"The Talk"

Initially when I applied to do my Bachelors in Interior design I received colorful feedback. “Oh like that stuff on those shows?” or “oh wow so you are very crafty” or even the unacquainted “Oh you can help me pick out paint for my apartment.” Now I’m not discouraging our humble beginnings, Interior designers do know how to pick out paint but to us it’s much more than just a color, understanding this is where we draw the line from being a designer and a decorator. Many shows on TV like the ones depicted in the popular network HGTV show designers picking out color and all the materials for a preexisting, defined space however majority in fact are decorators hence the most popular statement heard throughout the interior design world (mainly said by decorators or homemakers and such), “Oh that’s easy, I can do that.”

An interior decorator adds adornment to a space; an interior designer creates the interior space. Creating interior space, I know this is vague but it’s very clear in its meaning. We have a building, the shell with empty space inside it, no function or form to the interior, an interior designer comes in and builds the interior based on human needs for that environment. This is an extensive process, not as easy as going to a store buying a few pillows and rearranging furniture.

Being close to completing my education I quickly realize when talking with other’s about my future profession that no one really knows what we do and not only that but also all these design shows on TV are further inhibiting the public’s capacity to understand what it takes to be a designer. This couldn’t be clearer than in the article Student Perceptions: Debunking Television’s Portrayal of Interior Design. In here Authors Waxman and Clemons state that majority of the people who apply to an interior design program were influenced by design related shows. The example that followed was perfect “I was doing my accounting homework last night while watching Trading Spaces and it suddenly became clear that I want to be an interior designer.” The authors say that after they hear this they have to have “the talk” and explain the challenges of the program and what this career entails. When I am approached with a negative outlook on interior design I to find myself having to stop, take a deep breath and proceed to have the talk. It is frustrating at times to do so, however I find it my responsibility to educate the public, I like to think of it as positive peer enrichment.  

Since 2000 there has been an increase in design shows that parallels the increase in the student enrolled in design programs. Waxman and Clemons report a 100%-300% increase in enrollment in interior design. Even though this is positive, this also saturates the job market and makes it harder to find a job for those who truly live, breath, and eat design.

It’s important to understand that these shows, although labeled reality, are not, they do not depict an accurate reality of an interior designer. They are merely entertainment, and often of poor quality. A false reality which further perpetuates the idea that we adorn space.