Let’s Get Some Interior Design

By: Megan Crider

As we approach the end of the semester, every student begins to plot their studio work to be presented.  Naturally, the workflow in the lab increases dramatically.  During my shift yesterday, one of the other lab assistants was helping me manage the influx of students and plots.  One of the sheets being printed was that of a junior interior design student.  My fellow lab assistant was admiring the renderings on the sheet and made a comment about how beneficial it would be for our architecture curriculum to include an interior design class…

I agree.  Granted I am biased because my undergraduate degree was in interior design.

I doubt our condensed graduate curriculum has room for an additional class.  Well frankly it doesn’t.  I do feel though that in one or two of our classes a little bit more attention could be paid to the in-depth design of an interior space or two…. I feel that architecture students miss out on quite a bit by not having this exposure.  Their focus is largely on the exterior of the building – I get it, after all that is the architecture.  But the design of the interior is a whole other story.  Material selections of everything from the wall finishes to the flooring come into play, as well as furniture, fixture, and lighting selections, all the while color schemes and choices are kept in mind.  Interior design a lot of times is a much more complex and intricate entity that requires a lot of diligent thought and attention.  I am not knocking architecture by any means, but those students are really missing a different and fulfilling experience.  Not to mention I find it kind of fun, in a designy, nerdy sort of way.