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Interior Design vs. Architect vs. Interior Architect

YL17

I am a high school student, who has been looking at many colleges and universities. I have noticed that a lot of schools don't have Architecture, but have Interior Design, or vice-versa. What is the difference between the two? What will be different, job wise, if I choose one over the other?

Interior Designers, Architects, and Interior Architects are jobs that I have seen around the internet quite often. What is the difference between the two, and which do you think is best for me? I like the idea of decorating the inside of a home, but I love making layouts and blueprints. I also prefer designing/re-designing homes rather than other buildings.

Thank you for the help!

P.S. I am not the best at drawing, will that be an issue?

 
Jul 27, 15 11:26 am
null pointer

It's a matter of where you work. This my NYC experience.

Architects are at the top of the food chain when it comes to privileges afforded by the state. We can design mechanical systems, file structural drawings, as well as provide the standard assortment of architectural services. I'm actually filing an MEP set this week. What's my MEP experience? None. I'm working off of MEEBs, putting a lot of notes on my drawings to shift liability to the contractor and pretending I know whether a 1-1/2" waste line means 1.5" inches diameter or radius (because I don't).

I've worked in firms where the majority of the work was interiors, but it was all run by architects so we had the ability to do DOB filings and bill at architect rates.

Interior designers are restricted in what they can and cannot do by law. An interior designer in NYC can't demolish a wall that is more than ___ square feet and also can't make any changes to the certificate of occupancy of a building without engaging an architect.

Finally, don't worry about drawing I can't draw for shit, though I did get a lot better at it throughout school. I'm a Rhino ninja, so that makes up for it.

Jul 27, 15 1:58 pm  · 
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Sharky McPeterson

null pointer

Not to be that guy, but shouldn't you only put a hyphen in between feet and inches (i.e. 1 1/2" as apposed to 1'-1/2")? Tangent for sure, but I'm just sayin

Jul 27, 15 6:00 pm  · 
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null pointer

Probably.

Jul 27, 15 6:02 pm  · 
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x-jla

if you only want to do residential then you do not need a license in most places...the arch education however is a good start to your career and will give you a better and more well rounded education than the average ID degree...and you will always have the option of doing both...at your age you should NOT know what you want to be yet despite what mom or the guidance counselor says...I wanted to be like 4-5 things before finding my way to arch school... and then I still choose a different path after grad school...keep an open mind...just my 2 cents...

Jul 27, 15 8:55 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

you don't need much more than highschool level courses to pick accent pillows and shift around office cubicles.

Jul 28, 15 10:18 am  · 
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null pointer

i still want to be like 4-5 things.

Jul 28, 15 7:21 pm  · 
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3tk

Architecture schools are almost always in their own 'school' within an university.  It's a recognized profession and requires technical and artistic knowledge (and takes a reasonably large faculty to successfully operate in an academic setting, hence their relative scarcity).  Interior design programs can be found in art programs, but a lot of them are their own school or reside in a design school along with related programs.

The architecture degree is probably the most rigorous and thorough (i.e. you can pursue the others without it).  The way I have seen it:

Architect: everything to do primarily with buildings (yes there are folks who do city planning/parks/plazas, but the primary focus is the building enclosure and interior spaces); and all the fields related to it including, but not limited to: structure, mechanical, electrical, lighting, waterproofing, finishes, hardware, etc.

Interior architect: those architects focusing on the interior of the building.  That is to say, they don't deal with the outside portions of the building (siding, windows, external doors - which can be a good chunk of the outside).  They concentrate on their portion of the work: you often see them do interior renovations and outfitting what architects call 'core and shell' buildings (core is the utilities, stairs, etc; shell is the roof and outside walls)

Interior designers: in most jurisdictions they can do non-structural walls and limited utility work.  Mostly focusing on furnishings, finishes (paint/wallpaper/tile/carpet/stone/etc), and hardware (doorknobs/bathtubs).  Granted it's the least 'respected' among architects in general, but there is a level of sophistication to understanding palettes and styles (my firm has an interiors dept and they are fascinating to watch).

Another way to put it: in a book store go look at Dwell/Architectural Digest - the buildings are most likely by an architect; interior spaces are architect/interior architect; the finished look and furniture can (in case of AD, most likely) involved an interior designer.

Jul 29, 15 8:53 pm  · 
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morenajeny

Architecture is a physical structure that often relates to building and construction that is exterior of the building. Interior design often relates to the interior of the room, which consist of interior designing projects which you have to co-ordinate and assemble in a particular design structure. And Interior Architect relates to the space of interior designing, it combines the study of both interior designing and architecture.

web

Dec 23, 15 2:58 am  · 
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Sharky McPeterson

Non Sequitur 

"you don't need much more than highschool level courses to pick accent pillows and shift around office cubicles."

I think you're confusing interior design with interior decoration. 

Dec 23, 15 12:17 pm  · 
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Volunteer

If your state school doesn't offer a wide selection of related majors try to go somewhere like Virginia Tech or the University of Florida that have majors in architecture, landscape architecture. interior design, civil engineering, industrial design, and construction management and talk with the students and professors your first year and see what appeals to you. It doesn't matter what major you start out with as you can change relatively easily within the university and not worry about transferring credits and uprooting yourself to go to another school.

Dec 23, 15 12:44 pm  · 
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