Interior Designer vs Decorator

When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I am an interior designer. Their response usually goes something like this, “Oh, that is amazing! You should come to my house, I need all the help that I can get.” Sure, I would be happy to head on over to Pottery Barn and help pick out furniture, or choose the perfect table lamp. I will gladly give my opinion on whether you should paint your walls Pearly White or Ivory Lace. But that is not my job. Plenty of people go on Pinterest, get some inspiration, and then decorate their homes in good taste. Decorating is a lot of fun, and sometimes it is hard choosing between polished chrome or brushed nickel fixtures. Interior design is so much more than that. Decorating, for an interior designer, is like putting the cherry on top of a sundae. It is the very last touch to a much more complex job.

The National Council for Interior Design Qualification put together an explanation for the role of an interior designer. Interior Design is, “a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants and are aesthetically attractive.” An interior designer is responsible for making their spaces look beautiful. But the responsibilities extend far beyond that. The designs that we, as interior designers, ultimately create need to coordinate aesthetically and function in the structure enclosing it and community surrounding it. For many projects research needs to be done in order to understand the location, demographics and culture of the people that will be using the new space. We strive to make each interior feel like it belongs.

This profession may look on the outside like a product of good taste and intuition, but it also takes a lot of knowledge. I graduated college with a degree in interior design and I just recently started practicing as an interior designer. In the short time that I have been immersed in design, I have learned that the knowledge of an interior design is extensive. For an interior design project to be successful, the designer must have a general knowledge of architecture, lighting, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Design can be beautiful, but if it cannot be brought to life then it doesn't serve an purpose. And a design can look good on paper in drawings, but if the interior designer forgets to specify exactly where they want their outlets then the mechanical guy could put it in the middle of a feature wall. No detail can be forgotten, and that takes a lot of knowledge that can only come with experience.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people will visit spaces that we design. According to the United States Green Building Council, people spend upwards of 90% of there time indoors. That gives interior designers a lot of power. We can determine how people will move throughout a space, we can influence how people feel in a space, and we can control how people function in a space. A successful designer will do their research in order to understand the best way to make users feel comfortable in the interior environment, and positively influence the activities taking place. For example, thousands of people pass through airport terminals everyday. Today no one can go long without charging their phone, iPad, Kindle and laptop. If an interior designer places four outlets at floor level in the corner of a waiting area, not only will people be fighting over the power source, they will also be uncomfortable, sitting on the dirty floor, and their experience will not be made positive by design. Conversely, if the designer chooses to create a power station with comfortable lounge seating and an abundance of outlets the users will enjoy the space, and that will probably positively influence their decision to come back.

Interior designers are also responsible for keeping people safe. We have to know safety codes and local regulations, as well as requirements for making spaces accessible to all people, including those in wheelchairs. Safety is a large part of the job and in order to properly call myself an interior designer I need to have a license. That is something I am working towards. It requires a degree from an accredited school, which is a school that follows certain curriculum guide lines. It also requires over two years of working experience and a three day examination. I have the degree, and now I am going to go through all of the efforts to become licensed because I love what I do. I like to think that interior design is the perfect combination of creativity and logic. And I believe that being capable of both is not a quality that many people have. The spaces that we create need to be functional for all users and must be appealing to the eye. They need to comply with the clients wishes while working within budget restrictions. All projects go through phases of research, analysis, sketches, technical drawing, all before anything can be built.

So next time you find yourself admiring an interior space, remember that a lot of work, and a lot of thought went into its creation.

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