Students push for interior design bill
Interior design students at MSU are teaming with interior designers statewide to get a package of bills passed in the Michigan Senate that would regulate and license their trade.
MSU’s student chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers has written letters and met with senators to tell them about the bills, said Katherine Brummel, the group’s vice president and interior design senior.
In Michigan, anyone can claim to be an interior designer regardless of education or experience. A law passed a decade ago restrains the “scope of service” an interior designer can perform, said Linda Thomas, president of the Coalition for Interior Design Registration.
“It only credentialized interior design,” Thomas said. “It didn’t register or license it.”
Twenty-six states require licensing of interior designers, so many MSU interior design graduates leave the state, she said.
“I really think that the student meetings and letters have more impact than the (interior design) professionals because we’re the future,” Brummel said.
Michigan’s pending legislation would solve the problem, said Rep. Andy Meisner, D-Ferndale. Mesiner and Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, introduced the bills.
“The current system is impeding commerce and entrepreneurship in the state,” Meisner said.
Brummel said this is a concern for legislators because the lack of licensing could be sending interior design jobs and new businesses out of state.
“Interior design is an entrepreneurial profession where designers go out and start their own businesses,” Brummel said.
If the legislation passes, it will clarify boundaries between interior design and related professions, said Meghan Bennett, an interior design senior and media and publicity chairwoman for the group.
“For students, it will sort of make our education something that is beneficial,” Bennett said. “It sort of validates our education.”
In Michigan, only “registered design professionals” are permitted to submit documents like layouts and floor plans to building code officials.
Since interior designers are not licensed as registered design professionals, their plans are not being approved for permits.
“Designers who have worked for many years and who have gone to school are finding that builders aren’t accepting their work,” said Kevin McKinney, a lobbyist for the Coalition for Interior Design Registration.
Published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Comments
Eh, too much regulation
03/26/08 @ 11:45pm
Lawyers, doctors, general contractors, etc are important, and can sometimes hold your life in their hands. but a bad interior design job isn’t so terrible.
What the American Society of Interior Designers is to create a private certification program that they brand as the best. That would allow people to feel secure in a ASID certified designer.
brad
03/27/08 @ 12:00am
Goodie, a special interest petitioning the government to grant them a near monopoly on the ID trade. Racist, Classist, Sexist, and Wrong.
who even cares?
03/27/08 @ 9:39am
Get a real job or go elsewhere. I’m not an interior designer, but I’m pretty content I can decorate my home/office by myself.
Steve
03/27/08 @ 11:30am
Four+ years and $70,000 to learn how to match the wallpaper to the carpet and furniture. I can’t believe congress would waste my tax payer money on this waste of time.
Jessica
03/27/08 @ 1:18pm
I’m an Interior Design student here at MSU. It is a real job thanks. We do so much more than “learn how to match wallpaper to the carpet and furniture”. We learn space planning, drafting, building codes, and how to make the circulation of a space work. If you took the time to educate yourself you would know the difference between a decorator and a designer.
Interior design is an important issue. This is about public safety. There a so many codes that those without the proper schooling would not be aware of which puts the public in danger. Also standards for the accessibility of public buildings for those with handicaps could be ignored or not fulfilled properly. This would also create problems. Try reading the actual bill and understanding the issues before you embarrass yourself with your ignorant opinion.
lyndee
03/27/08 @ 3:02pm
Nataliya
03/27/08 @ 3:03pm
Well said Jessica!
It’s sad that all of the people that responded above prove the point that most people don’t really know what the Interior Design profession is at all, and why the passing of this bill is so important for our state’s economy and the welfare of the public.
Oh and also, DECORATING is for an Interior decorator. Decorating is picking out colors and furniture. Interior DESIGNING is for those who get a degree and work directly with architects and contractors to bring buildings to life. Interior Design is only about 10% picking out finishes and 90% planning, consulting codes, and designing the interior structure of a building.
Richard
03/27/08 @ 3:21pm
I think it’s a great idea. There’s so much that needs to go into building design to make it effective. A well designed building stays functional longer and increases productivity. True, anyone can pick out colors to match, but I think that’s more interior decorating…not designing.
