Krista Easterly

Massachusetts leads the country in many areas of progressive legislation. But when it comes to modernizing the commercial interior design industry, states like Iowa and Oklahoma lead the charge, leaving Massachusetts woefully behind.  

We interior designers love our work – we sculpt spaces that comfort the sick, welcome the weary and set the tone for people’s daily experiences. We want to ensure that commercial interior design is a viable career path for the many practitioners who share our passion. 

Unlike architects, interior designers lack the title of “licensed professional” in the commonwealth, which harms designers, their clients and the state economy. However, a state bill – S.2408 – seeks to officially recognize commercial interior design as a regulated, licensed profession. Sasaki supports this bill wholeheartedly. 

Profession at a Disadvantage  

Licensure will give Massachusetts interior designers a competitive edge. We cannot currently sign drawings or contracts, seek commercial work without a registered architect signing on our behalf or bid on public work beyond furniture selection in Massachusetts. This hampers Massachusetts interior designers relative to counterparts in other states. To compete for state work, interior design business owners often must sell their majority ownership to architects or seek licenses in another state, costing the state revenue. 

Commercial interior designers’ rigorous education, experience and examination qualifies us to be recognized as licensed professionals. We are involved in all parts of the design process, working with clients to develop programs, ensuring regulatory and code compliance, producing non-structural construction documents, coordinating with engineers and overseeing construction administration.  

Like architects, we focus on the health, safety and welfare of building occupants. Interior designers shape the places we spend our lives, from cafes and libraries to research labs and hospitals. This bill recognizes our expertise, benefiting not just the design industry but all who occupy the built environment. 

This bill does not seek to expand the scope of practice of commercial interior design or diminish other disciplines – architects will continue to be the only designers that may stamp structural drawings. Rather, this bill intends to provide opportunities to practitioners in the commonwealth who have equivalent qualifications to their peers in allied fields, yet lack authority in the design industry. The legal recognition of commercial interior designers will elevate the entire design and construction industry. 

Significant Boon to Careers 

Liz von Goeler is a principal interior designer and the chair of external relations at Sasaki, with over 25 years of extensive interior design experience, including workplace design for Microsoft and Cambridge Biomarketing. As she puts the issue, “recognition of the education, knowledge, and skills of the commercial interior designers in Massachusetts will boost the career trajectories of not only those currently in the profession but also those seeking to enter this field.”  

Licensing commercial interior designers will ensure safe and code-compliant building interiors by holding us to a higher standard. Architects, landscape architects, engineers and interior designers all possess degrees from accredited programs, conduct supervised work in the field, and pass certifying exams before they become professionals. However, the state recognizes only licenses for architects, landscape architects and engineers. These disciplines undergo continuing education, and in exchange, Massachusetts provides seats on regulating boards and selection committees, and influence on policy at the state level. Our status as unlicensed professionals denies interior designers a seat at that table.  

Passing S.2408 is necessary because commercial interior designers deserve to practice to our fullest potential. Massachusetts understands the importance of the interior design profession. UMass Dartmouth is one of five institutions in the state that offers a Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)-accredited degree program. Eight hundred and sixteen professionals and countless students across the commonwealth are waiting to be recognized as equals, given a seat at the table and allowed to cultivate their careers to the fullest. Sasaki supports S.2408 and asks for your support as well. 

Krista Easterly is an interior designer at Sasaki.