"You're an Interior Designer...Will you design my home someday?"

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE AGAIN--which means many wonderful things like homemade food, getting together with distant relatives, and finally getting sometime to relax. The holidays are also a time when you get to catch up with your loved ones about how life has been since the last time you saw them. Without fail there is usually a point in the conversation where they ask you what you are doing in school or work and this can be a time of hesitation if you are an interior designer, because almost like clockwork the conversation follows this outline...

"I am currently in Interior Design"

"That sounds fun! Maybe you can design my home someday."

Now, I don't blame anyone for this response. However, as a future interior designer I believe it is our responsibility to educate the public that interior design is much more than what is seen on HGTV. In fact our industry is very diverse! It has been said that modern people spend up to 90% of their time indoors. This statistic encompasses much more than just your home. It also includes the time spent at work, the store, school, doctors offices, and many more places that have all most likely been designed by interior designers.

When you go to school for interior design they teach you much more than just the basics about art and design. While in school they teach you about sustainability, construction documents, and architectural computer software. We take construction classes and building codes classes and are often sitting in studio classes for 3 hours at a time. This is why it can be frustrating when people have the misconception that you are going to school just to pick colors and make things look pretty. Our profession can influence businesses to function more efficiently, our designs can make hospital visits more comfortable and safe, our jobs can help save millions of tons of CO2 from being put into the environment. Designers are Problem Solvers.

Since entering college I have noticed that people react drastically different whether you introduce yourself as an interior designer or an interior architect, however what they don't realize is that these titles are synonymous. However, for most people the word architecture has been stereotyped as a respected profession, whereas the word designer reminds them of the decorators they see on TV. But interior designers must graduate with a bachelors from a 4 year accredited program and many professionals go on to become registered by taking the NCIDQ, which is a three part test that assesses their professional knowledge.

Unfortunately, there is no class that simply explains the various paths and careers that can be achieved with an Interior Design major. This is why I sat down and made a visual bubble diagram of all the various areas of design I could think of, although I am sure there are many more out there that I have forgotten about. As a student, I think its important to look at all these options and not get pigeon holed into thinking you will only pick colors or decorate homes. The options really are endless!!!