned via education experience and examination mean nothing.  Natural creative talent and natural selection of marketplace competition are all that are needed to call oneself an “interior designer”.  Their view of the profession is much like it was in the 1960′s and 1970′s when the practice of interior design began to distinguish itself from interior decoration.  They will do whatever they can to make sure the professional domain remains wide open to all comers and posers, qualified or not. 

The anti-regulation proponents claim that the protection of the health safety and welfare of the public is a moot basis for ID regulation and the government has no need to make sure the public is suitably protected by our work.  Well when I watched  this video it struck me (pun intended) as a good metaphor for the anti-regulation effort. If they could have it their way the government would not have imposed regulations for auto-makers to make vehicles safer, the insurance industry would not have made efforts to make a safety a concern and the general public would still be driving around in 4 ton steel coffins. The desire to raise the bar of professional status via the protection of public’s health, safety and/or welfare and official validation thereof is a natural urge for any logical individual or like minded professional domain. To say it isn’t a necessary component of a “profession” is a public disservice at best and negligence of our obligation to each other at worst.

Facts and figures have no effect in deterring the efforts of the anti-regulation movement maybe shame will.

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Posted in Institute for Justice, Interior Design, Interior Design Educators Council, Interior Design Laws, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design Protection Council, interior design regulation, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, NCIDQ

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GAME CHANGER OR FAD?

Posted on January 3, 2011 | 3 Comments

Okay PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER knows that the internet is a remarkable tool. Hell we would not be here if it weren’t. I am also aware that since the mid-90’s and the dotcom boom there have been numerous attempts to link designers with clients digitally.  But now that the newness has worn off and Facebook, Myspace, eHarmony and other social networking sites have become the norm, not to mention that a generation of digital natives are now coming into positions of financial responsibility, maybe the time is ripe for professional design service networking sites to be useful.  PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER is aware of two such sites (I am sure there are many others but just go with me here) and I see merit and issues with both.

 Interior Design Pro is limited to interior decorators and designers while Dzinebox boldly connects Landscape Architects/Designer, Architects (mostly residential) and Interior Decorators/Designers with potential clients. 

http://www.dzinebox.com/

 

http://www.interiordesignpro.org/

 

Us old school digital immigrants may look upon these sites as nothing more than enhanced Yellow Pages for design services…you know let your fingers do the walkin…er typing, but they can be so much more. Is this the new paradigm for marketing professional interior design services? Will this make licensing efforts more important or impotent? Will clients get so burned by imcompetence that the entire profession is stained? Stay tuned.

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Posted in ASID, IIDA, Interior Design, Interior Design Licensing, Interior Design Profession, Interior Design vs. Interior Decorators, NCIDQ

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