Interior Designers Speak More Freely

Jacob Sullum | April 16, 2007

New Mexicans who design interiors are now free to call themselves "interior designers," even if they are not licensed as such by the state. This month Gov. Bill Richardson signed a law that eliminates a protectionist speech restriction that was challenged on First Amendment grounds by an Institute for Justice lawsuit filed last September. If you're worried that anybody with a flair for color can now pretend to have the training necessary to be licensed, fear not: The term licensed interior designer will still be reserved for those who have met the government's credential requirements.

Comments

|4.16.07 @ 1:25PM|#

The term licensed interior designer will still be reserved for those who have met the government's credential requirements.

The only difference is that those that meet the government's Letter of Marque standards... I mean, "credential requirements", will have to quote less for their work now that competition is (finally) unrestricted, at least in New Mexico...

ed|4.16.07 @ 1:27PM|#

This is well and good, so long as they don't dare braid their clients' hair.

|4.16.07 @ 1:29PM|#

The term licensed interior designer will still be reserved for those who have met the government's credential requirements.

As long as the terms incensed interior designer and licentious interior designer are still freely available, I'm okay with this.

stephen the goldberger|4.16.07 @ 1:46PM|#

this is stupid

|4.16.07 @ 2:01PM|#

...so long as they don't dare braid their clients' hair.

isn't that exterior design?

ed|4.16.07 @ 2:06PM|#

There's a "nappy-headed" joke in here somewhere but I ain't touching it.

|4.16.07 @ 2:44PM|#

I don't get it. Are unlicensed interior designers more apt to improperly mix plaids, prints and stripes?

ed|4.16.07 @ 3:15PM|#

I think it's a feng shui thing. You know, putting a vase where a refrigerator should be. Or something. The horrors!

|4.16.07 @ 3:23PM|#

Not that I agree with any certifications, but you all know that interior designers are different than interior decorators? Still an unnecessary certification.

s.m. koppelman|4.16.07 @ 3:39PM|#

That's the funny thing right there. Interior designers -- the credentialed, licensed kind, anyway -- don't fiddle with paint swatches and feng shui diagrams all day. They go to architecture school and learn how to do HVAC load and balancing calculations. They study a fair bit of plumbing and electrical design, the energy efficiency and fire-safety of different materials, stuff like that. They generally know enough about architecture to draw up floorplans that make sense and pass code inspections. In most states they also have to have some years of professional experience in the field before becoming eligible for a license, in order to better ensure real-world experience in interpreting building codes, the permitting process, working with building contractors and suppliers, etc.

The ones who just move vases around and coordinate the wallpaper and drapes are interior decorators. Anyone can call themselves one of those.

I understand the libertarian case against state licensing of this sort of profession, but in its absence there would still be a need for trusted certification authorities, even if they're all private if only to help potential customers quickly pare down their choices when selecting someone to hire.

|4.16.07 @ 3:51PM|#

I understand the libertarian case against state licensing of this sort of profession, but in its absence there would still be a need for trusted certification authorities, even if they're all private if only to help potential customers quickly pare down their choices when selecting someone to hire.

Well, maybe there would be YOUR need for a trusted certificator. That is the difference between letting the market decide for a certification authority (a la UL) or none at all, and asking the government to impose one upon us all, at gunpoint.

Single Issue Voter|4.16.07 @ 10:08PM|#

If Richardson would do this for all licensed professions I'd drop my single issue opposition to his Presidential Campaign.

Paul|4.17.07 @ 1:58AM|#

I understand the libertarian case against state licensing of this sort of profession, but in its absence there would still be a need for trusted certification authorities, even if they're all private if only to help potential customers quickly pare down their choices when selecting someone to hire.

So start an indistry certifying organization of those who have the credentials and training. They can even adopt the old government standards and advertise it as such.