Have a burning question that you want answered other than “What's the point in asking someone if they lie?” Then email us at contact@plinthandchintz.com, and be sure to put ASK ME in the subject line. Due to the volume of questions and/or the obscurity of your particular question, we may not get to it in the next issue, but we'll do our best to keep up.
Could you help me find a list of firms that are NCIDQ certified in North Carolina? I’m asking because I recently found out that in order to get your license you need to work under someone who is NCIDQ certified. I’m graduating soon from a college in California with an Associates of Arts degree in Interior Design, and I plan to move to NC for a couple years until I have enough money to move back to California and get my license. I do plan to go back to school while I am in NC to get my Bachelors degree. What would you recommend that I do?(submitted by Elizabeth G.) As answered by Laura McDonald Stewart, ASID/IIDA
Elizabeth, we are very happy that you are thinking ahead in planning your interior design career, so let me clarify a few things and help you out.
NCIDQ doesn't actually certify firms. Individual designers sit for the NCIDQ Exam, and if they pass all three sections and receive a number from NCIDQ, then they are considered NCIDQ-certified. No matter where they work – whether for themselves or for a firm – they hold that distinction, but it has nothing to do with the firm that they work for. Now how to find those people…
According to the Regulatory Agencies page on the NCIDQ website, it doesn't appear that North Carolina currently has any kind of interior design legislation – i.e., something like a Title or Practice Act. If it did, then it would have a regulatory body, which would oversee those who were registered interior designers in the state. For example, Texas is one of those states with an Interior Design Title Act, and the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners oversees registered interior designers, registered architects, and registered landscape architects. On that website, anyone can look up individual registered members by going here.
However, since North Carolina does not have a regulatory body like this, there is no collective database from which to search for registered members, which usually means that they have passed the NCIDQ Exam. (There are certain instances where this is not the case, but that topic is too complicated to get into here.) On the NCIDQ website there is no way to search for those who have passed the NCIDQ either as it is private information. On option is to go to the ASID Carolinas Chapter website and/or the IIDA Carolinas website and contact them to find NCIDQ-certified interior designers in North Carolina.
An additional option – which will take a little effort on your part but will ultimately be well worth it when you get that plum internship! – is to:
• Go to asid.org. • Click on the “Find A Designer” link in the light gray bar running down the right-hand side of the Home page. • Click on the “ASID Referral Service” link in the body of content on the page. • Select “Show Professionals Only” where is asks “Please select the member type to view.” This is very important because these individuals will have the appellation "ASID" (as opposed to "Allied Member ASID") behind their names, which means that they've probably passed the NCIDQ. (There are certain instances where this is not the case, but that topic is too complicated to get into here.) • Search by city and state or even by zip code if you want to try to find people in a particular geographical area. • Start going through the firm websites and see what interests you. When one looks interesting, call. Explain that you are looking to intern under an NCIDQ-certified interior designer and confirm that the individual that you found online – or someone else at the firm – is indeed NCIDQ-certified. Just be honest about what you are trying to do. The designer or firm should understand.
One last thing… I am assuming that you have done all of the research to make sure that you will be following an educational path that will qualify you to sit for the NCIDQ Exam in the first place, right? Just to make sure, I highly recommend that you research NCIDQ’s Exam Eligibility Routes. Since you want to end up practicing in California, I would also highly recommend that you research ID regulations outlined by the state’s ID regulatory body, the California Council for Interior Design Certification. There is no point in finding an NCIDQ-certified interior designer to intern under if your educational experience doesn’t actually qualify you to sit for the exam. That would be one big world of disappointment, so do a little research now to save a whole bunch of heartache later.
Answer by: Laura McDonald Stewart, ASID/IIDA Founder, PLiNTH & CHiNTZ
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