Trade regulations are set in place to standardize a trade and protect the public. You probably wouldn’t use a builder that didn’t have a license, and you probably wouldn’t use an investment advisor that didn’t have their securities license. So I say go for it. And my hat’s off to the MSU students that are putting so much stake in their profession. Good Luck!
Tarrin
03/27/08 @ 4:13pm
It is true that anyone can pick out colors or decorate a home, but not everyone can design a wheelchair accessible restroom. This is why we, Interior Designers pay $70,000 and get a degree, so that we learn how to create things that not EVERYONE can do. We do not go to school for four years and sit through class to learn how to match colors or where to put a sofa in your living room! Our classes teach us things such as techniques, codes, and requirements needed for creating interiors of the buildings that YOU spend time in so that they are functional, safe, user friendly and ADA compliant! I have no idea who would pay $70,000 to sit through four years of picking out colors!
This bill is not being asked to pass because we Interior Designers have vanity issues. It is for the wellbeing and safety of the population. If anyone can legally call themselves an Interior Designer (which is the case right now in Michigan), than anyone can be hired to design a space that they are not educated enough to do so. If this bill is passed the appropriate people will be putting their education to good use and creating accurate spaces that you will be using. This bill has already been passed in 26 states for this exact reason!
So, honestly if you don’t know what you are talking about, please keep your comments about our profession to yourself! Just let us do our job and you can go on picking out your own colors.
Kylie
03/27/08 @ 4:23pm
Steve, and all you others who think that we just “decorate” have no idea what you are talking about. If you all think you can decorate your own homes, fine. But can you design a corporate office, create a brand for that office and be sure that whatever materials you have specified will be fire rated according to ASTME standards? I don’t think so.
Without this bill, anyone can claim to be an interior designer and thus, walk into a firm and say, “I can redesign your corporate interior”. The firm pays them $20,000, the “interior designer” runs off, and a year later the carpet and window treatments are fading because the fabric was not correctly specified. Suddenly, the “designer” is no longer found. This happened a few years ago. A family was robbed of thousands of dollars because the “designer” ran off with their hard-earned money.
You have no idea what you are talking about. We see the space differently than you do. You say you can decorate your own home, but I bet when that home was built, an interior design firm worked with the architect to specify the standard materials to include in the price of that home.
Let’s talk about sustainable design. Did you know that in the United States alone, buildings account for: (USGBC)
• 65% of electricity consumption,
• 36% of energy use,
• 30% of greenhouse gas emissions,
• 30% of raw materials use,
• 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and
• 12% of potable water consumption
Interior designers are the ones that help control the greenhouse gas emissions, limit raw material usage, potable water consumption and energy use.
Before you call us “decorators” again, DO YOUR RESEARCH!
Hannah
03/27/08 @ 5:57pm
ease up my brothers… hillary clinton will take care of all this.
Lisa
03/27/08 @ 6:13pm
Why is it so hard for SOME PEOPLE (ahem, “Eh, too much regulation”, brad, “who even cares?”, and Steve) to realize how much of an impact interior designers really have on the world. Even though it has already been stated VERY clearly, I’d like to repeat the fact that we are DESIGNERS. Not DECORATORS.
I know you stuffy-minded people probably haven’t been able to notice but, the environment you’re in can really effect your emotions. It can be awe-inspiring, make you feel at peace, or even excite you. But, on the other hand, a poorly designed space could cause confusion or just put you in a general “blah” mood, not to mention be detrimental to your health and safety.
All the negative commenters also seem to think we all just want to design the common home. And yes, some interior designers do focus on the residential side of things but I just wanted to point out that interior designers are also responsible for the designs of restaurants, retail spaces, casinos, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, cruise ships, salons, spas, dorms, gyms, even our beloved Spartan Stadium.
Anyways..please educate yourself and open your mind before you go on making comments like that.
....or don’t, and you can continue to live in your bland, white-walled, box-shaped, un-safe state of mind.
