Читать книгу Professional Practice for Interior Designers - Christine M. Piotrowski - Страница 20

“I don’t understand why you charge so much!”

Most interior designers have, at one time or another, heard this comment from clients. Many professionals are stumped as to how to respond to this statement. Professionals and the profession still must combat the undervaluing of interior design services.

TABLE 1‐1. Highlighted chronology of the growth of the interior design profession

1878	First‐of‐its‐kind semiannual furniture market. Held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1904	First real use of term interior decoration. First courses in interior decoration offered at the New York School of Applied and Fine Arts.
1905	Elsie de Wolfe obtains her first commission as an interior decorator. She is credited with being the first interior decorator.
1913	Elsie de Wolfe publishes the first true book on interior decoration, The House in Good Taste.
1920s	Greater effort is made by department stores to market home furnishings. Manufacturing centers of home furnishings begin to develop. Art Deco period creates greater interest in interior decoration of homes and offices. Dorothy Draper credited with being the first woman interior decorator to specialize in commercial interiors. Decorator clubs begin forming in larger cities. Design education strengthened in many parts of the country.
1931	Grand Rapids furniture show. Meeting to create a national professional organization. In July, American Institute of Interior Decorators (AIID) is founded; William R. Moore elected first national president of AIID.
1936	AIID's name changed to American Institute of Decorators (AID).
1940s	Post‐World War II industrialism encourages new technologies in furniture manufacturing. Industrialism produces increased need for, and importance of, nonresidential interior design.
1950s	Development of open landscape planning concept in Germany by Quickborner Team.
1951	First time a state considers legislation to license interior design.
1957	National Society for Interior Designers (NSID) founded from a splinter group of the New York AID chapter.
1961	AID changes its name to American Institute of Interior Designers (AIID).
1963	National Office Furnishings Association (NOFA) creates NOFA‐d (NOFA‐designers), a professional group for interior designers who work for office furnishings dealers. Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) founded to advance the needs of educators of interior design.
1967	NOFA and NOFA‐d change names to NOPA and NOPA‐d, respectively, when NOFA merges with stationery and supplies dealers to form National Office Products Association.
1968	Introduction of “Action Office,” designed by Robert Probst for Herman Miller, Inc. First true open‐office furniture product.
1969	Institute of Business Designers (IBD) incorporated. NOPA‐d is parent organization.
1970	Charles Gelber elected first national president of IBD. Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) is founded. Is responsible for reviewing and accrediting undergraduate and graduate interior design programs.
1972	CIDQ (Council for Interior Design Qualification) formed. It is responsible for the development of the NCIDQ examination.
1974	National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) incorporated. Charged with the development and administration of a common qualification examination. Louis Tregre, FAID, serves as first president of NCIDQ.
1975	American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) formed from the merger of AID and NSID. Norman deHaan is first national ASID president.
1976	The first Canadian provincial associations—Interior Designers of Ontario and the Interior Designers of British Columbia—were admitted as members of NCIDQ.
1982	Alabama becomes first state with title registration legislation for interior design.
1988	First major discussion of 1995 Hypotheses, the document that begins a discussion of unification of interior design professional associations.
1992	Passage of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which establishes accessibility standards for all public buildings.
1993	U.S. Green Building Council formed to promote sustainable design.
1994	Unification of IBD, ISID, and CFID to form International Interior Design Association (IIDA). The existing code councils form the International Code Council (ICC) to develop a new universal standard of building codes.
1995	First International Code from the ICC is published.
1996	Federal government officially recognizes interior design as a profession.
1990s	Numerous states pass title, practice, or certification legislation.
2000	ASID and IIDA leadership begins discussions concerning potential merger. Talks discontinued in 2002.
2002	ASID and the Government Services Administration (GSA) sign an agreement to promote interior design excellence in federal buildings.
2003	InformDesign® is initiated as a Web site to locate and make available research on interior design practices.
2006	The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) replaces FIDER as the accrediting group for interior design education.
2010	Update and revision of the Interior Design Body of Knowledge.
2011	Regulation and licensing continue to be sought after for the profession. IDCEC becomes an independent organization to coordinate continuing education offerings.
2017	NCIDQ examination begins being offered electronically.

Unfortunately, many clients still view interior design services as “fun” and “easy” and more “creative” than business. Because they see so many shows on television that seems to make doing interiors easy and fast, they lack appreciation for the profession. Added to this is the fact that designers do not communicate how interior design can be of value to clients so that the client questions the designer’s suggestions and fees.

To some degree it might be argued that we ourselves have been responsible for this misconception. Interior designers can be bad businesspeople: giving away design ideas at initial meetings; being unconcerned about costs in running a business; and (frankly) letting the designer's ego get in the way of solving the client's problem. These kinds of behavior do not identify good businesspeople. The media contribute to this undervaluing of design as well, too often portraying interior design as easy or frivolous. And with so many people offering design and decorating services—many for free—why should clients value interior design?

Part of the problem arises because interior design is an intangible: it doesn't exist until after it is done. The only way that the clients can judge the quality of what they hope they will get is by seeing photos or drawings of work that the designer has done for someone else. They can feel a product; they can get comparisons online. Frequently the basis for judging the quality of what they will get from an interior designer is personal aesthetics—and that is very subjective.

As competition increases, designers have become more aware that they are not solely in the business of creating wonderfully aesthetic and functional interiors. Clients, including residential clients, are very interested in how the work of the interior designer will benefit them. Sometimes this is primarily a financial consideration. Sometimes this results in an interior that soothes the soul or creates a low carbon footprint, or provides a healthy place for the inhabitants. Interior designers can bring order out of chaos. They can bring psychological comfort to those traumatized by serious health issues. They can bring joy to children in a play area. And these do have value.

Thus, the interior designer must communicate his or her value and worth to a project on the basis of factors beyond how nice it will look at the end and the discount the client will get on furniture. The designer brings value because of his or her professional education, knowledge of how to make a space work better, be healthier, improve the users' comfort in the space, and, yes, look better.

The value of interior design also increases in the minds of clients as they see that the design community is committed to community service. Providing their problem‐solving skills to nonprofit organizations like the Ronald McDonald House shows the community that interior designers are not just interested in making money by selling expensive furniture. It shows the community that interior designers are interested in the community at large.

It is hard to argue the fact that most individuals who choose interior design as a profession do so to apply their creative and aesthetic skills and talents to interior spaces. Consequently, those projects arguably improve the aesthetics of residences and various commercial facilities. Nevertheless, the true value of interior design goes way beyond these traditional views. As interior designers know well, the colors chosen for an interior can create excitement or calm. The fabric chosen can reduce maintenance issues or explode them. The products themselves, if not chosen wisely, can sabotage basic safety in an emergency or emit poisonous and harmful fumes.

An individual I once worked with, at an office furnishings dealership, introduced the design department to a client by saying “and this is the icing on the cake—the design department.” Interior design is much more than icing, regardless of the space. The designer brings value to the client through his or her knowledge, experience, and skills gained through educational training and work experience. As you will read in depth in Chapter 2, these elements are critical keys to the advancement of the individual and the profession.