As some folks may already know, I recently passed the NCIDQ exam (National Council for Interior Design Qualification).  I’ve long been a strong proponent of accreditation for professional interior designers, but even so, it took me some time after I qualified to take the exam before I was ready to commit to the study and focus it takes to pass it.

Excuse me while I take a moment to give a little shout out to the wonderful folks at ASID who developed the STEP study program.  Don’t take the NCIDQ without it!

Of course, now that I am fully accredited, I find myself more frustrated than ever with the ongoing battle between those who want interior designers to be qualified, and those who don’t.  Unfortunately, despite the level of education now required to receive a degree in Interior Design, and the stringent qualifying exams at both a national and, in some cases, a state level, there are many who feel that ANYONE, should be able to call themselves an interior designer.  I have nothing against people who want to work as “decorators”, and in fact think there is a real need in the marketplace for the lower fees they can charge for color advice, window treatments, accessories and the like.  However, I think that interior designers (or interior architects if you will) NEED to be tested and certified, because they affect life safety issues.  Would you want someone with a “flair” for color designing a staircase for a retail store?  What if they didn’t know code regulations and put slippery flooring in a gym bathroom?  While some have argued that nobody would hire an interior designer without knowing if they were familiar or qualified to work on a project, I’m here to tell you that that is simply not true.  I have often seen completely unqualified designers, fresh out of design school, hired for projects way over their head because the client wanted to get a cheaper price.  Without safeguards in place, anything can and will happen.  That is, unless designers are no longer allowed to work on projects which involve knowledge of building codes and accessibility.  Interestingly enough, efforts to prevent or reverse the creation of state certification programs for designers are frequently supported and financed by the AIA.  Politics.

Anyhoo, I’m looking forward to completing my application process for CID status with the State of California soon.  That will give me the ability to stamp construction documents for any project not involving load bearing walls or seismic changes.  I don’t know how quickly I will be receiving my plan stamp, but once I do, expect some serious construction to take place!  Staircase to nowhere anyone???