POSTED: August 29, 2005 by Alex R
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OK
this is from over 6 months ago. If you do a search like that there are many posts re: Sheffield. :)
Home Study
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Hi there,
A few of us on the forum have taken the Sheffield course. I am taking the course and have started a business and I know of others that have started businesses as well.
Luvdesign
Home studies
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Yes as Luvdesign mentioned, alot of people are taking Sheffield and loving it. However, you do know get the "interior Designer" designation afterwards. You can call youself a decorator though.
You could also take night classes.. alot of colleges and universities have night classes in interior design.
MamboGirl
just to expand...
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As Mambogirl mentioned..many of us are studying from home with Sheffield. I for one am loving it, & learning plenty. However, there are licensing issues if you are interested in working as "designer"> Follow the link below & also look into ARIDO. I think it will help you in making your decision. There are a few things to consider when choosing the school for you.
[url]http://www.ncidq.com/faqs.htm[/url]
Hope this helps...
dy'n 2 decor8
who has been approached by this advertising rep to do the same. It looked familiar and he confirmed that we were approached to do the same. You pay a set fee and then they do a "promotional editorial" about you and your business. Some are really obscure magazines you've never heard of and "ALWAYS" target the $1,000,000 + income bracket or real estate area closest to you... The No-Name Magazines I have believed to be a bit of a scam. I must get 3-4 phone calls a week from this sort of advertising salesperson... I find it all a bit humourous. I should scan and post one such magazine I was sent - the "EDITOR" had photoshopped a RIDICULOUS picture of herself on the cover of the magazine. The "DECOR SECTION " using the term LOOSELY was of pictures circa 1983... laughable doesn't even BEGIN to describe that magazine. Many of the newspaper publishers do these web promotional pages as well. The company being editorialized has to pay for it - so it's hardly unbiased. Still - when placed with a reputable paper it bodes well - but as consumers of said information, I think it is worthwhile to know that these articles were paid for. Toronto Life does it too, as do many other publications - just something to keep in mind is all!
I even thought H&H did it until they featured the Studio and didn't send a bill! HA!
How did you determine that the article was a paid advertisement for Sheffield? Also, I think that any educational institution is smart to promote their most successfull graduates as a way of attracting new students.
If Dyin' has any thoughts about Sheffield, I'd love to hear them. The more people I talk to about this program, the more informed I will be. :)
she would also be able to speak on this.
I did a little research on that article that was posted on Canoe. It was a paid advertisement by Sheffield.
I have never seen their manifest. I would be most interested. I agree with Nuhouse on drive and ambition being a huge factor. Also what you hope to gain from it has a huge bearing! If you aren't salivating at the thought of going and working for Anna Simone ... (I mean how can you NOT want to work for her? Think of all the crisp white shirts you would be starching!) and choosing to enrich your own hobby, I don't see how a correspondence program would be a bad idea. I am not sure of the costs whatsoever so I say that on the condition that the price is affordabley reasonable.
I still stand behind finding out more about who evaluates you. You want to make sure that you are getting an educated & professional opinion on your work. There were times even at the college level that I only received a letter grade and a well done... hardly useful in the way of constructive feedback - but at least I had a person to go to discuss this with.
When I started the Seneca program, I did so on a.. "Well, I will take this course and if it is a rehash of everything I already know then I won't continue - hardly wanted a Crafter's Corner of Colour Design." Thankfully, I was knocked on my A** with the amount of learning I had ahead of me and the workload ensured that I didn't sleep for 6 weeks and developed an intense hate of spray glue and rubber cement.
I will see if I can procure some contact with Dyn' on this for you to touch base with her on it.
These are two of the people I wanted to talk to about this :)
A
Thanks for posting the links to the Web sites of Sheffield grads.
Nu-house - I agree (but we've been in touch so you already know that!). ;)
I'm with you on the 75%!
Honestly, I have been thinking about this for soooo long (before I even joined this forum) and am close to a descision. For years I have been looking at the courses offered at some of the colleges which are all great but not one works with my schedule. I also investigated 2 other correspondence courses - RODEC was one (there have been some some discussions on this one before) and the Art Institute which has both in-class and on-line (I requested info from them and who knows what the cost will be) but they are both really expensive.
From what I've heard from those who have taken the course, it's been fairly enjoyable. I just want to better my own skills as a decorator and learn more about my favorite hobby so I can help my friends & family with their places (which I do anyway). It's not like after the course I'm going to run out and apply for a job with Brian Gluckstien or (heaven forbid) Anna Simone...
There is a lot to be said for the importance of education and I won't disagree with Red on that point. I just feel that sales and marketing experience, coupled with experience in businesss, and a design/decorating education/background makes an all around good business person. Half of the battle is that it's a very competitive industry but I think we can do more to help one another, than to tear each other down. Building a support network is very important.
Just my thoughts.
These two owners of businesses are grads of Sheffield.
[url]http://www.refineddesigns.ca[/url]
[url]http://www.willowridgedesign.ca/[/url]
One is in NS. The other in BC.
