I'm studying Interior Design at USM. I know what interior design is but what do you think it is? Often when talking about my major many people respond with "oh, that's sounds fun". Now, don't get me wrong I absolutely love my major and couldn't imagine me doing anything else, but Interior Designers don't get enough credit for what they do. Interior design is more than pillow fluffing and picking out paint colors. It involves all sorts of things such as art, architecture and even psychology. Through what I have learned in school, designers draw floor plans, design lighting and electrical plans, and create a cohesive and creative spaces that others could never dream of coming up with. Using our ability to visualize a room with no picture or idea sets us designers apart from just your everyday average Joe. When I think of what interior design is the first thing that comes to mind is aesthetics. Aesthetics is what everyone considers Interior Designers to focus on, but many don't think that they may have designed the interior of the elevator they are riding, hallway they walk through at work every day or the local grocery store. Each space can be designed and every space, no matter how small it is, is important to the overall look and feel of a space.
So, now you have learned what interior design is, does that mean you know what it is not? Well for those of you that are pondering that question, I've got the answer! Interior Design is not picking out and placing accessories on a bookshelf. Ok, so I know how to do that, but its not going to be my job description when I get out there in the real world. I won't just be decorating a house or showing someone where to hang a painting but I will be drawing their floor plan, selecting finishes, furnishings and its fabrics, and arranging the furniture so that it best fits that companies or families lifestyle and daily functions. I hope that now you can somewhat see what interior design is all about and can be better informed about what your fellow designer can do for you!
PS- If you know an Interior Designer, let them know how important they are in your daily actions and one more word of advice, don't call them a decorator, we don't like that...
