also, how are interior designers percieved in an architecture firm (that does int. design as well)

I've always loved interior design and respected them, largely because they consistently do better work than architects (compare the average Int Des mag to the average Arch Record, and it's been this way for a looong time). I also respect them because they have less education and get paid more (obviously, int des as a profession has figured out how to equate good design with good business, something architecture has yet to come close to)!

But I am sure many feel that they aren't quite on par, mostly due to the length of schooling.

Our interior designer is really good, very talented. She knows her job and can do it very well. She brings in business for us that we couldn't get otherwise too. But I really don't think they are all that good. We've had bad ones too. They've made clients upset and done some wierd stuff.
I think thier education should be more like an architecture education and the two should overlap more in studios and it would benefit both professions.
Nothing wrong with being a male interior designer. Why are you insecure with your title? If you are good at what you do, and you get a masters in architecture on top of what you have, you could be very good. Why are you interested in interiors, - and then structures and engineering? Seems like your leaving a lot out. Would you be a project architect or a consultant in your ideal career?

strawberry the education part i agree with veryy much!.. although my program was an architectural based curriculum (some general structures/engineering) it was largely separated from the architecture students. A large part had to do with the arch professors who barely recognize the major of int. design. hehe...
Luckily i spent some time in arch studios with friends/building models etc. so I had such discussions with them...

i was first interestd in interiors as a film major..specifically i started to look into installation art and video art---which has to do a lot with cultural/social perceptions of space, in addition to the actual physical presense of space - vs - body.

I became interested in architecture as i learned more about interiors and the rel. to the architecture. I found a lot of theory in architecture that is often absent in interiors (obviously this is the case, but i felt in interior design there should be more of a social understanding of "space" and its perceptions esp in corporate or workplace design). Also Now as space planning and programming are a larger factor in interior design, and as virtual spaces/digital age becomes more apparant, its effects are being realized on int. design.

Personally, on a design level I do not feel that i am much behind a so called architecture student, other than a lack of true understanding of mechanical engineering/physics. Of course this is not the case for all students in my field...
ANy way, I basically i want to delve into architecture education for mostly the theoretical explorations and projects (which was somewhat lacking in my interior design program)...and also i do not want to be limited by structure in my interior design. Also I want to build buildings eventually...

i work in a very very small firm, only four of us, and most of the projects are high end residential. very cool stuff. basically i graduated with an architecture degree, but have been doing interior design/architecture, which i think is so much cooler than architecture. plus i have never really been able to separate the two terms, 'designer' and 'architect' when it comes to interiors. i feel that both professions, if there are actually two,are the the same. a good designer is a good designer. i love the amount of detail that goes into the interiors, which is basically what makes a solution successful in the minds of the client. plus, learning both architectural code and interiors can greatly increase the amount of bending and pulling when it comes to design, thus creating a kick arse solution.

I personally don't see a point to even having an interior design education at this point. All the cirumstances that existed which led to the creation of an interior design education are extinct and, it is obvious to me that anyone trained as an architect has the set of design skills to do interior work. Most architects I know actually do interior work.

The university I went to had a well respected Architecture and Interior Design school but the divide between the two educations became quite apparent as the student got further into the education. sadly, the interior design students seemed to peak at year 2 and then I saw the same old BS every semester. How many times did I have to hear someone say "My design concept is all about curves"

deep shit.

At the end of it all having these two disciplines performing the job of one only accentuates a present schism in the profession. You end up with lack of dialouge b/t the 2 or both being too busy to coordinate everything and you end up with one type of "architecture", be it interior or exterior, and a completely different approach in regards to say, the color scheme. I can go to lunch with the reps, perform the FF&E and do architecture. imagine that.

sorry if this is cynical but I am ticked at our interiors gal at the moment.

hmmm... hire me

also, thats one problem i see between arch and int. design. There is often confusion in the distinctions, and perhaps thats why there is rarely a truely "integrated" program in most schools. There are interior designers who are essentially concerned with surface (ie finishes, colors) while others are more conscious of the space (i guess resulting in a conflict between architect's territory vs the designer). This is especially true and perhaps is a result of the Modern office buildings of empty grids: The buildings were designed as empty, adaptable space with columns, rather than "specialized" spaces. In the old days, each room was specialized in terms of form/space which then left the "interior designer" with not much to do other than worry about curtains/surfaces/carpet/furniture.

but in an open office building, because partitions are non structural, the interior designers' realm of work is expanded. i.e we see what designers do these days.
Also now, there is again an emphasis on Signage in design, whether it be instructional (hospitals--"environ. graphic design") or commercial (retail--video screens, signs, the purpose being commerce). And so we have further need for special designers who are aware of these things. In the long time ago, i relate this to religious signage (i.e hieroglyphics of Pyramid tomb walls, etc). This time around, its commerce (look at times square).

Basically, theres a lot to consider now days and you all may not agree, but i feel that this ambundance of design fields is essentially out of need.
but on the other side of the same coin, design can become diluted and weak. we need to be careful as designers not to become cheap immators, and understand what is a GOOD designer, and what is unecessary//

I have been doing some interior design lately, and I love it. It is so stressfree, immediate and expressive and yet I am still a designer. I have my B arch and have considered getting a master's in interior design, but have wondered if then I will be an interior designer in an employer's eyes, instead of an architect with interior design education as well. Can I be both and work in a medium sized firm? Any input?

Speaking from experience in a 15 person architectural office with 1-2 people with interiors backgrounds, I'd say:

Are you tough? Will you stand up for yourself? If not, it's likely that you'll be the interiors person. It's too easy, primarily because no one else wants to be the keeper of the materials library and the one who has to field walk-in reps from Dal-Tile or Maharam. You'd have to very clearly define what your interests and skills are at the beginning and then maintain that position.

I don't know about larger offices or offices with a broader, more holistic interiors/architecture/design mission.

We have an interiors department. They are very talented at what they do but recently one quit to become a mommy. To replace her we slid someone in from the architecture department and she's doing just as good of work. We work closely with them through the design process which I think is a good system. The attempt is to design the actual space with color and material in mind more than a generic finish schedule.

As for them being more talented than architects..hmm, I'd say that's ridiculous. Magazines and publications are no scale of their superior work. An interior job compared to an entire building is like comparing apples to oranges, it's different. The fact is that an architect can make a slide into interiors where as an interior designer cannot do that without the proper degree.

As for them making more money, I question that. I've never known any to make more than architects of equal years experience. Starting pay is poor and principal/partner level ID's make about the same as an architect or less - not more in my experience.

I work in the interiors studio of a large firm (see other post) and the ratio of Architects to Interiors is 60/40. I got into interiors 3 years ago for several reasons, the most important one being the speed in which the projects are executed and responsibility. I got tired of working on 3-5 year projects, and as a good friend put it the next "phallus" for some developer. The only issue that is prevalent in some firms (including this one) is the architecture studio (young people only) seems to think all we know how to do is select paint/fabric.

Common Alfredo,

quit trying to weasle out of it. Just bust out the beret and pink cavat and admit that you're a big ol' flamin pansy.

ill make sure the colors match

how come in every interior design studio it was someone's "concept" to use old Cds in their model? the music kind of Cds you know. ha ha.

my friend used the concept of foliage. As in leaves on walls.

Another one was happiness, as in colorful bubbles everywhere.

ahh, i love my major.

you should post that response in 'phrases that make you cringe'