I should be writing papers today. I have 5 due by friday..WITH photos and WITH sketches. Topics are: Queen Anne Furniture, Palladian Architecture, Georgian Architecture, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton. That should explain my reading selections....why else would I read a furniture encyclopedia????!!!!!
I want to rant a bit: I am having a hard time relating to people outside my major...specifically my personal friends that I have had for years and some family members.
Here's the thing....My major is Interior DESIGN....and most of the world perceives that as Interior DECORATING. Let's get this straight first: To be an Interior Designer, you need a bachelor's degree AND you need to be licensed by the state you live in by taking the NCIDQ exam(national council for interior design qualification exam). While getting an Interior Design BA, you study architecture, building systems, HVAC and electrical systems, residential, commercial, corporate and hospitality design. We also take courses in materials and estimates, textiles and finishes, AutoCad, drafting, drawing, rendering (by hand and computer) and human ergonomics. WE ARE NOT INTERIOR DECORATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
A decorator is not, in any state, required to take an exam or possess a degree. If you think you have good taste for interiors (furniture, carpets, drapes, paints, etc) you can call yourself an Interior DECORATOR....but until you get your BA in Interior DESIGN .....AND until you pass the NCIDQ, you are NOT AN INTERIOR DESIGNER!!!!!
And my friends and family don't get it. I can complain about my workload for school and they think they know....but they have no idea. The stress of a design project ends in a presentation and defense. Imagine if you are an English major and the only way you are graded for all your classes is by presentation and defense. How about a Math major? Because it is all so subjective and there are no definitive solutions and answers to design, we are judged by presentation and defense.
What is presentation and defense? Your design concept, from beginning diagrams to the final solution, is presented on foam core boards(or sometimes via power point) in front of a jury. Most times, the jury is your class and teacher...sometimes an extra faculty member sits in. Your presentations are 10-30 minutes long, based on the project. Pray that you are good at public speaking. After the presentation comes the defense: A question and answer session from the faculty and your classmates. Sometimes it goes well....other times, you feel like you are being picked apart by vultures. You could have the best solution in class, but fail because you crumble when you present your design. Your design could be highly inferior to everyone else, but you are able to pass because you are slick in the presentation and you convince (BS) everyone into believing your solution is the best.
The work load for creating a project? Here is a brief synopsis of the process (which could be longer, depending on the project):
- Inerview the client
- Write the program (a 10 to 200 or more page document that outlines EVERYTHING)
- Draw adjacency diagrams
- Create ajacency matrix
- Create furniture matrix
- Write a concept statement
- Draw block diagrams
- Draw rough diagrams
- Create prototypes
- Load into autocad OR hand draft all floor plans
- If presenting in 3D autocad, build all walls, doors, windows, furniture and fixtures
- If presenting by hand, draw out all perspectives, sections, elevations, details
- Spec out all furniture, fixtures and equipment- complete with ordering information & numbers
- Create a budget of all construction, furniture, fixtures & equipment
- Gather samples: materials, textiles, finishes
- Render all drawings, either by hand or computer
- If needed, build a model or section model of your design
- Grid plan your presentation boards
- Cut foam core with razor (don't cut hands)
- Spray mount all drawings to foam core
- Mount all textile, finish and material samples to foam core
- Glue foam core board together
There is no average price for a project. I have done some concept boards with supplies I had in my studio, other times, I have to shop for lots of materials. Boards can run from about $20 to $3000. If you are doing an architectural model, your price will skyrocket. One model that I did (see villa savoye) cost me almost $350!! After that, I still had to create a digital presentation (more $$). On average, I think I have been spending about $150 per presentation. For each class...and that's 4 classes per quarter. It's not cheap!!!
So, I'm talking to a friend they other day and they ask about how school is going. I try to describe my work load and the answer I get is " yeah, college is tough. I remember getting stressed out when I had papers due or test coming up." What kind of answer is that? My heart sank. It was like this person didn't even want to try and understand my life (even though I was there for them while they were struggling in college!). No one gets it and no one seems to want to get it. My husband gets it...he has seen me up for 3 days straight trying to finish a project. My kids get it... they have seen their dad take days off work so that I can finish a project.
I wish the world could learn to separate Designers from Decorators. I wish the people I know could deeply understand the amount of work I am putting into school. ...and remaining on the dean's list. It's competivie 24/7.
That's my rant....for now.
