Interior Design: A definition
Image by Sophie Hoet
At the beginning of my career, I was surrounded by interior designers and just interior designers. We all shared a common understanding of what it meant to be an interior designer within the context of our respective companies and based on our educational backgrounds. At the beginning of my career, my world was tiny.
As I started piling on years in the industry and my experience became broader and more diverse, I realised that everyone had a slightly different interpretation of the interior designer’s role, however, it was rarely discussed, and it always struck me as peculiar the intangible aura it seemed to have.
When I decided to start my company. one of the first things I undertook was to sit down and decide what it meant to me, to this endeavour, I reached out to friends and colleagues in the field, architects, engineers, property agents and even clients, to my surprise, almost unanimously, they perceived the role of an interior designer as an afterthought, primarily concerned with loose furniture and colour choices at the end of a project.
The reality of the matter is that the scope of an interior designer’s function extends to every aspect of the interior space they work on.
Because of the sheer breadth of this proposition, various specialised types of designers have emerged over time: lighting designers, bathroom designers, spa designers, colour specialists, art specialists, etc, to simplify matters, though, we could speak about the three main groups:
Interior Architects: Broadly defined, interior architects deal with the technical aspects of a project, including lighting and power layouts, kitchen and bathroom designs, and other architectural elements.
FF&E Designers: These designers focus on loose furniture, occasionally involved in wall colours, wallpaper choices, and window treatments. It’s worth noting that FF&E holds a distinct meaning for architects compared to interior designers.
Interior Stylists: This category revolves around accessories, art, greenery, linens for bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen appliances, tableware, and various other objects that transform a house into a home.
Being an Interior Designer means you can be one of the above or all of them... or perhaps you fall into one of the specialities. Depending on your company ́s requirements you might need to use your construction expertise or flex your stylist muscle or
engage in the entire design process as a well-rounded designer. Regardless of the specific job description, we all share the common identity of being interior designers and when working with other professionals the key to a successful project is communication, collaboration and coordination. Remember that at the end of the day, we are all trying our best for our clients.
The terminology can be challenging... and it honestly does not bother me a great deal, different countries and different backgrounds may use other terms for the same role and I’m not offended by any inaccurate labels, however, it be- comes problematic when such discrepancies create a distorted perception of our profession that is ultimately underwhelming and unfair.
I am determined to bring clarity to the matter and maybe bring it to the forefront of the conversation to raise awareness of the diverse roles within interior design. By doing so, I hope to bridge the gap that often exists between interior designers and other professionals in the field...and for this, I will invite a series of experienced professionals to the table and facilitate an open dialogue on the subject.
Written by Maria G. Ramirez