LUX Spring 2018

LUXLIFE MAGAZINE | 65 Spring 2018 construction and mechanical systems like electrical, plumbing, heating, and ventilation. They must clearly comprehend the structural aspects of their plans, while adhering to applicable building and handicap codes. Attention to health, safety, and welfare factors such as toxicity and flammability codes of materials is requisite, and they are trained to understand the properties of materials, and sciences behind colour and light. Certified interior designers are skilled three- dimensional planners of space because of their courses of study and experience. A project is viewed as a series of relationships between floor, ceiling, and wall, engaging numerous planes through constructed geometry. This is where the bridge between decoration and architecture can be clearly defined. The decorator can take the constructed geometry and decorate it through planning of furniture, drapery, and accessories while the architect can take the same geometry and alter its load bearing structure. Interior designers are trained to reconfigure existing spaces, such as moving walls, providing the load-bearing integrity of the building or space is not altered. Interior decoration is only one part of the interior designer’s repertoire, while having a very clear understanding of the constructed environment is another. Performance standards become increasingly rigid across the disciplines, from decoration to interior design and architecture. Whereas the decorator delves into existing spaces and adds aesthetic quality, the designer can take a project to a level beyond by changing the three-dimensional aspects of those spaces and providing a series of floor plans, elevations, and 3D drawings. Decorators are generally not trained to discuss mechanical and electrical systems or specific construction details as it relates to a fabricated interior. Ultimately, the interior designer bridges a gap between interior decorators and architects, trained in the practice of decoration but also overlapping the skills of an architect by having the ability to modify three-dimensional space. The New York State Education Department’s Office of Professions is responsible for the licensing of professionals. As Chairwoman of the State’s Board for Interior Design, Dorian works as an advocate for licensure. The Board works with Interior Designers for Licensing in New York (IDLNY) and the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), the national interior design licensing organization, in an advisory capacity. The goal is to guide a pathway to licensure for students who will be graduating from design programs around the country. In New York where Dorian currently practices, the title “Certified Interior Designer” can only by used by those who have completed necessary education and examination requirements. Interior decorators can currently call themselves (non-certified) interior designers and can practice interior design without restriction since the law only restricts the title and not the practice. Interior Designers for Licensing in New York (IDLNY) have been working to change legislation to prevent this since 1984. There are many other states that struggle with the same issue, however, almost half of the states have recognized the value of licensing and currently have interior design licensing laws to protect the practice of interior design. Other challenges have surfaced in the past decade since the Great Recession of 2008. Dorian has found herself competing against builders and remodelers who have started to offer their own design work and carry their own cabinetry lines. These groups of tradespeople sometimes go beyond their own scope of experience and offer services that they are not classically trained to execute. At a loss are the clients who lose the benefit of the best possible design, function, and detail for their projects. Dorian’s latest challenge is finding a way to have a dialogue with the millennial generation who are buying their first homes. A generation of couples who purchase moderately priced homes that they hope to sculpt to their own signature spaces can benefit greatly from the wisdom and experience of a more seasoned designer such as herself. It can be a thoroughly fun and engaging experience and does not need to feel like hard work. A good designer can follow and create trends while injecting personal style to a project; the two need not be mutually exclusive. The object is to design around the stylistic wishes of the client, and guide design ideas that fit their style. The future looks bright for Dorian’s design business. She is set to expand into the Charleston, South Carolina area where she hopes to continue to offer a full scope of design services including expansion of her kitchen, bath, and custom cabinetry business. She would like to partner with local builders, remodelers, and sub-contractors in order to continue her journey of developing sophisticated designs in historical interiors. “In a community where historic architecture, and the renovation and restoration of historic structures are prevalent, I plan to merge my classical training with trending design in a symbiotic form of harmony” she says. She also plans to become actively engaged with the existing interior design coalition currently fighting for licensure of the interior design profession within the state. Stay tuned for what’s to come! Email: [email protected] Website: www.doriandehaan.com