By Natalie Mendez, ASID
As a fellow interior designer, I encourage every interior designer around the world to participate in World Interiors Day on May 25th . It is a day where we all unite to celebrate our profession, no matter what nationality, specialty, or professional organization we belong to. We are experts in the field and it is easy for us to understand the complexities of this profession and the many ways it impacts both individuals and society at large. Our challenge is to give the general public an accurate and easy to understand glimpse of this knowledge.
When I ask the general public to think of what interior design is there are many opinions, however there are several misconceptions that I come across often: that it is an “artful field”, it is a profession for the rich or a luxury commodity, and it is easy to do you just need to have good taste.
As we know, the first two are not incorrect but should never be considered inclusive statements. The field is comprised of specialized artists and we can create aesthetically pleasing environments however the field is also comprised of many other skills. Each decision is extremely complex even something as simple as the selection of color can never be looked as only an aesthetically pleasing one. Interior Designers work on array of different projects and it is important to realize good design is not an easy task and needs years of education and training to be able to accurately create a balance of all subjects to create functional, safe, and beautiful designs. Interior designers serve a diverse population and work not only for the affluent, but for all social economic brackets, and many donate their work to social causes.
Our challenge is to make a special effort this day, entire week, or even entire month, to share our expertise. If we are educators we can offer a course. If you specialize in Aging-in-Place, you can offer our service to the poor. If your specialty is sustainable design find a way share this expertise with the public by offering a free course or demonstration.
My company has already started by teaching children in a public school about our profession and demonstrating the need to understand other subjects such as math and science. On World Interiors Day we have partnered with a winery to have a Wine & Design event where I will teach what Interior Design is and all the proceeds go to a local charity that advocates to help women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Please join us, there is no specific way on how you have to participate, check out IFI’s website and find one that best suits your skills.
