Difference Between Interior Designer & Interior Decorator

This is one of the questions I used to get all the time. I do remember getting into a VERY heated discussion with a friend and some guy at a bar one time when I was in college about this very topic. I still feel bad about the drink I threw in his face ;) You must know that for an educated and professionally trained Interior Designer this is a very sensitive question. "What's the big deal? You say Tomato, I say Tomahto" Let me start out by saying I have nothing against Interior Decorators. I believe that it is a very reputable title to give to someone. However, for myself, who has studied Interior Design at the collegiate level, has passed the NCIDQ exam and has dedicated most of my life to Interior Design, I would like to be referred to as a Designer not a Decorator or "pillow fluffer" as some may say :).

So what is the difference? I finally found a wonderful article that states the differences beautifully. Here are the key points to the article:

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) defines an interior designer as one who "is professionally trained to create a functional and quality interior environment. Qualified through education, experience and examination, a professional designer can identify, research and creatively resolve issues and lead to a healthy, safe and comfortable physical environment." At it's heart, interior design is the art and science of understanding people's behavior in order to create functional spaces within the structures that architects design.

Interior designers are responsible for a wide variety of tasks including: organizing a space to suit its function, making sure that designs match are in compliance with building and safety codes, managing the construction and installation of a design, and even designing for appropriate acoustics and sound transmission. An interior designer is also responsible selecting and specifying fixtures, furnishings, products, materials and colors -- but note that is just one of many responsibilities.

Interior designers are also -- in some, but not all states -- required to have a license (usually acquired by completing the NCIDQ exam). This licensing certifies that the designer is a qualified professional who has the background and schooling required to make complex decisions about interior spaces.

Okay, so what does an Interior Decorator do?

Interior decorators, on the other hand, are primarily concerned with surface decoration -- paint, fabric, furnishings, lighting and other materials. Decoration is often characterized as the furnishing or adorning of a space with appropriate (often fashionable or attractive) things.

"But wait," you say. "Don't interior designers do that too?" The answer is often yes, but the biggest difference is that the interior designer typically has a number of other issues on his or her mind. For instance, when it comes to floor coverings, an interior decorator will probably be responsible for choosing the type, color, texture, and pattern. The interior designer, on the other hand, will make the selection based on those criteria, with an additional eye towards the appropriateness of type, usage, sound transference, acoustic properties, flammability, off-gassing properties, static electricity requirements and flammability.

So, this is a sincere apology if I have bitten your head off after being called a Pillow Fluffer or Decorator. I know you didn't mean it...you just didn't know any better. But now you do so be forewarned!