Kerra
03/27/08 @ 7:40pm
My heart goes out to ill educated people because they speak WAY TOO SOON. I thought I would share a few things college has taught me as an Interior DESIGNER:
-fire codes
-space planning for better space usage and ADA reasons(American Disability Act for those non-Interior Design students…Steve & Brad)
-proper specifications…those coincide with other VITAL drawings
-green design:to assist in reducing pollution, land fills, green house gases and to assist with health, safety and allergy issues that a lot of the general public fight
-many more but the most important is TO DO YOUR RESEARCH before you make a fool of yourself…how do you think us top 40 students who get into the program got there…not by just flapping our jaws, we do our research to make every project, paper and presentation as EDUCATIONAL as possible and we learn from eachother and our professors to DESIGN for the general public.
All of these spaces that you go to whether it was the Detroit Tigers Baseball stadium, a small residential home or a million dollar residential home, your office, your school, Meijers, the mall, ALL of these spaces have an Interior Designer who oversee’s that people can function in the space properly, both able bodied and handicapped…and that the spaces last not just a few months or a good year but to ensure that those spaces are a long term investment.
It’s true, most people can decorate their homes and pick out colors…that is subject to the style of each person…but we are educated Interior Designers who not only work to be the best…the top 40!
So decorate away but leave the DESIGNING to the professionals….US!
Wes Harden
03/27/08 @ 8:30pm
It really is sad that people like Brad, Steve, Eh, Too much regulation, and who even cares? are allowed spout off such idiotic and incompetent comments without having the slightest clue about what Interior Design entails. The worst part is, they are going to go along with their lives holding on to that ignorance without giving this issue any second thought, or for that matter any other issue which I am sure they are equally unqualified to speak on.
Any person with the tiniest shred of knowledge about what interior designers do would immediately come to the conclusion that Having untrained people do the work that the educated professionals are supposed to do is DANGEROUS!!! As other people who have already posted here have pointed out, Interior Design has nothing to do with “matching the carpet to the curtains.” It’s about providing functionality, it’s about accommodating the client’s needs, it’s about having the knowledge to properly plan and construct a space that is compliant with safety regulations, and most importantly it’s about being able to DESIGN the most suitable, stylistically innovative/intuitive, aesthetically proficient space possible.
How are unlicensed ID’s supposed to do that when the lot of them don’t even know how to draw up a decent floorplan, understand color profiles, or even have access the the most quality materials?
Look, Interior Design is SERIOUS BUSINESS. You can’t expect to be dealing with such important matters as the functionality and safety of a public or private space without having a university education on how to execute those things well. ID students, especially those at MSU, a school accredited for this field, work REALLY HARD, and for that they deserve an advantage over less ambitious people who claim they are interior designers but who are really just deceiving their clients into thinking they can handle the job so they can make a buck. They view ID as a lucrative field and exploit that fact without putting the real work into being certified to practice it.
Steve, I can’t believe that somewhere, a webserver is WASTING even a FEW BYTES of data on retaining your utterly stupid comment. You obviously have no idea what interior design means. Let me spell it out for you, INTERIOR DESIGN IS NOT INTERIOR DECORATING!
Brad, go crawl back under your rock. It’s TERRIBLE that you are throwing around such serious terms as Racism, Sexism and Classism while commenting about an issue that HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM. Really, I’d love to know how you came to such a backwards conclusion. Everyone here in fact would be interested in hearing you come up with how this bill is in any way racist, sexist, or classist. You have embarrassed yourself terribly.
Who Even Cares?, just… Wow. I’m sure you will be perfectly happy with your “real” job someday which will surely be something along the lines of working at a body shop or being an accountant. Yeah, you are really helping to affect change in the environment around you.
Eh, too much regulation, a bad interior design job IS a VERY bad thing. Many people could end up being hurt and clients could end up disappointed in a design solution that turns off their potential business, leaving them to stand to lose alot of money and/or their business.
For what it’s worth, I’m not even an interior designer.
So for all of you out there with little understanding of this issue and likely bad taste, you can go and hire some whacko to rearrange the antique trinklets on your armoire shelves, but DO think twice before you ask them to Health and Safety Code compliant floorplan for your restaurant franchise.