I hope this helps. I am sure they would be only too happy to chat with you. Before they became so busy they both used to post on the H&H forums and help us all. :) :)
I think I'm going to sign up. Not 100% sure yet, but I'd say about 75%...... I can't take time off to go back to school full time and so this would e the best option for me.
Are you going to enroll?
I would love to be study buddies with you - but through correspondence of course! ha ha
Are you going to sign up?
You've got reply mail headed your way! :D
Design time, you have incoming mail :-) You're welcome! :-) Best to you!!!
Nu-House - thanks so much for your offer to allow me to contact you regarding the Sheffield program! That's so sweet!
Alex R - Great article, thanks for posting it. :) Hey, maybe if we both decide to take the course we can be study buddies!
[url]http://www.canoe.ca/CareerConnectionNews/040526_intdesign.html[/url]
Here's an article I found about a sucessful Sheffield graduate. Maybe you recognize her. I didn't see any episodes of this show.
I would like to contact you too about this. I am very interested in hearing your thoughts on the Sheffield course.
Thanks,
Alex
Red, I respectfully disagree with everything you've said about Sheffield. I think that personal ambition, coupled with education has a lot to do with success.
Designtime, if you would like to contact me, I would be more than pleased to share with you my experience with Sheffield. You can leave me your email address through H&H.
Nu.
It's at the bottom of page two of this thread..... Thanks!
if you don't mind my asking....how long have you been in the business?...actually how long have any of the interior designers/decorators that particpate on the forum been doing what they do best and so love to do?
that Industrial Designers are also involved in Interior Design. Karim Rashid is one of the better known designers famous for his Umbra Line of Home Accessories... other Industrial Designers are also responsible for Furniture Design.
You do not have to be an acredited Interior Designer to be a designer. Depends on what you are designing. Many Kitchen Designers are not Interior Designers and still receive this designation. ASID and ARIDO are fierce about who can call themselves an Interior Designer and many people in the industry are happy to leave them to their battles.
As with any profession, just because someone has completed the schooling and has passed the required tests doesn't make them any good at what they do!
Natural Design Ability and an ability to read and interpret what a Client wants and needs and then making it happen are far more useful in the long run!
Educate yourselves about the programs you are going to take and make sure they will give you the knowledge and wherewithall that you so desire and then make it happen! I have had colleagues who took courses and decided they wanted to go into drafting (didn't want to deal with clients) or became stylists (didn't want to deal with clients) after getting into some prestigious programs... to each his/her own!
I have an Industrial Designer in my firm and have had an ARIDO member as Jr. Designer coupled with Decorators. The Decorators who took the College programs were far more versatile and clients responded better to them than my ARIDO associate... My Industrial Designer handles all of our technical drawings and Kitchen/Bath Design... My head swims when it comes to that stuff I much prefer to do things my hand!
Interior Designers
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.
Interior Decorators
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.
What is the difference when someone calls themselves interior decorator to someone that is an interior designer. :confused:
Ok, so regardless of whether or not I take the Sheffield course, a co-op or internship is going to be a necessity.
Does anyone have suggestions on how to approach designers in my area about the possiblity of such an opportunity? What type of portfolio would I be expected to present? Any suggestions on what approach to take?
Working Designers: How receptive would you be to someone wanting to work for you (at no cost to you) simply to gain experience in the field? Red, I know you hired a former client who had no schooling in the field (that gives me hope!).
Thanks all for your input - it is really appreciated!
there are many people who call themselves decorators who have no formal training or experience. However, Trade Only Suppliers will investigate your business before they will open their doors wide open to you. For example, very few decorators are given fabric libraries for FREE. Many have to purchase through programs and so forth or are only granted access to the showrooms. After you have had an account for some time, they will be able to monitor the volume of business you do and will grant privileges accordingly. With Kravet Fabrics, I have done so much business with them I now receive the equivalent of dividends based on my total sales. New books arrive monthly to add to my bursting at the seams library. Joanne Fabrics, on the other hand, I rarely use and have MINIMAL books... and so on..
With some suppliers, I have to include references and show financial information before they will consider opening an account with me. One supplier, I have joked, requires a DNA sample before they will even entertain the idea of letting you sell THEIR product!
Theoretically, if someone decides to start up a small decorating business - can they just start calling suppliers and visiting showrooms and say that they are a decorator or do these suppliers/tradespeople ask for some sort of proof?
alexr, i believe you have to be a registered business in the province you are in and hold a vendors permit # so you can visit and buy from showrooms/suppliers.
So decorators aren't regulated by a governing body? Does that mean that anyone can call themselves a decorator if they want to even if they don't have any schooling? Is this correct?
Theoretically, if someone decides to start up a small decorating business - can they just start calling suppliers and visiting showrooms and say that they are a decorator or do these suppliers/tradespeople ask for some sort of proof?
and she said that they do not pay dues to CDECA, only to IDDP.
Lucky for them to be an employee! I'm sure they'll learn a lot!
became an employee officially yesterday!!
Red, thanks again. Good advice. A co-op with a recognized designer is going to be a must for me, I think. Not, just ot make that happen.... :eek: