Spring Break
It's interior designers, not decorators
Vanessa Preston
Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Ed-Op
You see them walking around campus. Often, they are equipped with an overwhelming load of drafting tools, rolls of trace, and every now and then larger-than-life presentation boards. They are interior design students. Some of you may even know some of these so-called "nesbians," yet the question remains: What exactly do they do?
In this era of Home and Garden Television, in addition to the current trend in home improvement, people have adopted what they think to be interior design based on the common misconceptions shown on TV. In actuality, these shows, though entertaining, are demeaning to the design profession and undermine the amount of knowledge and know-how that is actually involved in interior design. It is a profession that requires knowledge, skill and experience in all aspects of an interior space, including technical components, aesthetics, safety, function and ergonomics. Unfortunately, these shows communicate interior design as merely selecting fabrics and furniture - what is called decorating.
In fact, your fellow interior design students are striving to become much more than decorators, but professional interior designers. A professional designer has received adequate education, four years or more, which allows them to possess the expertise and aptitude to develop and carry through with acceptable solutions to problems in interiors. They must conform to federal, state and local laws, including building codes, and meet accessibility standards for the disabled and elderly.
In recognizing that there is a difference between interior designers and decorators, most states now require an exam be taken in order to become a licensed professional. This will help inform the public about the profession and change the way many people view interior design, while allowing for more recognition in the field. As a client, an understanding of interior design assures that an interior designer is not only educated, but also liable, as interior design concerns life safety issues.
If in the future you encounter a "nesbian," think twice before asking them to decorate your house one day. Instead, recognize the hard work and dedication of interior design students, who spend long hours in the studio working toward becoming professional, licensed interior designers.
Vanessa Preston is a senior majoring in interior design. She can be reached through ed-op@thetriangle.org.
In this era of Home and Garden Television, in addition to the current trend in home improvement, people have adopted what they think to be interior design based on the common misconceptions shown on TV. In actuality, these shows, though entertaining, are demeaning to the design profession and undermine the amount of knowledge and know-how that is actually involved in interior design. It is a profession that requires knowledge, skill and experience in all aspects of an interior space, including technical components, aesthetics, safety, function and ergonomics. Unfortunately, these shows communicate interior design as merely selecting fabrics and furniture - what is called decorating.
In fact, your fellow interior design students are striving to become much more than decorators, but professional interior designers. A professional designer has received adequate education, four years or more, which allows them to possess the expertise and aptitude to develop and carry through with acceptable solutions to problems in interiors. They must conform to federal, state and local laws, including building codes, and meet accessibility standards for the disabled and elderly.
In recognizing that there is a difference between interior designers and decorators, most states now require an exam be taken in order to become a licensed professional. This will help inform the public about the profession and change the way many people view interior design, while allowing for more recognition in the field. As a client, an understanding of interior design assures that an interior designer is not only educated, but also liable, as interior design concerns life safety issues.
If in the future you encounter a "nesbian," think twice before asking them to decorate your house one day. Instead, recognize the hard work and dedication of interior design students, who spend long hours in the studio working toward becoming professional, licensed interior designers.
Vanessa Preston is a senior majoring in interior design. She can be reached through ed-op@thetriangle.org.
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