Qualified Interior Designers do exsist (Interior Designers in general)

Member Name: edisonuk

Product:	Interior Designers in general
Date:	13/12/03 (196 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sound advice, Good Training important, Should have Qualification

Disadvantages: Not regulated, A lot not Qualified

As a Fully Qualified Interior Designer, I had to write this in response to assmonkey's opp.

What many architects fail to realise is that due to no regulating body, anyone can call themselves an Interior Designer although they may have never studied the subject. Because of this, Interior designers are generally paid a lot less so it is an unspoken agreement that Interiors Designers can make most of their fee through the savings that is passed to them when purchasing goods for their clients. I agree that there are many bad and unqualified 'so called' Interior Designers who should not be allowed to work and who take full advantage of a position that they have little respect for. This not only tarnishes the industry but without a regulating body, this is inevitable. To say that Interior Designers are thieves, uneducated and incompetant is absolute rubbish and should only be used with regard to those who go into the industry untrained on a whim to make a quick buck.
A real Interior Designer would have had proper formal training through college or university. I have a BA hons in Interior Design from Guildhall University aswell as a fellowship with the RSA. These were not just aquired over the phone, but took four years of study and hard work to achieve. Anyone thinking of taking on an interior designer for a project should look for both references of work and educational qualifications. This is very important.
The basic rule is; do not call in an Interior designer for major structural work, that is the job of an Architect, hence their large fees, regulated industry and longer studying period. Interior Designers are for what their title say's, to design the interior. If they are competent then they will have the skill to create the ambience you require.
The finished product should be comfortable, functional and ideally within the agreed budget, that should be discussed before any work commences.
On a final note, not all Architec
ts get it right too, despite their 7 years of training which I have learnt through experience. Take a look at the London Gerkin with the windows that crack or the Millenium Bridge that swayed! Mistakes do happen on both sides. Seems that some Architects are just a little sour that they're not making money on all aspects of the design work. Best they get some extra training in Interior Design if they want to take on the decoration of the interiors aswell as the foundations. If not, then please, do us Qualified Interior Designers a favour and keep their narrow minded opinions to themselves. Enough said.

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