Like most professionals, we love doing our job. As a State Registered Interior Designers, we gain most of our training while working with professional mentors and the public alongside architecture and engineering teams. This training occurs during and after university level education. The training period for a emerging professional to develop specific skills and knowledge in order to be prepared for the examination typically takes a minimum of three to five years.
Becoming a Registered Interior Designer requires practical experience as outlined by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) Interior Design Experience Program (IDEP).
Our specific body of knowledge includes 6 categories and 96 knowledge areas including psychology and human environment needs, interior construction, building codes and regulations, design and aesthetic practices, consumer protection in products and materials, professional practice and ethics, sustainable practices, business management, and communication to name a few. Many sources of information are assimilated through the professional practicing interior designer to become an expert in their field. We have included a few examples of what defines our unique skill set and professional knowledge below.
The Interior Design Profession’s Body of Knowledge 2005
Caren S. Martin, Ph.D., CID, ASID, IIDA & Denise A. Guerin, Ph.D., FIDEC, ASID, IIDA, University of Minnesota
Abstract Summary: This scholarly investigation paper is the results of a 15-month study into the interior design profession's body of knowledge. It defines and documents the abstract knowledge of what an interior design practitioner knows and applies to a project, as well as how the profession defines itself. 96 knowledge areas were identified and ranked within six thematic categories. Results from these values and by a Panel of Experts of the interior design profession demonstrate that interior designers "own" the knowledge embodied in the Human Environment Needs category. Furthermore, this study conducts extensive research of popular press, journals, and trade press sources to show the public's awareness of the effects the interior design practice has on the inhabitants of the built environment.
3D Interactive map for Health, Safety, and Welfare (map by NCIDQ)
This map shows the areas of expertise a designer must practice to make a building safe
Oregon Structural Specialty Code
The OSSC is based upon the United States adopted International Building Code
Americans with Disabilities Act
Building Owners and Mangers Institute
Journal of Interior Design
The journal of the interior design profession’s scholarly, refereed publication is dedicated to issues relation to the design of the interior environment.
The Center for Health Design
The Center for Health Design helps healthcare and design professionals to improve the quality of healthcare through the built environment using evidence based design.
The Green Products Innovation Institute Inc. (GPII)
A non-profit organization created to bring about a large scale transformation in the way we make the things we make.
Rather than focusing on how industry can become "less bad," the GPII is set up to be a resource for those who aspire to do "more good". They promote an innovation-oriented model for eliminating toxic chemicals and other negative environmental impacts.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
CDC′s Mission is to collaborate to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health – through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business.
