CCIDC Clarifies Position on Commercial Interior Design Certification, Asserting Current CID Stamp and Title "Adequate to Cover the Entire Statute"

Fremont, California, July 24, 2016 (Newswire.com) - In recent letter correspondence with the Interior Design Coalition of California (IDCC), the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC) discussed whether the introduction of a separate certification or certification stamp was necessary for commercial interior designers in the state of California. The introduction of a new qualifying certification for commercial interior designers as proposed by the IDCC was intended to specifically target interior designers working in the commercial industry, after some confusion was expressed over what the requirements for a ‘commercial interior designer’ should be.
However, the CCIDC has clarified the position that the current, existing certification for all interior designers adequately covers the needs of commercial interior designers, without the requirement for a separate designation or certification of ‘commercial interior designers’. Douglas R. Stead, Executive Director for the CCIDC explained why no additional certification was necessary, “This topic was discussed heavily at the inception of certification 25 years ago and dismissed by those responsible for the implementation of that statute as being unnecessary and redundant”.
The CCIDC believes specific commercial interior design certification unnecessary as there has been no demand from certified interior designers in California for a separate title relating to commercial interior design. Additional certification is seen as superfluous because the Certified Interior Designer title already adequately prepares interior designers in California for the requisites necessary to protect Californian consumers. The CCIDC is the only organization that can meet the demands of the California legislature and Californian consumers in terms of the education, examination and experience requirements for interior designers that practice in California. Due to the rigorous nature of the existing CID qualification, and its inclusiveness of all professionals in the field of interior design, the CID stamp is seen as adequate in itself for the needs of consumers and the Californian legal requirements.
However, in their written response, the CCIDC recommended that if additional commercial interior design qualifications were to be pursued, that this should be done in collaboration with CALBO, the professional organization of building officials. CALBO is the organization that administers the building codes in California, and thus any interior designer requesting commercial interior design qualification will need to answer to CALBO and meet their requirements.
A potential solution that could benefit both parties was posited by Stead, who suggested that “interior designers who were interested [could] take various and appropriate CALBO education courses designed for building officials”. This could allow interior designers to display their accreditation with a CID stamp as well as identify those designers who had met the additional CALBO program requirements. Stead noted, however, this proposal would only work with CALBO’s full support.
Stead went on to acknowledge that the pursuit and implementation of this idea was incumbent on IDCC and CALBO, to develop an acknowledgement that would both satisfy the requirements of interior designers and be recognized by CALBO as the leading body of building professionals. However, as yet CALBO have been hesitant to implement such a plan and more work needs to be done on the part of IDCC to develop this.

As CCIDC strives to endorse certification that promotes accountability, public transparency and the health, safety and welfare of California consumers, the current CID stamp and certification is seen as sufficient for all interior designers in all fields at this time.

California Legislative Coalition for Interior Design

Source: California Legislative Coalition for Interior Design