When I was asked to post the chair's message on the website, I thought that the best thing to do was to share with the world a conversation I happen to have every time a freshman steps into my office asking about interior design. After a brief exchange of polite greetings, a Q & A session starts as follows:

Student: Eh… I am not good at drawing; do you think I can study interior Design?

Chair: Not to worry, if the computer can draw, you certainly can! We first make sure that you take some freehand drawing, some color theory and then we give you the same instructions computers get, in a different language of course! After that you will be able to produce floor plans, elevations and 3D views… having said that, natural gifts will always help.

Student: If I can learn drawing, what more do I need to succeed in ID?

Chair: A lot of good common sense, think in an interactive way and be creative!

Student: How different is architecture from interior design?

Chair: You need one architect to design an office tower but you would need an interior designer for every office… architects design the body and we give it a soul.

Student: Are we then doing interior decoration?

Chair: It is part of what we do but although we deal with colors, fabrics, furniture, etc. We also do space planning which involves a certain level of mastery of building systems, materials and technologies as well as codes and regulations. We are a kind of a hinge between art and technology, decoration and architecture, but most importantly we are the ones who “close the loop” after us comes the contractor, if you see what I mean. I always say that to convert a warehouse to a medical clinic you need an interior designer; a decorator would be of no help.

By the time our students graduate, they understand every word in this discussion, they become more aware of their role in the community, they realize that interior design is more than a spatial layout exercise, it is in a way shaping people's lives.

Dr. Nabyl Chenaf
Acting Chair of Interior Design