Steve
03/28/08 @ 5:16am
Wes and everyone else… give me a break. Interior design is not nearly as big and challenging as you guys are making it out to be. Just to be sure I checked out some of the curriculum. Here are some of the more lofty challenges: Interior Design Presentation and Media, Interior Design Synthesis. Translation: How to organize an office space and present it to the building owner.
“green design:to assist in reducing pollution, land fills, green house gases and to assist with health, safety and allergy issues that a lot of the general public fight”
-That is what health inspectors are for. I would not hire someone with a pseudo-engineering degree. Even from what all of you are saying about how “challenging” interior design is, all it sounds to be is the program is for someone that wants to be an engineer but can’t handle the tough course load it requires.
“Without this bill, anyone can claim to be an interior designer and thus, walk into a firm and say, “I can redesign your corporate interior”. The firm pays them $20,000, the “interior designer” runs off, and a year later the carpet and window treatments are fading because the fabric was not correctly specified.”
-I don’t feel bad if this happens to you. You are the idiot that hired someone without doing any research.
First of all, most of what you are referring to can be handled by a architect. That is someone that is professional licensed that designs the whole building, not just organizes some collapsible walls in an office space.
“Many people could end up being hurt and clients could end up disappointed in a design solution that turns off their potential business, leaving them to stand to lose alot of money and/or their business.”
-People get hurt by poor building design, that is something an architect does, not an interior designer. You are not going to get hurt by not organizing a room properly. And moreover, how is regulating going to protect someone from receiving shitty work? Building architects are all licensed and regulated, yet they still manage to design crappy buildings. It is your own fault for being an idiot and not doing some research on the people are you are hiring.
Lisa
03/28/08 @ 8:45am
Wow…
That’s all I have to say.
I would really love for you to come to one of our “more lofty” classes and participate in just one project and see if you can handle it. In fact, I challenge you to…but I doubt I’ll ever see you.
I’ll have you know that our projects are some of the most time consuming, thought provoking, and not to mention expensive. We spend countless nights pulling all nighters during project times downing coffees and pushing ourselves so that we can fulfill our passions and I find it extremely rude for you to just go and discredit people’s passions.
Also, health inspectors aren’t the ones responsible for helping the environment through green design. Health inspectors investigate what was already built. But interior designers can help from the very start by using recycled buildings, recycled materials, low VOC emitting paints, plumbing that reduces or recycles water usage, etc.
And yes, people should do their research on who they’re hiring no matter what. If you’re hiring a lawyer I expect people to do research on who they’re hiring. If I’m looking in to finding a new doctor, I research them and talk to other people about their experiences. But those practitioners are all licensed and regulated and we should be too. It only helps the public, it doesn’t hurt.
And..as we have all said before…INTERIOR DESIGNERS WORK HAND IN HAND WITH ARCHITECTS. THATS WHY WE LEARN WHAT WE LEARN AND HAVE HE BACKGROUND AND KNOWLEDGE THAT WE DO. Its the typical architect stigma that interior designers come in to buildings and want to move load-bearing walls or columns. But duh, with our education we are trained and know that this can’t be done. We can assist with plans. While architects know a lot more about structure and how a building stands up, we can help with interiors on things they may miss, for example, how high countertops should be or where an interior wall should be placed to allow enough space in a kitchen for a now middle-aged person who wants to age gracefully in their home and could possible one day be in a wheelchair.
Goodness…I URGE YOU...Please think before you speak!
Lisa
03/28/08 @ 8:45am
Wow…
That’s all I have to say.
I would really love for you to come to one of our “more lofty” classes and participate in just one project and see if you can handle it. In fact, I challenge you to…but I doubt I’ll ever see you.
I’ll have you know that our projects are some of the most time consuming, thought provoking, and not to mention expensive. We spend countless nights pulling all nighters during project times downing coffees and pushing ourselves so that we can fulfill our passions and I find it extremely rude for you to just go and discredit people’s passions.
Also, health inspectors aren’t the ones responsible for helping the environment through green design. Health inspectors investigate what was already built. But interior designers can help from the very start by using recycled buildings, recycled materials, low VOC emitting paints, plumbing that reduces or recycles water usage, etc.
