February 2008 - The Parklander Magazine

HOME DECORMarla’s CornerInterior Designer Versus Decorator:What’s the Diff?By Marla JaffeNow that the New Year is officially underway, I cannot help but reflect back on the yearthat has passed. It has been a good year, but like me, many of you are happy to welcome2008. So, pause your handy remote and step into my world as I answer some of yourquestions and look into my forecast for the upcoming year in the exciting world of Interior Design.Q:A:What is the difference between the Interior Designer andthe Decorator?There has been so much confusion on this issue. While Itake care not to offend anyone, there is a tremendousdifference. First, the use of the professional term “Interior Designer”may only be used if a person has a license within the State of Florida.(Not all states require an Interior Designer to have a license, butFlorida does.) As an Interior Designer, we must answer to all theregulations implemented by the Board of Architecture and InteriorDesign. We must pass very stringent exams to become licensed andmaintain this license every 2 years by taking 20 hours of continuingeducation classes to keep up with industry changes, as well as aminimum of 4 hours in building and barrier-free design which relateto building code changes and ADA requirements. However, prior toall this, one must have graduated from an accredited Interior Designprogram and have a minimum number of years experience beforeone can even sit for the initial exam. The depth of knowledgerequired to pass the exam is so extreme it would be impossible to do sowithout the proper education. Yes, working in the home fashionindustry, taking some classes and watching countless hours of HGTVaccount for something and I suppose that entitles you to be called adecorator. However, don’t be fooled into thinking the two are thesame.They are not!Shouldn’t we shop around for thebest prices and only hire an InteriorDesigner in the beginning when we start aproject and then save money by managing itourselves?I understand the concept ofsaving money, however this iswhere I do not agree. Interior designerstake a great amount of time in preparing aproject before it begins. Projects are bid andshopped around all the time whichsometimes can be detrimental to the finalresult, especially if certain details areoverlooked or lost in translation. When aprofessional is involved from the beginning,there is a slightly different approach takenin order to preserve the integrity of thedesign. We invest a significant amount oftime in researching appropriate design solutions and qualified sources,in keeping with the client’s budget, during the conceptual designphase. As Interior Designer’s we verify the feasibility of each one ofour design choices ahead of time and when a product is not readilyavailable we have the ability to develop it ourselves. This is always athrill as designing casegoods, seating and upholstery, lighting,accessories, artwork, textiles, wallcovering, carpet, and so on are whatreally give individuality to a project.Q:Q:A:What happens when we go over budget?40 FEBRUARY 200840