There has been a divide between interior
designers, interior decorators and architects since the 19th century. There are
many misconceptions by the public as to what work each of the fields actually
entail.
Florence Knoll workplace designs
In the working space, for example, Florence Knoll, who was
the director of the interior design service; The Knoll Planning Unit
(1943-1971), introduced a new field of interior design and presented a new way
of designing corporate interiors by addressing the clients’ needs. In a New York Times article in 1964, Florence Knoll said “I am not a
decorator … the only place I decorate is my own house” In a time where
interior design and interior decoration was considered a “feminine” job, Knoll
questioned and re-defined the labels of architect, interior designer and
interior decorator. Her methods resulted in equating the importance of interior
design with building’s architecture.
Exteriors and interiors of Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House
Media only magnifies the public misconception of interior
decorators, interior designers and architects. In a journal I read while
researching this topic for uni, the writer explained that in shelter magazines,
editors avoid including the designer’s spacial conception and instead focus
only on the objects and furniture, while architectural magazines tend to show
spaces stripped out of any traces of décor that make the space inhabitable. Architecture
and Interior Designers should co-exist and form a single
vision that compliments one another.
The bigger
misconception, which media has contributed greatly to the public’s confusion,
is that between an interior designer and an interior decorator. In another
journal, a study shows that design-based reality shows tarnish the image of
interior designers. We’ve all seen them on TV as there are countless versions
of them but they somehow always miss the mark to portray the true job of an
interior designer. They give away the perception that being an interior is
“anyone’s job” and fail to include what it takes to be one, including
qualification and experience. A quote, which I completely agree
with from that journal, says “For those of us who entered the profession
through the process of education, experience, and examination, the public’s
lack of knowledge of who we are and what we do is extremely frustrating.”
Interior of Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House
The public perceptions of our profession, has caused
for the addition of yet another label ‘Interior Architect’ to better
communicate the importance of the role an Interior designer has on the actual
building’s outcome. And even though there are many reasons for these
perceptions that still remain, we decide our own labels.
Images:
Florence Knoll workplace designs
Exteriors and interiors of Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House
Journals:
What’s in a Name? Interior
Design and/or Interior Architecture: The Discussion Continues by Allison Carll White
I Am Not a Decorator: Florence Knoll, the
Knoll Planning Unit and the Making of the Modern Office by Bobbye Tigerman
Curtain Walls by