And yes, people should do their research on who they’re hiring no matter what. If you’re hiring a lawyer I expect people to do research on who they’re hiring. If I’m looking in to finding a new doctor, I research them and talk to other people about their experiences. But those practitioners are all licensed and regulated and we should be too. It only helps the public, it doesn’t hurt.
And..as we have all said before…INTERIOR DESIGNERS WORK HAND IN HAND WITH ARCHITECTS. THATS WHY WE LEARN WHAT WE LEARN AND HAVE HE BACKGROUND AND KNOWLEDGE THAT WE DO. Its the typical architect stigma that interior designers come in to buildings and want to move load-bearing walls or columns. But duh, with our education we are trained and know that this can’t be done. We can assist with plans. While architects know a lot more about structure and how a building stands up, we can help with interiors on things they may miss, for example, how high countertops should be or where an interior wall should be placed to allow enough space in a kitchen for a now middle-aged person who wants to age gracefully in their home and could possible one day be in a wheelchair.
Goodness…I URGE YOU...Please think before you speak!
Nataliya
03/28/08 @ 11:36am
Steve, looks like you didnt research our curriculum too much in depth.
OBVIOUSLY you dont know what the word “synthesis” means – it is where we put all of our knowledge on codes, fire ratings, and public safety to the test to create a realistic, code compliant and safe building… in all stages of design from initial research all the way to drawing up construction documents. If you want to take a look at one of my projects I’d be happy to enlighten you, although you probably would never appreciate the 300+ hours of research, planning, and development that went into it.
And also you obviously have no business knowledge because if you knew anything about how commericial spaces were designed and built, you would know that it is the architect that deals with the building shell and exterior structure of the building and the interior designer that lays out the interior space by space, and the contractor takes the plans from the architects and designers to put the project into place.
The interior designer is the one that is liable for discrepancies in the building such as if it catches on fire, for slip and fall settlements, or if someone can’t get out of a building in time in case of an emergency.
So really I would say we do hold life within our hands, and you should thank us for saving lives by supporting the passing of this bill so other people who are not qualified to do these jobs don’t endanger the public.
Steve
03/28/08 @ 12:05pm
“I’ll have you know that our projects are some of the most time consuming, thought provoking, and not to mention expensive. We spend countless nights pulling all nighters during project times downing coffees and pushing ourselves so that we can fulfill our passions and I find it extremely rude for you to just go and discredit people’s passions.”
-Give a break… that is ridiculous. It is obscured if you think you are going to compare your design project to an advanced biochemistry lab, chemical engineering, or in business/accounting to taking the CPA exam.
“So really I would say we do hold life within our hands, and you should thank us for saving lives by supporting the passing of this bill so other people who are not qualified to do these jobs don’t endanger the public.”
-Your major has no core engineering classes required to graduate with that degree. Therefore, I would certainly hope that the safety of a building design is not held in the hands of an interior designer.
We already have enough regulations for architects. We do not need to spend more tax dollars trying to come up with some official certification for a job that works under an already licensed individual.
Steve Is Full Of It
03/28/08 @ 12:52pm
Say that to the 26 STATES THAT ALREADY CERTIFY US. For your information, there are many members of AIA who agree that Interior Designers should be licensed. Most architecture firms hire professionally trained Interior Designers to be part of their TEAM for a reason.
Kristina
03/28/08 @ 2:22pm
“Give (you forgot the word “me”) a break… that is ridiculous. It is obscured if you think you are going to compare your design project to an advanced biochemistry lab, chemical engineering, or in business/accounting to taking the CPA exam”
No one above compared our project to any of the projects for these fields. They are completely different, but all involve education and experience in order to provide successful solutions. Just as you can’t ask an Interior Designer to take an advanced biochemistry lab, you can’t ask a doctor to design a building as well as an architect. The point is that all professions take profesionals who are trained in that specific field to do the job right and as for all other people who aren’t trained in that field, respect that someone else can do it better.
