How Does the Public Perceive Residential Designers?
An interesting reality became apparent with the results of the 1995 Interior Design Universe Study conducted by Yankelovich Partners, Inc. The study dealt with the "interior design universe," in other words, both contract and residential design. The study identified firms with at least one interior designer who selects, specifies or recommends products for design projects. Equally, these designers specify or purchase an average of $200,000 or more annually for interior design projects.
Results of the study reveal that 85 percent of firms conduct residential work. Among those firms, 46 percent of their annual residential dollar volume is new construction. Nearly 54 percent is for renovation and retrofit. Contract work, however, came in at 86 percent. These facts imply that the interior design universe is almost equally split between residential and contract design.
But who's doing the lion's share of residential design? If we look to the Yankelovich study, it suggests that the work is being done by independent interior design firms, architectural firms employing at least one interior designer and office dealers throughout the nation. So the question remains: Does the public perceive an independent design firm in the same light as an architectural firm with interior design employees?
The answer to this question was "no," at least according to a recent gathering of high-end, senior principals of entrepreneurial interior design firms based in the Northeast. These business leaders came together at a recent Residential Symposium produced by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).
The discussion suggested a perception of the residential specialist as a "fluffer of pillows." A commonly-held stereotype was that interior designers were little more than "decorators." This point-blank discussion brought up several important issues that would counter balance the stereotypes. First, the residential and contract professionals must recognize that equal education, experience and examination are mandatory. They must respect the special training that each brings to the built environment.
Second, the interior design community as a whole must begin to speak with reverence about completed projects, helping demonstrate the benefits to mankind. Also, the interior design community should be thinking in terms of "architect of the universe" and seek a parallel in interior design.
Third, interior designers should continue to quantify and qualify the value of interior design and the process by which we measure that value. Fourth, the interior design community must establish expert status and lead the profession in taking steps to shape public perception. This can be accomplished by elevating our personal perception of our influence on the built environment.
As an industry, we laud one another within trade publications and competitions. Of course, this is a crucial communication chain. However, we have done a poor job of enlightening John Q. Public about the value of interior designers. Today's world is pelted with slick advertising and multi-media campaigns to go retail. The message is: "Bring in your paint chip and we'll do the rest." Retailers say they can make it fast, painless and cheap. The public and many of our clients want it faster and cheaper and will find alternate ways of getting what they want. Clearly it's time to actively stimulate the growth of our profession by investing in our future.
At the recent IIDA Residential Forum, Steven Mittman, president of Lewis Mittman Inc., a long-standing fine custom furniture manufacturer, along with Ed Goldberg, vice president of Edward Fields Inc., agreed that the interior design community must begin to educate the public. Specifically, awareness should be raised about the role of the professional and the quality of sources available only to the professional. The residential interior designer cannot continue to settle for projects by job referrals, listings in the back of publications or showhouse ads in programs. The innovative high-end residential specialists may cease to exist if there isn't a strong collaborative advertising alliance established between design associations, manufacturers and showrooms.
I say we stop being
passive and create an
active consumer awareness campaign on an
international scale.
I say we stop being passive and create an active consumer awareness campaign on an international scale. Let's challenge ourselves as members of the interior design profession to fund a united front within the profession. Each association could assess members an agreed amount dedicated to the campaign.
Imagine the power of 10,000 members at $50 each -- all concentrated on delivering a multi-media awareness campaign for today's consumer. Think about the opportunities to tell consumers the true story about how quality furniture and fabrics make a vast difference, the value of that quality and the difference between pricing for retail/discount and pricing for quality.
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