The Road Ahead

With the economy we have today, it’s hard to say what I see myself doing in five years. At that point my goal is to have a master’s degree, be licensed and certified as a designer, and be working for a great company. But these are dreams of a soon to be graduate and they may be high hopes. But even if the economy is still in poor form, it all boils down to hard work and perseverance. Eventually, I would like to focus on two aspects: restorations and theater set design. The former is something that I’ve always had an interest in. I love seeing old, neglected houses have new life breathed into them. When I’m driving through certain parts of town and see houses that could be beautiful but aren’t, whether it’s from lack of money or care, it makes me sad. And, in a time when we are getting really involved with sustainability, I firmly believe that if a structure is salvageable and is cost effective to refurbish, then by all means it should be. Theater set design stems from a passion that I’ve had since I saw my first performance of Phantom of the Opera when I was nine. I had the opportunity to work with a local theater company for two years, building and painting sets, as well as designing lighting and sound for their shows. For two years I worked for free and not under the best conditions. Regardless of the stress involved and lack of sleep (that sounds a lot like school), I loved doing it and was very sad when I had to give it up.

Regardless of whether I am able to do these things, or what I want to focus on changes, I know that the spaces I design will lead to happier experiences for the people that use them. They will allow users to forget any troubles they may have in other aspects of their lives. Ultimately, that is my goal.

You Want Who To Design My Space?

While I haven’t watched a lot of HGTV or those types of shows, I know that how they portray interior design does a grave injustice to our industry. First off, they are filmed in states without title acts, which means that anyone is able to call themselves a designer . . . even Vanilla Ice. Rapping and interior design are the same thing, right? Secondly, they claim that the majority of redesigns can be done for under $500. Sure, if you just want some new paint, pillows, and furniture arrangement. They also make it look like a complete kitchen remodel (new cabinetry, appliances, fixtures, etc.) can be done in only one day. Considering I started remodeling my living over a month ago and it still isn’t done, I’m going to have to go with a no on that one.

Or what about those shows where friends or neighbors swap spaces for a day and redesign according to what they think the owner would like? The majority of those that I’ve seen, the people put the exact opposite in that the owner would like, so it’s not a functional space In the broadest idea of the term. I saw one where the “designer” surrounded the client’s bed with nails sticking a few inches out of plywood. There’s also the absurdity of design competition shows, where they give contestants empty white boxes and then send them to a pet store and tell them to create a space out what they can find in that store. What comes out of that is not a well designed, functional space, but rather a piece of art. Functionality is not taken into account when they create them. They are not spaces that can be used by anyone, so how does that make a contestant a designer?

The Interior Design Cocktail Party

Two Thursdays ago, the Art Institute was honored to host a cocktail party in its atrium. In attendance were current students, students who had graduated, professionals, and senators. The air was celebratory - the profession of interior design was staying regulated. Over 200 people came to show their support, which was overwhelming. While I was, unfortunately, stuck in the corner selling raffle tickets most of the evening (and wearing a dress that I felt incredibly awkward in) it was still a lot of fun. Students got to meet a lot of people in the field, creating connections that could bring them job opportunities after school. Hopefully it also served to further the understanding of our profession for those who were not as involved, creating new supporters. I’m looking forward to another party next year when we once again remind people why interior design needs to stay regulated.

Why I Do What I Do

Interior design has not always been an important aspect in my life; it wasn’t even an afterthought. Growing up, I was never allowed to paint my room; every house we lived in had white walls. And that’s it. My dad, thinking in his practical lawyerly ways, thought they were the end-all of “interior design”. After he moved out, my mom (an artist) finally told me I could paint my room any color I wanted. The color I chose was called Renaissance Plum, an absurdly dark purple. Soon after I decided to rip out the dark green carpet (ew) in my room and painted the tiles that were underneath it. Not the best thing to do, but hey, I didn’t know any better.