There is no question or argument here, you clearly have no idea what an interior designer does. Looking up our curriculum and course descriptions is not going to get you any closer to understanding either.
Architects, Interior Designers, and Engineers work cooperatively to design a complete building. Engineers and Architects are experts on designing the core and shell of a building, as well as the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Interior Designers plan spaces involving all non load-bearing walls, which can be the majority of the interior – not “collapsible walls” (called partitions) in office spaces.
An intelligent person would never make statements or assumptions about something they do not fully understand. Your statements in this comment forum are foolish and have been justly countered by many people who know what they are talking about because they do this work every day. We aren’t making comments on the job an engineer does because you’re right, we don’t know how to do their job. We aren’t claiming to.
Kylie
03/28/08 @ 2:39pm
Steve is an idiot. Those of us in interior design can immediately go on to get our Masters of Architecture because our educational background is so diverse. I am an interior designer, but I used to be a chemistry major. Yes, I took Honors Chemistry, Honors Chemistry Lab (with Dr. Hunter, thank you), & up to Calculus III and got 4.0’s in all of them. Guess what Steve? You have no idea what you’re talking about. I bet you are some bio nerd who lives under a rock. Interior Design is one of the most time-consuming careers. And we will be making more money than you someday.
Interior Design Synthesis: Design a 30,000 square foot interior of the historical Knapp’s building in Lansing including all construction documents for a building contractor as well as finish selections. We do AS MUCH as an architect – we just have a dual role: we focus on both the structure AND the space.
Interior Design Presentation and Media: Learn how to use AutoCAD and REVIT, computer programs that I bet you have no idea how to use or would ever be ABLE to use. See, to use those, you have to be able to think three-dimensionally, which many people cannot.
Having a science background, I am a left- and right-brain thinker. Steve, and all you others, are ignorant. Please, come to Human ecology. Watch us at the drafting tables, working in the middle of the night, finishing these deadlines so that our construction documents (AKA “blueprints” for those of you who don’t know the correct language). You have no idea what we do. I know what is involved in chemistry, biochemistry, etc. I was that person. I also know this career. SO DON’T CLAIM WE HAVE IT EASIER. I personally know the answer to that one.
Do not write unless you have the facts, you have visited the human ecology building on the third floor and watched us work. You have no idea.
meghan
03/28/08 @ 3:48pm
Steve, your ignorance and arrogance amazes me.
I would like to respond to your investigation of interior design curriculum & coursework.
First of all, the curriculum for the interior design program is accredited. It is regulated and reviewed by CIDA, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation which means that the curriculum meets and exceeds expectation. It is also nationally ranked and renowned.
The coursework consists of architectural drafting, AutoCAD labs, design theory studios, the study of interior environments, history of art and architecture, textile science, study of human dimensions & ADA guidelines, study of building codes and material & finish specifications, and more. Within the three design synthesis classes we learn to bring together (aka synthesize) all the skills and knowledge we have been given to create a unique design solution. That means not only is our mind working to create something aesthetically pleasing and unique, we have to use technical and functional skills to create a safe, understandable, and functional environment for users.
As Kylie mentioned, the senior synthesis project is a renovation of the Knapp’s Building, an existing building in downtown Lansing. Each student is individually responsible for providing a unique design solution for 30,000 SF. Demolition plans, construction documents, door and window schedules, material and finish specifications book according to CSI standards, and furniture plans and specifications. Our focus is not simply the new flooring and color of the walls. Our focus is creating a space that is attractive and functional. Use of space, circulation, use of daylight, water and energy conservation and efficiency, and aesthetics are main components to this and most design projects. The material and finish specification, yes, includes the color of the paint, but is most important because materials contribute to the quality of an indoor environment. It is the designer’s duty to use materials that are environmentally responsible, to understand building codes and fire ratings to protect the user. The designer must find materials that do not emit toxins, that will wear little over time, that can be easily cleaned and maintained. This is just one example of how designers can affect the health & safety of the public.
