Notes from Natasha
Our latest offering - the Residential Interior Designer Exam (R.I.D.E.) is taking off like wildfire! Do you need a leg up on the competition? Can your business benefit from additional credentialing? Do you want to take your career to the next level? Designer Society of America has the solution for you. Come along for the R.I.D.E.!
We've heard from designers with 27 plus years in the industry who are still looking to advance their career with additional education and credentialing. Nationally recognized, R.I.D.E. is also perfect for those working in other industries that touch on interior design. Our program can give you the confidence you need to expand into interior design and add to your client list.
The R.I.D.E. qualifying examination is available to residential interior designers who want to advance their education, career and professional status in the industry. If you are driven to succeed and dedicated to your profession, successful completion of the R.I.D.E. will enhance your status among residential interior design peers who have also reached this higher level of certification achievement.
Recognized as an industry standard for excellence and certification, the R.I.D.E. testing program can be the professional boost you need to grow...more
What's in a name? Apparently, a lot.
In a recent Interior Design Journal article, What's in a Name?, Alison White, Ph.D. joins previous IDEC members as they flounder about like fish out of water, stunned by the explosive success of the Freedom Movement in beating back their licensing scheme, and at an utter loss as to how to stop this moving train.
At the heart of the article is the conundrum of whether to continue their efforts to regulate the title "interior designer" or to surrender their claim and switch gears to gain exclusive right to use "interior architect." White outlines four possible scenarios (paraphrased):
- Licensure of interior design in all 50 states;
- Interior design continues to be one of several terms used, and the current diversified entries into the field are maintained;
- Interior architecture becomes their new term, restricted to those who graduate from a CIDA program and pass the NCIDQ;
- A split in the profession - interior design used for residential practice and interior architecture used for commercial practice.
White goes on to outline the external challenges "exacerbated by lawsuits brought by the Interior Design Protection Council (IDPC) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA)," yet fails to provide citations to the alleged legal challenges. That's because contrary to White's claim, there are none. Neither IDPC nor the NKBA have filed a single lawsuit challenging existing interior design laws. However, IDPC has, as White suggests, attacked the pro-regulation camp's "three E's" so-called minimum standard for competency, and quite effectively at that.
Identity in the legislative arena is targeted as another area of concern by White. She states that there are 25,000 NCIDQ certificate holders - a misleading statement at best, since it's been documented that only 10,500 are currently active. Unfortunately, failure to truthfully provide accurate data is a hallmark of the pro-regulation camp. more
Mary Dennis - School of Graceful Lifestyles
I love the vivid colors of the springtime landscape.
It appears as if nature yawns and awakens and everything is lush and alive once again. As a Graceful Lifestyles Re-Designer, I ask myself how I can bring this feeling of timeless natural grace into the homes of my clients.
How can I create a design statement that is easy on the eyes, as well as the environment? Remember, one of the most profoundly healing aspects of nature is the presence of color.
Enjoy the feng shui design tip below and the essence of spring.
Live with Abundance,
Mary Dennis
Feng Shui Tips On Color
By Mary Dennis
www.gracefullifestyles.com
Excerpt from 5 Day Feng Shui Interior ReDesign Certificate Program June 21-25, 2010 in Celebration, Florida
Take all your designs very personal. Listen and look for your clients' needs.
Ask your clients what emotions they would like to feel in their space. Examples could be quiet, energized, and relaxed. Pair the emotional wish list with your ba gua (the invisible map of 9 energies) and five elements for color choices and use the hues that best fit into personalizing their environment and activating their intentions. Their choice of words expresses an elemental emotional choice so listen carefully.
Use Harmony from Sherwin Williams.
It is zero-VOC paint, eliminating emissions that can irritate eyes and lungs. It is a good choice for today's green movement - and by the way FENG SHUI is GREEN!
Earth Elements
The element most missing in modern day American homes is earth, which is represented by neutral tones of beiges, yellows, creams, browns and the like. Incorporate a neutral earth color as your base throughout the space and then go about adding your accent colors. Harmony earth tone suggestions: NATURAL CHOICE, and UNBELIEVABLE BUFF, use LATTE for mid-shades of brown. Using the earth element will help calm the fast pace of families in today's culture!
Bring the sky into your clients' homes
Add a Harmony selection, SKY HIGH, and add expansion! Paint the ceilings of kitchens, garden rooms, patios and bathrooms. Be mindful to balance the chi and still keep the client feeling grounded, use your magic! Be mindful - if you are placing a sky-like effect in the kitchen not to place it over the stove. We do not want this important position to be depleted in any way. more
The life expectancy of a baby born in 1900 was less than 50 years. Houses at the time were designed for those under 50, with steep staircases, cramped bathrooms and narrow doorways being the norm. A child born in 1960, in comparison, will more than likely will live 78.4 years.
Last month we shared with you some information about Studio WebWare and all the benefits their Studio Designer software program offers to interior designers. This month we'll address the ease with which designers can use the program on the go via Blackberry, iPhone and Droid.
We surveyed our colleagues last year and produced an Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook that was downloaded by thousands of your peers. What did they find out?
Tier 1 is LEED Green Associate. This is intended for people who work in a supportive role related to green building design, construction or operations and who want basic knowledge related to green building principles. This may include marketing professionals, facility managers and sales representatives. This credential is also for professionals working toward LEED AP with Specialty.