Why become an interior designer?

Being an interior designer puts you in a privileged position. You are trusted by the client and, in the case of commissions by private clients, you have intimate access to their homes and way of life. You are given freedom to create spaces that will become an everyday part of their lives. You can propose radical planning solutions that may overturn preconceptions. According to the budget, you will source and curate all the elements that make up the interior space. You can select beautiful pieces of furniture, interesting and unusual finishes, and color schemes that together create drama, serenity, or whatever other mood the client wants for their space. For a creative personality all of this is satisfying in itself, but the problems that the global community will face through the coming decades off er lots of opportunities to try our creativity further. Climate change and population growth are causing problems that we need to address, and the solutions are almost all to do with the way that we lead our lives. Current ways of working and living will change, and whether theses changes turn out to be sudden and dramatic or slower and more subtle, changes in lifestyle will mean that designers are required to navigate new landscapes and propose alternative routes for clients to allow them to meet their commitments as part of the new global, responsible society, whilst still maintaining a sense of well being derived from their immediate surroundings. As well as these changes, there is a growing acceptance that the current condition of public and private spaces does not facilitate their use equally by all members of society. ‘Inclusive design’ answers this by considering the needs of all people during the design process, that is, anyone and everyone who may have call to use the space including children, the elderly, those carrying heavy or awkward loads, and so on.