With a smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes, wearing a “good guy” white business suit, the petite lady with long blonde hair stood in front of a capacity audience gathered at the Designer Furniture Gallery in the Seattle Design Center on Tuesday evening. She could have been there to discuss latest trends in decorative tassels, or how many accent pillows are appropriate for a bed.
But she was there for a more important reason.

Displaying a pink slingshot she had concealed behind her back, she began speaking. “When I first founded IDPC and told people what I was doing, I was met by horrified gasps. They could not believe I was taking on ASID* – a giant in our industry. Sure, it’s a bit of a David vs. Goliath fight,” she continued, “but, perhaps like David, I look at it from a different perspective. If they’re so big, how can I possibly miss! And our results have been astounding.”

Patti Morrow, the Executive Director of the Interior Design Protection Council, made a special trip to Seattle, at the request of Tami Michaels. Recently, Tami, a dynamic force in her own right, was hand-selected by Ms. Morrow to be the Chairperson for the Washington operation of IDPC’s new Northwest Chapter. Their goal is to fight — and kill, not just stall — interior design legislation that’s been plaguing Washington State for many years.

Ms. Morrow had everyone on the edge of their seat as she talked about her numerous battles with state coalitions all across America, who are the “front” for ASID’s push to control the interior design profession through regulation. Since 2006, she has been successful in preventing 100 efforts to expand or enact new interior design regulations. Legislation would end the careers of possibly hundreds of thousands of designers, and affect the future of interior design if states adopt the model bill that requires specific education, experience, and examination, otherwise known as “The Three ‘E’s’”.

“I have three goals for tonight: Educate you about what regulation is and what it does, Encourage you that your voice makes a difference, and Empower you to shape the future of our industry.  She laughed.  This is my version of three E’s”.  She spoke with the passion and conviction that has made her the absolute leader of the grassroots movement to fight ASID*, IIDA*, CIDA*, and NCIDQ*, which she calls the Cartel. She provided honest, reliable facts to discredit information contained in bills, public statements by the cartel, and misinformation that’s publicly displayed on the cartel’s websites.

One graphic that coalitions in favor of legislation continue to rely on, which is easily disputed, is a map of the United States, showing the number of states that have passed Title and/or Practice acts for interior designers. “They say there are 26 states that have enacted a government-imposed regulatory scheme, but that number includes Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., which are not states, and Colorado, which has only a permitting statute.  Their tally doesn’t include the states where acts have been struck down. The actual number of states with laws regulating the practice of interior design is only 21, and only three of those states have Practice acts.” [Pause] “Why do they continue to say 26 states?” [Longer pause]

Ms. Morrow looked around the room. No one had the answer. “Because they can tell legislators that the majority of states have passed legislation –  and they should, too.” With reliable facts like this, it’s clear why she has been so successful, even in states where she and Ed Nagorsky, the legal counsel for NKBA*, have been the only ones to testify against legislation.

She held the audience’s attention throughout her presentation, and finished on a very powerful note, but I’m not going to tell you what she did or said. You’re going to have to attend one of Ms. Morrow’s seminars to get the full impact of her message. It is everything she promises — and more. Everyone attending the meeting left with enlightenment and educational information about why interior design legislation is bad for everyone. She did empower us to fight for our right to freely work as interior designers.

The best way to protect your career is to join IDPC. You don’t have to fight legislation by yourself. You are not alone! Tami Michaels described IDPC beautifully in her closing comments. “It (IDPC) is the spine, the backbone of the national grassroots movement against legislation. We are the arms, the local chapter of this organization, to reach out and embrace everyone in our profession, to fight for our rights as a team.”

Proposed legislation defines “interior design” to include furniture dealers, stagers, commercial decorators, office equipment and furniture dealers, home improvement centers, and design-build firms. It proposes to limit the practice of “interior design” to people that are registered or certified, who meet stringent requirements for many years of education at specific schools, followed by extensive supervised internship, and successfully passing the NCIDQ examination.

To get more information about the issues and why it’s important to understand what’s at stake, visit the IDPC blog: http://idpcinfo.wordpress.com. Become a member of IDPC today. It’s easy, and the best investment you can make for your future: http://idpcinfo.org/membership.

*Footnotes:
ASID = American Society of Interior Designers

CIDA = Council for Interior Design Accreditation

IDPC = Interior Design Protection Counci

IIDA = International Interior Design Association

NCIDQ = National Council for Interior Design Qualification

NKBA = National Kitchen and Bath Association

As you look at the beautiful pictures of marvelous environments in any magazine, and read articles about miraculous transformations that have been accomplished, have you ever questioned the designer’s qualifications?  The results speak for themselves!

Ludicrous as it may seem, there are three organizations — the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) — that are trying to establish laws in every state, including Oregon and Washington, to control the interior design profession and create an anti-competitive environment which will:

•  Limit your choice about who you hire to help you define your project with detailed plans and specifications, and help you select products

•  Increase your investment in professional fees

•  Increase your taxes (a new board to govern 2,500 designers could cost the state as much as one million dollars a year)

•  Put many qualified, experienced designers (including kitchen-bath specialists) out of business

•  Hurt an already-suffering economy

•  Damage the future of the interior design profession by making entry-level jobs impossible to get

The education, experience and examination qualifications set forth in model legislation created by ASID, IIDA, and NCIDQ, are not reasonably achieved.  Currently, there are only three schools in Oregon that comply with the requirements of model legislation.  There are approximately 2,500 professional designers in Oregon, but less than 10% of those people have passed the only examination recommended in the model legislation, the NCIDQ. The NCIDQ test emphasizes the significance of commercial design and minimizes the importance of residential design.  There is a big difference between the two, just as there’s a huge difference between the practices of a heart surgeon and a neurosurgeon.

Proponents of legislation want you to believe that you will put yourself at risk if you hire a design professional who doesn’t meet their qualifications. You will hear them say that they are working “to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public”.  Historically, there is no evidence to prove that any designer in Oregon or Washington has hurt anyone’s health or jeopardized their safety.  We have building codes which are updated every two years.  There are building inspectors to enforce the codes, to protect your health and safety.   You bear the burden of protecting your welfare by asking questions, checking references, and verifying experience before you hire a design professional.

ASK QUESTIONS

You need to get information, so you can make an informed decision about who will be the best designer for you.  Here are five questions to help you:

• What is your specialty? (NOTE:  No one can do everything!)

• How long have you been a designer?

• How do you communicate your ideas to your clients and their contractor?

• What are three examples of creative solutions you’ve devised to solve particular problems?

• Why do you think your qualifications meet my (our) needs?

Certifications are one measure of a designer’s commitment to professional, ethical practice.  Passing a test only means that the person is able to pass the test.  It says nothing about their innate creativity or what they will do to help you achieve your goals.

Patti Morrow, the Executive Director of the Interior Design Protection Council (IDPC) in New Hampshire, says:

“Interior design is a profession that combines both creative ability and critical thinking skills to achieve an outcome in the built environment that is both functional and beautiful.  Historically, it has been the qualifications of intelligence, imagination, and integrity that have produced aesthetically superior as well as overwhelmingly safe results.  The majority of states in this country do not have state-imposed regulation, and there has been no evidence presented in any state that the unregulated practice of interior design places the public in any form of jeopardy.”

In the coming year, you will be hearing and reading about legislation to regulate the interior
design profession in Oregon and Washington.  When the time comes, it will be very important for you to contact State Senators and Representatives, to register your opposition to any proposed legislation.  Regulation of the interior design profession is not inevitable, and it is not needed.  It’s not good for you!