What is your job? I am a senior instructor in interior design. It’s as high you can go without being on a tenure track. I (teach) the commercial classes (and) the senior classes in the spring, which help prepare (students) for business and the (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) test. I think there are about 150 students enrolled, so we have a good number. Missouri State is working toward Council for Interior Design accreditation, and I think it’ll make us one step more competitive.
What’s your professional background? I’ve only been teaching for six years. This is my retirement job. Before that, I worked professionally for 30-plus years, mostly in Springfield. I started out in Topeka, Kan., and worked there for a very short time. … I worked for a short time here for another company before I decided to start my own, called Design Coordinators. I merged it with a company from Kansas … then went to Thomas Brothers until I decided to teach. I did a lot of work in health care.
Do you still do any professional interior decorating? Yes. I still work for my old clients. I limit what I do, but I still work. I’d love to do more, but I can’t do everything, and I don’t want to shortchange any of my jobs. And I love teaching. It’s a great way to give back. What are some trends in interior design? Universal design is big. It has a lot to do with thinking of everyone instead of pinpointing people for special needs. We have all these rules for the Americans with Disabilities Act, but really, we all are in the same world. Universal design started out with aging in place. … There are so many things you can do in your home, to help people in all kinds of situations. I hesitate to say disabilities, because there are all kinds of situations. Maybe people are short, but maybe you have adjustable (features) or glass shelves so they can see what’s on the shelf. And, in commercial interior design, I think people (overlook) seating. Have you ever gone into an office, sat down and needed help up? I think people buy residential furniture for commercial … but you can talk to a company about putting extra firmness in the seating (so) people can get up. The other thing is that the size of seats – width – is getting bigger. People are getting bigger (and) manufacturers are touting office chairs that are guaranteed to hold 500 pounds.
How does technology affect commercial interior design? The office as we used to know it is going to start disappearing. As designers start to think about designing for the future, we’re going to have to think way outside the box and in terms of this mobile universe we have. Everyone’s got their computers, laptops and whatever kind of phone they have with Internet service, and they’re on the go. We used to (think about) conference rooms, where you’d have a big table and everyone sits around it. Now we have, perhaps, a room where everybody’s meeting on their computers, or (there’s) someone at the front, who’s running a meeting at places all over the world. Virtual technology is amazing, so conference rooms don’t look like they used to. Offices, I think, are going to start looking more community-like, because they’re going to be just more of a stopping place for the people who are coming and going.
Tell us about the recently published textbook you co-authored. It’s called “Careers in Interior Design” and Marciann Patton and I co-authored it. She’s also a senior instructor, and she emphasizes the residential side. We were asked by Fairchild Books if we’d do a book on careers, and we had the best time doing it. We addressed hotel, restaurant, hospitality, health care and residential and how many people are practicing … what all the pathways are. It came out in March, and took us a couple of years. It’s a lengthy process. We’ll use the book in our pre-internship class, and it’s (available for use) across the country. It’s a great introduction to all the stuff you can do in interior design. (Fairchild Books) recently asked us if we’d do a book on commercial interior design, but we don’t have a contract yet. [[In-content Ad]]
