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Painting and Decorating: Working with Interior Designers – Part I

Painters that work on higher-end commercial and/or residential projects will deal with interior designers. At one point or another.

 

The projects where you will find an interior designer are as vast as the clients that own the properties:

  • 4-5 star hotels/resorts, upscale malls, restaurants, theatres, performance centers, boutique shops;
  • hospital systems, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers;
  • schools, government complexes, corporate headquarters;
  • high rise buildings, luxury homes, private estates, condominium developments, etc.

 

BACKGROUND THE INTERIOR DESIGNER ON PROJECT MAY POSSESS

 

  1. BFA/Interior Design; professional member: American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
  2. BA/Interior Design; professional member: ASID, IIDA and/or IDS.
  3. BA or BS/Architectural Design; professional member: American Institute of Architects (AIA).
  4. BA/Interior Design or Art; member: International Interior Designer Association (IIDA).
  5. BA or BS/Fine Art or Furnishings Design; member: Design Society of America (DSA) and/or International Furnishings and Design Association (AFDA); affiliate member: AIA, ASID, IIDA.

 

Today, interior designers need at least a BA or BFA and both professional and trade credentials. Some also hold an MA or MS in Business Management, even Business/Corporate Law.

 

OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE INTERIOR DESIGNER

 

  1. Some interior designers are accredited by the Council for Interior Designers (CID).
  2. More millennial designers are opting for accreditation from the newer Interior Design Society.
  3. Most accredited interior designers are members of more than one professional association.
  4. Most are members of at least two trade organizations, also related educational foundations.
  5. Many play an active, affiliate role in their clients’ industries and trade associations.
  6. A growing number of them are affiliated with product-specific manufacturer associations.

 

Nearly all interior designers that work on high-end projects possess extensive experience working with painters and decorators. The designers hold themselves to very high standards. And, they expect the painters, with whom they deal, to do the same. One hundred, or close to, one hundred percent of the time.

 

A few months ago, a professional member of ASID e-mailed. She’d had to insist that the painter on a project be replaced.

 

WHY PAINTER ON INTERIOR DESIGNER PROJECT MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED

 

  1. Personality conflict
  2. Substandard craftsmanship
  3. Mismatched skills and abilities-to-project needs
  4. “Authority” issues
  5. Client/customer conflict
  6. Time, budget and manpower limits
  7. Honesty and security issues
  8. Other reasons – eg. work environment

 

HOW A PAINTER CAN SECURE POSITION ON INTERIOR DESIGNER PROJECT

 

  1. Be yourself. Be honest. Be sincere. Be professional.
  2. Respect the interior designer’s role.

 

That said, also…

 

  1. Treat the designer with respect.
  2. When he or she is speaking to you, please listen. Try to tune out all distractions.
  3. Acknowledge what the designer is telling you – verbally, and with appropriate gestures.
  4. Answer his or her questions, when they are asked – and briefly as possible.
  5. Offer your view, when appropriate.
  6. Ask for his or her opinion, advice or input, as appropriate.
  7. Accept the interior designer’s input with grace.
  8. Hold back from pushing your knowledge or opinion upon the designer.
  9. Hang loose. Be flexile wherever and whenever you can.
  10. Show him or her that you recognize the problems that the project presents. Examples: Client, spatial, budget, deadlines, products/materials, deliveries, schedule.

 

The dynamics between the painter and the interior designer are unique, and curious. They tend to be challenging, and changeable. Two top benefits for each: a first-rate referral and trusted friend.

 

As an award-winning interior and furniture designer once told a group of students at Harrington Institute of Interior Design,

 

“One of your greatest collaborators on any project will be the painter and decorator. The person who executes the very foundations of your design: color, pattern, and texture.”

 

See blog: “Painting and Decorating: Working with Interior Designers – Part II”

 

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Copyright 2016. Robert D. Hajtovik. All rights reserved.

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Design/Build/Construction, Uncategorized

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