Choosing an Interior Designer

Many professionals who have recently purchased a new home, need to renovate an existing home or are opening a new business struggle with where to begin when designing the interior space. Deciding how to arrange the furniture, making appropriate material and finish selections, sifting through the hundreds of furniture selections and coordinating various trades can be time consuming and overwhelming. Consider the following scenarios; the color scheme that looked perfect on the television show you just watched does not look quite the same in your dining room; although the new living room furniture you’ve purchased looked great on the showroom floor, you are distraught to find that the scale of the sofa and chairs is too large for your room; the wall you decided to demolish to “open up the space” turns out to be holding up the second floor! If you are interested in achieving show-stopping results for your home, office or business, investigate hiring a qualified interior designer.

There is much ambiguity in the public about the various titles people use in this profession. You may have heard the titles interior designer, interior decorator, residential designer, commercial designer, space planner etc. and been thoroughly confused as to the difference. Let me try to clarify. An interior design professional is one who is educated and experienced in the field of interior design and qualified by examination (the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam - i.e. NCIDQ). Designers are eligible to sit for the NCIDQ exam after satisfying the combined education and experience requirements.

The profession is divided into two specialty areas; residential and commercial. While interior designers are qualified to practice either, they typically focus on one or another. Residential design concentrates on the home environment while commercial design incorporates office, healthcare, hospitality and institutional design. Both specialty areas address the needs of the client, the function of the space, the health, safety and welfare of the users; all while providing an aesthetically pleasing environment. Along with aesthetics, interior designers consider code restrictions (building, fire etc.), the safety of selected materials (VOC;s, off-gassing etc.), sustainability regarding all facets of interior design and the interaction between the user and the interior environment.

So that being said, is there a difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator? Absolutely! An interior decorator may or may not be educated in the field of interior design, and the scope of services offered by a decorator tends to limited to aesthetics. In trying to help the public differentiate between the two terms, the interior design professional has worked with state legislatures and approximately half of the states in the US currently regulate who can call themselves an interior designer (Pennsylvania is currently working toward this legislation).

How do I begin hiring an interior designer? First, evaluate your project goals and determine your needs. Next, start asking questions of your friends, family and colleagues. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool and you might get the name of a qualified designer. Interview a few designers. Make sure you are comfortable working with this individual and that the designer has the proper qualifications. Once you’ve selected an interior design professional, work with him/her to determine a budget, scope of work, and schedule. Design is a process and communication is key to a successful project. Be sure to keep the conversation going! Unlike what is depicted on television, successful projects take time, patience, and sometimes compromise! Trust your interior designer to take you through this process, communicate along the way, and in the end chances are you will have a spectacular result thanks to the efforts and guidance of your interior design professional.

Editorial provided by Lori Anthony, President, American Society of Interior Design PA West Chapter.