When people used to ask me what I do, I would say: ‘I’m an Interior Designer’. This response typically prompts people to ask questions like: ‘oh, you must LOVE those design shows?!’ or ‘So, you help people pick paint colours and furniture, right?’. These are not dumb questions (as any good educator will tell you; there is no such thing) but if my work was going to start a conversation, this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.
The truth is; I’m a Registered Interior Designer, so why wasn’t I saying so? If I told you that I was a CGA, you’d know that I was a Certified General Accoutant. Or what about an RN? A Registered Nurse. There is a distinction to those professions and it’s worth making.
Here’s what sets Registered Interior Designers (RIDs) apart:
- 6 years of combined education and mentored experience in Interior Design
- Completion of a series of exams through the National Council for Interior Design Qualification
- Professional Membership of the Interior Designers Institute of BC and the Interior Designers of Canada
- Hold professional errors and omissions insurance
- Meet regular Continuing Education requirements in industry standards
A group of RIDs on Vancouver Island have recently come together to create designcan.ca, a website and video to help educate the public on what RIDs can do for commercial and residential clients. I had the pleasure of being a part of this group when it first got rolling about 4 years ago so their work is near and dear to my heart. They have done so much for the profession and I am so pumped to share what they’ve created.
Now when I’m asked what I do, I reply with ‘I’m a Registered Interior Designer’. I still get questions but they are more along the lines of ‘what does that mean?’ or ‘how is that different than a Decorator or an Architect?’. And just like that, the conversation is changing.
For more information on becoming or finding a Registered Interior Designer, please visit idibc.org, idcanada.org, or designcan.ca
*headline image care of designcan.ca