Interior Designers vs. Decorators vs. Political Commentators
A recent opinion column by George Will is stirring up a fuss the design community. Mr. Will, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, usually does political commentary … not Home & Garden news …
But in his recent column In the new West, its interior designers vs. decorators, Will points up some, in his opinion, absurdity implicit in some of the new laws separating Interior Designers from Decorators …
In Nevada, such regulation has arrived. So in Las Vegas, where almost nothing is illegal, it is illegal — unless you are licensed, or employed by someone licensed — to move, in the role of an interior designer, any piece of furniture, such as an armoire, more than 69 inches tall. A Nevada bureaucrat says that placement of furniture is an aspect of space planning and therefore is regulated — restricted to a registered interior designer.
Placing furniture without a license? Heaven forfend. Such regulations come with government rationing of the right to practice a profession. Who benefits? Creating artificial scarcity of services raises the prices of those entitled to perform the services. The pressure for government-created scarcity is intensifying because the general public — rank amateurs — are using the Internet to purchase things and advice, bypassing designers.
The column has generated some debate in the design community, including this response from Michael Alin, the Executive Director of the American Society of Interior Designers …
If furniture is placed in such a manner that it impedes egress during an emergency or exit pathways are not appropriately marked or laid out, people will die. Should a nonqualified, noneducated person select the materials for the interior of a hospital, nursing home, school or high-rise building?
And some conservative commentary backlash.
As with anything, there are two sides to the story. I think they both have a point … the question becomes where to draw the line. When do you need the regulated professional and when do you not? If it’s a question of building materials or decisions for hospitals, nursing homes, or even public buildings, yes it’s easy to agree we want the regulated professionals: lives are on the line. But put in that context, I know what I would prefer: not just an interior designer but a designer in conjunction with a dedicated safety professional.
Let’s take the argument outside of the public domain and into the private home. If it’s a question of a designer who is involved in writing the technical or construction specifications for my home, yes I want a trained, certified, regulated professional. Hands down, no questions asked. If it’s to place furniture in my home … what on earth for?
I think where the Interior Design profession opens itself up to criticism is when it attempts to apply the regulatory brush too liberally, when it tries to regulate tasks that just need “common sense” or where there are other professionals who could provide the needed guidance to the same level or better. Who’s going block the front door with a 69 plus inch armoire for lack of an Interior Designer’s instruction? Anybody? No takers? I can see someone blocking a rarely used back door that could serve as a fire exit. But in that case, who should be called? An Interior Designer or a Fire Marshall?? I’m thinking Fire Marshall. The point is, this type of unneeded regulation does nothing to enhance the perception of the Interior Design profession.
If there is anyone to benefit from the new laws in Nevada, it’s lazy spouses. As one commenter put it on townhall.com,
Nevada, here I come. It’s the Land of Liberty. Why, every time my wife asks me to move this or that piece of furniture. I can demur, pointing out that I am not licensed to do that. Free … Free at last.
This entry was posted on Monday, April 9th, 2007 at 12:15 pm and is filed under News & Analysis, Interior Design, Decorating, Legal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
on May 7, 2007 at 5:49 pm Stephanie wrote:
I have to say, and I say this with a bit of knowledge on the subject (I own my own interior deisgn business and hold a B.A. in interior design), that ultimately, the interior design industry really just needs to do a better job of promting itself. So many design professionals get their noses bent out of joint when people refer to them as “decorators” and spend way too much time lamenting the fact that most people don’t know the difference between the two disciplines, rather than educating people about the difference.
The reason the average person doesn’t make a distinction between the two disciplines has nothing to do with regulations, or with decorators honing in on the interior designers’ *turf* (which is something architects are forever accusing interior designers of doing!) The real reason for the confusion is that the design field just doesn’t do a good job of publicizing the difference.
Everyone knows what an architect does. Same goes for furniture designers, architectural color consultants, lighitng designers, and other professionals involved in the building design trade. Rather than whining about not being appreciated, interior design professionals need to do a better job of helping the public understand what it is that they “do” and how it is that they add value to a building/renovation project.
There are some wonderful decorators in the world. And much as many interior designers don’t want to hear this, for some projects, a decorator is really all that a client needs. If their space is already in impeccable shape and they just want help picking fabrics and colors and wallpaper, a decorator is perfect for that. But some projects require more knowledge - knowledge of construction, local zoning and codes, experience working with architects and contractors, knowledge of construction materials, and such. I think this is especially important when it comes to commercials projects - restaurants, offices and other public spaces. I’m not saying that a decorator couldn’t come up with something that looks pretty, but there’s much more to it that. A decorator may not be familiar with ADA regulations, or lighting or egress regulations. They may not be educated about commercial materials and may not know which materials will best stand up to heavy foot traffic, or will work best in a commerical kitchen. They may not know that certain types of light fixtures are required in certain applications. They may not know enough about contruction to know when it’s safe to remove a wall, move a doorway, or add a window. And their lack of knowledge can impact their clients quite negatively.
I guess what I’m trying to say, in a really rambling way, is that I believe there’s room for both designers and decorators to peacefully coexist. Which type of practitioner a home or business owner chooses to hire should depend on the type and scope of the project involved. Since the distinction between the two fields isn’t well-known, sometimes people are hired for projects they aren’t equipped to handle and they can get in over their heads. When mistakes are made with (or someone is simply ignorant about) about building code requirements, it costs the client time and money, and it makes all of us - designers and decorators alike, look bad.
For what it’s worth, I think the new regulation in Nevada is just plain goofy. And I think it goes back to my original point. How often do most people read about the ASID? Almost never? But a lot people read George Will’s column, and now a lot of those people have heard of the ASID for the first time, and they probably think now think that interior designers are a bunch of whiny idiots. The ASID has just generated all of this publicity over something pretty, well… dumb, and the average person still doesn’t know the difference between a designer and a decorator. How about generating some publicity about the training and function of interior designers in the construction or renovation process? THAT might actually be helpful.
OK - I’m done ranting now.
on June 9, 2007 at 1:28 pm Sandra F wrote:
Stephanie: You make some great points. One of the more well reasoned “rants” I’ve seen in a while.
on June 9, 2007 at 3:11 pm Interior Designers vs. General Contractors | RenoWire wrote:
[…] In response to a recent post Interior Designers vs. Decorators vs. Political Commentators, Stephanie from Bungalow Insanity commented: … interior design professionals need to do a better job of helping the public understand what it is that they “do” and how it is that they add value to a building/renovation project. […]