Perhaps our coursework doesn’t meet your intellectual standard, but to belittle our education and credible and important profession is incredibly insulting. Maybe because we are not required to take three levels of calculus you believe our program is easy or a waste of time. Just to let you know, many of us have taken advanced math and science, because just like our overall program, we meet and exceed what is expected. Many of us have the option to pursue a Masters of Architecture.
The program is challenging in ways that most programs are not. To be an interior design student one must be passionate and dedicated. The program truly requires exceptional organization skills, and the ability to utilize right and left brain. It is not something everyone can do.
The purpose of the article is a legislation required for licensing interior designers. This legislation exists in 26 other states, and it would validate the education and practice of a designer. My hope is that it clarifies the misunderstanding of a designer vs. a decorator and educates ignorant people of the true difference.
Steve, if you think that our profession is bullshit, then you should probably do some more research. The US Department of Labor, a source that I would consider pretty credible, clearly defines the profession. Check it out. (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos293.htm)
Oh, and “Eh, too much regulation,” the certification exam is called the NCIDQ. Do some research before you subject others to your ignorance.
Ashley
03/28/08 @ 4:47pm
Dear Steve,
As an interior design student here on campus I am very interested in workplace design. Since you believe that interior design in the workplace is merely “organizing” I would like to give you a little insight on how our career may affect you.
As I know you have “explored” our curriculum I am also assuming you noticed our Interior Design: Human Dimensions course. In this course we are taught the importance of ergonomics and putting less strain on the body, as the workplace is where people spend the majority of their life.
I am assuming that someday you will have a job. You may have an office that will consist of odds and ends; a desk, a chair, maybe a few files. That desk you might have will be design by some one. Guess what, they are probably an interior designer. That chair you have, news flash, also probably an interior designer.
I hope your work surface is too high. I hope you get carpel tunnel. I hope your files aren’t balanced and they fall over, possibly on top of you. I hope your chair isn’t big enough. I hope it doesn’t have the correct tension and your back hurts. I hope your chair collapses and you feel like an idiot because you are one.
Have a nice day :)
MLH 1
03/28/08 @ 5:11pm
Steve, you crack me up. Thanks for bringing some entertainment to my workday!
Kristina
03/28/08 @ 5:20pm
Steve, just let us do our job. Admit that it takes education and experience to do what we do and that it is not a waste of 4 years and $30,000 (where did you come up with $70,000? Clearly, you could not do a math major’s job). Respect that we design functional and efficient interiors because of our education and that someone, like you, who is unqualified could not do the same. All we’re asking for is for our education and qualifications to be recognized by licensing.
I suspect you’re worn out by all the intelligent and supported arguments you’ve received today. It’s okay though, because now you can rest. We’ve already admitted your mistake for you by showing how incredibly false your assumptions are. I think you have more than enough reasons to go back and reconsider your opinion of an interior designer. You’ve already advanced from thinking that we “match the wallpaper to the carpet and furniture” to saying that we “organize office spaces”. Imagine how much more you could learn if you opened your mind a little and let some air out from your over-inflated ego.
Brian
03/28/08 @ 6:10pm
Steve – first of all, spending 30 seconds browsing a course catalog does not count as research. It sounds like you are still confusing two different professions. One thing that the above bill would do away with is this blurred distinction between interior designer and interior decorator that you just can’t seem to get past. Since when do health inspectors deal with green house gas production or allergy issues? Again, it sounds like you’re making broad generalizations on the scope of a job that you know nothing about. As for your comment about people deserving poor service, the statement seems to go against your previous statements about the importance of health inspectors and licensed architects. Why do you encourage one type of regulation but not another? Yes, some of these things can be handled by an architect. The thing you don’t seem to realize is that a person with an interior design degree is equally qualified for many of these things. I don’t see why you are so opposed to having equally qualified people be licensed to do work that “can be handled by an architect”. As an engineering alumni, I would be more than happy to have qualified professionals without engineering degrees performing the same tasks I do. If they are able to do the job, and can prove it, then let them. I think you’re over-glorifying an engineering degree. It wasn’t any harder to get that degree than it was to get my second degree in philosophy.
Lisa
03/29/08 @ 4:11pm
not to mention, thats at least 80 dates Steve’s not gonna get…