Of Knowledge?

http://www.torontolife.com/daily/hype/creative-types/2011/11/29/lenny-kravitz-bisha-hotel-toronto/

Not only no but HELL NO! Lenny Kravitz could give a rip about the profession of interior design as we define it. He is an interior designer because he can be- period. He is doing just fine with his natural talent and flair which he has in spades.  Should he ever need a permit he can buy the services of an architect or a licensed interior designer to get it. That is how all of the star designers (from Barbara Streisand to Posh Spice) as well as other creatives like Karim Rashid and Phillipe Starck do it.  They surround themselves with licensed, certified and registered design professionals- and why not?  Which one of us would say no to Lenny Kravitz if he called and asked “hey PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER wanna hook up on my South Beach condo project?”  “Um well Mr. Kravitz I am not registered in Florida so I will have to decline your offer“……Nobody will turn their accredited degree/licensed noses up to them- nobody.  So what is my point?

Will we, the accredited and certified interior design professionals, as defined in the ID Body of Knowledge ( http://www.idbok.org/PDFs/IDBOK_2010_sum.pdf ), be recognized by the general public as somehow better qualified than Lenny Kravitz or Venus Williams ( http://vstarrinteriors.com/ ) ? How will NOT abiding by the tenets of professional interior design as defined in our body of knowledge “marginalize” the innately qualified? If somebody like Lenny Kravitz were to proclaim that he is a “professional” interior designer who would say otherwise? Now if he were to proclaim that he is a “registered” interior designer that would be another story but he will never have to go there as long as he can say that he is an “interior designer”.  Semantic hair-splitting?

YES.

Unfortunately in the dearth of a unified and focused public relations effort our default mode of distinguishing “professional” or “registered” interior designers from the innately qualified is to lean on Uncle Sam to validate us.  Is this the only way forward?

Too many questions?

Right.