Yes, It Takes an Education to Become an Interior Designer!
by Lance Filbert
Interior Design School Review Columnist
Pardon me while I rant. I am really tired of people who hear what I do for a living and say, "I should go into interior design as a career. I have a very creative flair with arranging furniture."
No, no, a thousand times no. It is not at all like that. You don't just show up one day and start schlepping furniture around or tossing colorful throw pillows on a sofa and suddenly call yourself an interior decorator.
You Have to go Through Interior Design Training
It seems a bit obvious that people attend interior design schools to become interior designers. I mean it is a profession after all. You don't allow someone who just bought a pair of scissors and said "I'm a barber," to cut your hair, so why would you allow a similar amateur to touch your precious house?
Fortunately, most states don't allow anything that silly to happen. There are regulations requiring some interior design training and even an interior design degree before you take the test that permits you to call yourself an interior designer.
Learning the Basics
An interior design program, whether it is at a campus school or through one of the wonderful online interior design schools, is really exciting. Students learn the history of furniture, from primitive stools, through ornate Chippendale chairs, to the sometimes comfortable Charles Eames chairs. You'll study fabrics, color theory, textures, painting techniques, window treatments and much more. Then, after you've gone through all of that, you'll have earned the right to schlep furniture around and toss colorful throw pillows on a sofa and call yourself an interior decorator.
About the Author
Lance Filbert is known for his witty and innovative design ideas. He has an extensive arts background and has an arts degree from the City University of New York. He lives in San Francisco with his partner, Bertram, and their cairn terriers, Toto and Toklas.
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