Professional Practice for Interior Designers. Christine M. Piotrowski
rewarding. That satisfaction grows immensely.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
It is important for the reader to have an understanding of the history of the interior design profession as well as the history of furniture, architecture, and furnishings. This brief section provides some context for the history of the profession.
Before the 20th century, interior decoration was the responsibility of artisans, craftsmen, painters, sculptors, and early architects. Shopkeepers were called ensembliers or ateliers in Europe. According to John Pile, Charles Percier (1764–1838) and Pierre‐François‐Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853) are thought by many to be the first professional interior designers. “Percier and Fontaine conceived of interior spaces developed under their full control in the manner of modern interior designers.”7
Elsie de Wolfe (1865–1950) was among the first individuals to bring the concept of professionalism to interior decoration in the United States. It was approximately during her career that the term interior decoration began to be used. Born in New York City and a member of the upper class, de Wolfe began her career as a professional interior decorator in 1904, when she was 39 years old. Her first commission, in 1905, was for the design of the Colony Club in New York City. Among de Wolfe's clients were such notable figures as Henry C. Frick and Anne Pierpont Morgan. Because these early decorators often had a wealthy clientele, the term society decorator was often associated with them.
De Wolfe also wrote one of the earliest books about interior decoration, The House in Good Taste, in which she related her philosophy of decoration for homes. This book, which was republished in 2004, gives a fascinating glimpse into early interior decoration. She also is credited with being responsible for another milestone in the profession: receiving a fee for her design services rather than a commission on the sale of furniture.8 De Wolfe's success inspired other women to enter the profession. It was one of the few acceptable professions for women at the turn of the century.
In approximately 1904, formal educational preparation was offered at the New York School of Applied and Fine Arts—founded as the Chase School. (This school is now known as Parsons, The New School for Design, located in New York City.) A few courses were offered in art or home economics programs in other schools, but formal training in interior decoration was not easy to obtain. Individuals who could not avail themselves of formal courses generally learned from magazines of the time, such as House Beautiful or House & Garden.
Postwar prosperity after World War I saw an increased interest in, and employment of, the interior decoration professional. In 1924, Eleanor McMillen opened McMillen Inc., claiming to be the first full‐service interior decorating firm in the United States.9 This postwar prosperity led to an increasing number of professionals with specialized knowledge in different types of interiors beyond residential interior decoration. By the late 1920s, many local “Decorators' Clubs” had been started in various parts of the country. The Decorators Club located in New York is credited with being one of the first, if not the first, such organization.10
Furniture manufacturers in the 1920s were producing fine‐quality furniture in places such as Grand Rapids, Michigan, and High Point, North Carolina. Department stores used a display technique called a vignette to help the middle‐class consumer visualize a room of furniture and thus encouraged consumers to utilize better‐quality design in their homes.11 (Vignette, as used in the interior design profession, means a display of furniture and furnishings that simulates an actual room.) Magazines continued to be used by the masses of consumers to appreciate quality interior decoration done by professionals and primarily available only to the wealthy.
The Great Depression of the 1930s had a profound influence on the furniture industry and thus the interiors profession. It had a disastrous effect on the ability of the middle class to purchase furniture. Yet, the leading society decorators remained relatively unaffected by the depression, as their wealthy clients could still afford to purchase quality goods. The society decorators, however, were purchasing goods from Europe rather than using American‐made goods. This had a further, and decidedly negative, impact on American manufacturers.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the site of one of the earliest and largest to‐the‐trade‐only semiannual furniture markets. At the time, Grand Rapids was one of the largest manufacturing centers in the United States. The Grand Rapids Furniture Exposition, as it was officially called, was first held in December 1878.12 The market was held in January and June for 87 years. Local manufacturers displayed their products, educational programs were held, and manufacturers from other locations rented storefronts to show their goods.
The leaders of the Grand Rapids manufacturing center in the 1930s needed to bring the decorators to Grand Rapids so that they could see the quality of American‐made furniture. With William R. Moore of Chicago, they put together a conference to organize a national professional organization. The conference was held during July 1931, in Grand Rapids, and speakers such as Frank Lloyd Wright were scheduled to appear in order to entice decorators to the conference. The decorators were invited to the various manufacturing plants and showrooms to see the furniture firsthand. By the end of the conference, the American Institute of Interior Decorators (AIID)—the precursor to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)—had been founded, with William R. Moore as its first national president.
World War II led to new manufacturing techniques that changed furniture and design styles. The modernism of the Bauhaus school—originally located in Germany—greatly influenced the design of buildings and interiors in the United States. Consumers had larger disposable incomes and were willing to buy again. It was during the 1940s that the term decorator began to lose favor in the industry. It was also at this time that educational standards and the number of programs offered grew, as interest in the profession increased. Massive growth in industrialism after the war also boosted the building, furniture, and interiors industries.
After World War II, nonresidential design became an increasingly important aspect of the profession for many reasons. The evolution of giant corporations was one factor. Curtain wall construction, suspended ceilings, and changes in construction to allow for vast, open interior spaces in office buildings all affected the design–build industry. Changes in the philosophy of the workplace created new furniture concepts, such as that of the “office landscape.” As companies embraced this planning philosophy, new specialists in space planning, lighting design, and acoustics became part of the profession.
Commercial interior design was making an impact on the profession from a business standpoint as well. Some refer to commercial interior design as nonresidential or contract interior design. The term contract design grew out of early commercial design from the fact that commercial projects more frequently were executed based on contracts for services. Of course, both residential and commercial projects are undertaken after a contract for services has been executed in today's professional practice.
Women were making an impact on the commercial design industry as well. Dorothy Draper (1889–1969) is credited with being the first woman interior decorator who specialized in commercial interiors.13 Florence Knoll established the Knoll Planning Group in the 1940s. This design company's focus was on commercial interior design.14
New design concepts, as well as other issues, created tension and arguments over educational requirements and admission to professional associations for interior designers. A renewed debate ensued over the words “decorator” versus “designer.” As educational programs developed, curriculums varied, resulting in uneven preparation. It was recognized that education needed to be more stringent, with formalized preparation that went beyond aesthetics. The growing complexity of the work of the interior designer led to professional associations formalizing requirements for membership.
Major impacts on the interior design profession have been the increased availability to technology and globalization of business to enhance the work of a design professional. The technology of the Internet has given professionals the opportunity to market their services on a global scale. Although large firms have had the opportunity to be multinational for many years,