Opposition / Position  (Interior Design & Decorating Professionals)

Click here to download a printable PDF of these positions.

Since the Interior Designers Title Act passed in 1991, ‘registered interior designer’ have been regulated – and the use of the term ‘interior design’ has been protected from use in company and firm names. Everyone who is currently registered under the 1991 Title Act will automatically be registered under the new bill and their work scope will remain precisely as it is without restriction to all project types, regardless of square footage or occupancy classification.

While they may not refer to themselves as ‘interior designers’ or as providing interior design services, other design-related positions such as decorative design consultants, interior decorators, retail consultants, among others, will be able to continue to offer their services as they have done in the past – within the confines of the existing “5,000 sq. ft. rule.”:

	Structures classified as “business,” “factory-industrial,” “hazardous,” “mercantile,” “residential” and “storage” occupancies (as defined in the 1985 edition of the Standard Building Code) which are:
	Less than three (3) stories in height; and   Less than five thousand square feet (5,000 sq. ft.) in total gross area;
	One-family and two-family dwellings and domestic outbuildings of any size and height; and/or
	Farm buildings not designed or intended for human occupancy.

The bill also makes certain that anyone certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) as a “certified kitchen designer” or a “certified bath designer”, or both, may continue their planning and execution of the design of residential kitchens or baths. There is no restriction of the terms “certified kitchen designer” or “certified bathroom designer.”

Without a legal definition of interior design and a defined scope of practice, interior designers run the risk of losing their ability to provide certain services through the regulation of other design professions. This can mean loss of work for interior designers.

Given the mobility and global nature of businesses today, interior designers are unlikely to practice in the same city or state throughout their careers. The ability of interior designers to work on a project across state lines or to move their business from state to state depends on establishing a standard scope of practice and professional qualifications for interior designers. If Tennessee’s interior design registration regulations are less stringent than those of other states, we may lose registration reciprocity (the acknowledgement of another state’s regulation as similar to its own) with those states, and with it, the ability to work in that state without a time-consuming and costly application process. And of course, we run the risk that we might not meet that state’s practice requirements at all. Not to mention the fact that, without appropriate regulations in the state, unqualified interior designers from other states will be free to practice in Tennessee.

If your degree meets the credit hour requirements for interior design-related coursework and was issued from a Tennessee school that had an interior design program in effect on April 16, 1991 and was also accredited either by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) or licensed by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), your degree has already been determined by Tennessee’s licensing board to be acceptable.

For individuals who graduated from programs outside the state of Tennessee, or for those who graduated prior to interior design program accreditation, the state licensing board will review these programs for substantial equivalency to accreditation by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The board evaluates the curriculum under which you graduated and compares it to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation standards from the same or nearest year. If your degree program is found to be substantially equivalent to a Council for Interior Design Accreditation degree, it will satisfy the education portion of the application requirements.

If your degree meets the credit hour requirements for interior design coursework from a program not accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER), you may apply for registration to the state licensing board using the path outlined for non-accredited programs which requires additional diversified and appropriate experience hours, recognizing the expertise of the well-experienced interior designer.

While any two-day examination can be daunting, and it should not be approached without preparation, it is important to remember that the NCIDQ examination is modeled on the actual practice of interior design. The examination is based on research, repeated regularly, that analyses the profession and the knowledge and tasks required for entry level practitioners. Individuals who have been practicing interior design for some time are more than capable of performing well on the examination.

For individuals who wish to brush up on their test taking skills, there are many publications and practice tests to assist as well as formal and informal study courses provided by interior design associations.

The examination is offered twice each year and may be taken all at once or broken into three separate examinations.

Click here to download a printable PDF of these positions.