Interior Designer or Decorator —Is there any difference?
By Cliff Welles, ASID/NCIDQ
Well, it depends on where you live, who you ask, and what you’re looking for. Some use the terms Interior Designer and Interior Decorator interchangeably. However, in general, Designers tend to produce more drawn information and plans, whereas Decorators are more associated with personal presentations to clients on space planning, furnishings, palette, and finishes, often (but not always) in residential settings, sometimes including drawings. Clearly, there is a broad area of overlap.
Interior design ‘is a multi–faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a constructed enhancement for interior environments—from Wikipedia, which goes on to state: The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis, and integration of knowledge into the creative process whereby the needs of the client are satisfied in an interior space. Clients are often corporate committees or architectural boards.’
Thus, new construction of a major office building, hospital, or retail complex definitely calls for a top-level interior design firm, along with architects and engineers, to plan and specify a variety of building systems, fixtures, and finishes to satisfy the requirements of the client in the finished product.
Depending upon state regulations, many professionals who usually work on residential projects that a ‘decorator’ is also qualified to do refer to themselves as ‘interior designer’, partly because there can be interior re-construction, lighting changes, or specification of surface materials and trim elements in the planning process before the ‘decoration’ is applied. Decorators do the very same things in residences.
Interior decoration can also be complex, depending upon the size and variety of building interiors to be considered. Many accomplished interior decorators have some form of interior design training, up to and including a degree, but because of state regulation, local habits, or a preference for residential design work, consider themselves to be ‘decorators’. Interior decorating typically involves residential space planning, color palette, floor and wall surfaces, window treatments, furniture, accessories, and lighting—particularly for residential applications—and also incorporates elements of functionality and utility, as well as aesthetics. Thus, residential designers and decorators often are involved with selling style and home furnishings rather than ideas and drawn plans for commercial spaces. The career focus is largely a matter of preference or interest, as is the nomenclature (unless regulated by the state).
Interestingly, many of the most famous interior designers come from states that have no regulation; thus these top designers are neither ‘registered’ nor ‘licensed’. We note that very few of the best known designers use appellations such as ‘ASID’ or include reference to any formal interior design training in their bios. Therefore, one can suppose that at least several top-tier designers began their careers in a capacity often referred to as an apprentice or ‘interior decorator’, and learned the finer/higher aspects of the profession through on-the-job training and experience, thereby earning their preeminence in the design field rather than meeting some arbitrary criteria established by legislation.
Can a decorator do interior design? And vice-versa? Absolutely. With the broad overlap, it happens all the time. The practitioner needs mainly to be conversant with local rules and regulations. Currently, only three states in the US regulate ‘interior design’, although several have ‘title acts’ covering who can refer to or advertise themselves as ‘interior designers’—and in some of those, registration is only voluntary. The most aggressively regulated state, Florida, has been undergoing a pitched battle between ‘registered interior designers’ and everyone else in the design field for years—both in the Courts and in the Legislature—over ‘who can do what’ in commercial design. Florida’s ‘title act’ was thrown out on the basis of freedom of speech in 2009. Now, if you practice interior design in non-commercial space in Florida, you are an ‘interior designer’, as in most states.
But even in Florida, the definition of commercial ‘interior design’ has been significantly narrowed. Recently, in a US Court appellate hearing, the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design stated that the Florida interior design regulation does not apply to the activities of non-licensees selecting furnishings and space planning for commercial clients. Thus, all practitioners can already do most of what they seek to do in commercial spaces (plan, select, and provide interior furnishings, with the exception of fixed office dividers—‘cubicles’). As regulation in Florida continues to be narrowed, or even found unconstitutional (still on active appeal), the other 47 states will most likely find that regulation isn’t worth it: it’s costly; there are no health or public safety issues not otherwise covered by building and fire regulatory agencies/inspectors; there is no evidence of improved consumer outcomes from ‘licensed’ interior designers over unlicensed designers (see Footnote).
Working in Design. In a deregulated environment, design practitioners—whether self-taught, experienced through job training, or formally educated—can seek work expressing their creativity and exercising their capitalistic rights to form small businesses everywhere, or join an established firm with upward mobility. Or, they can choose to rise in the field through a franchise training and support system such as Decorating Den Interiors. Or, they may choose to start their own business, building from scratch.
Perhaps the most efficient and proficient ‘regulator’ on both title and practice is the marketplace. Clients are perfectly capable of selecting the best interior decorator or designer for their needs through referrals, review of portfolios and resume’, marketing venues, and the ever-increasing online search capabilities. It doesn’t much matter what title one chooses. If there is no brand, training, or experience to back it up, nor marketing, merchandising, and business systems support, neither the ‘decorator’ nor the ‘designer’ will have much opportunity to practice profitably at any level in this field.
The author has been an NCIDQ-certified, practicing interior designer since 1993 and an SFC-certified GREEN Leader A.P. since its inception. He serves as a Florida Regional Director for Decorating Den interiors, the largest interiors franchise in the world. Comments or questions are welcome: cliff@newdesignpro.com
Footnote: In a recent lawsuit against the State of Florida challenging the constitutionality of interior design regulation in F.S. 481 (Civil Action No.4:09cv193-RH/WCS in the US Dis. Court/Tallahassee), the State of FL, representing its Board of Architecture and interior Design agreed (pg. 8 of the Pre-trial Stipulation) that:
“15. Neither the Defendants nor the State of Florida have any evidence that the unregulated practice of interior design presents any bona fide public welfare concerns, (and that) 16. Neither the Defendants nor the State of Florida have any evidence that licensing of interior designers has led to better job performance by interior designers, greater safety, fewer building code violations, or otherwise benefited the public in any demonstrable way.”