My first place, the apartment my husband and I moved into after we got married, literally looked like a Home Depot paint sample rack threw up in it. Every room was a different color – the living room was red, the kitchen was orange, the bathroom was lavender, and the bedroom was brown. Nothing matched but I loved it anyway. A year later my dad offered for Chris and I to move into one of his rental properties. When we pulled up in front of it, to say it was a slight disappointment is an understatement. The person who had owned it before my dad apparently fancied themselves a do-it-yourself handyman. The 1950’s house had a back porch made of bare 2x4’s and poorly attached screen, and sloped to one side because of an oak tree; the closet in the master bedroom was missing a wall (for no apparent reason); the backsplash in the kitchen was unfinished drywall; the living room was floor-to-ceiling, all four walls cheap paneling; and half of the outlets in the living room didn’t work . . . just because. In addition to all of these things, my dad’s ex-girlfriend had lived in the house prior to me and decided to, for whatever reason, take the cabinet doors, as well as the part of cabinetry with the only drawers, from the kitchen, some of the light fixtures, and the shower head.

Regardless of these things, we moved in and I’ve slowly been trying to fix the things that are wrong with the house. I soon realized, however, that my knowledge was somewhat lacking when it came to the fixer-upper department. I also realized one day that if I didn’t do something soon, I would be stuck in a life of retail and a crappy house. So I decided to go back to school. After a year of waffling back and forth between what I would study, where I would go, and if I was capable of it (HCC didn’t work out so well for me) I decided on the Art Institute and Interior Design. And I couldn’t be happier. It turns out that I really like doing this stuff.

As the two previous years have gone by I’ve learned so much about what this profession really is and what it means to everyone. This career will allow me to help people feel comfortable and make the most of their time in a space, whether it’s through design of their workplace, home, or the places they go shopping.

My website!

My website's up! Yay!

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Interior Design

A professional interior designer is qualified by education, experience and examination to enhance the function and quality of interior spaces for the purpose of improving the quality of life, increasing productivity and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public.

Recently, Interior Designers in Florida won a battle against the deregulation of their profession. This wasn’t the first time this issue had been brought up and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last. As it stands, Florida no longer has a title act and schooling and licensure are not required to offer interior design services for residential spaces. Those in favor of deregulating the profession argue that schooling is unnecessary, as is certification by a test they claim is irrelevant. They even went so far as to speak for every single interior design student in the state of Florida at a subcommittee meeting this year, claiming that all students feel that the four year schooling and two year interning requirements are unneeded. What they weren’t counting on were students actually showing up to the meeting. As one of those students, I feel that regulation of interior design is absolutely necessary.

Those in favor of deregulation claim that students learn nothing of codes in school. If that’s the case, then how do I know that to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act aisles need to be a minimum of 3’ or that nothing can protrude from a wall more than 4”? I also know how much square footage is needed per person in a business occupancy. I learned these things in a class called Materials and Codes. In that class I also learned about materials that could potentially be hazardous to users of a space. How can they claim that we learn nothing of use?

Deregulation fans also claim that four years of schooling is more time than needed to learn everything there is to know about interior design, and feel that working for two years under a licensed designer is unnecessary. I will be the first to say that I’ve learned a lot in school, however it’s all theoretical. As someone who is currently remodeling her living room, I found that not everything works out perfectly like they do in books. What we’re taught is the best case scenario. The best way to learn is in a real world scenario.

At the subcommittee meeting one of the speakers claimed that people wouldn’t be hurt if she placed a light in the wrong place. This simply isn’t true. In two of my previous classes, Human Factors and Lighting, we learned that improper placement of fixtures and use of the wrong types of lamps can cause issues such as eye strain, fatigue, and even psychological disorders. Every choice an interior designer makes has a direct impact on the users of a space. It is scientifically proven that even colors affect a person’s mood (prisons are being painted pink, instead of red, for a reason).

As far as the NCIDQ is concerned, this test sets a standard of knowledge and capability. This test ensures that people without the education necessary are not putting the lives of people at risk.

Again, an interior designer’s job is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. How would someone know how to do this without the proper education and experience?