A panel presented by Leadership, Mentoring, Networking Opportunities for A&D Professionals (LMNOP) on “The Status of Interior Design Licensure in NY,” at Metropolitan Home, Hardware & Bath last week shared the latest updates on the issue of licensing interior designers The panel moderator was Ellen Fisher, whose many roles include VP at IDEC foundation; NYSID VP for Academic Affairs, college dean, and interior design professor; board member at IDLNY; and principal at Ellen Fisher Interior Design. The panelists included Brian Tolman, global design director at Unispace; Sarah Gerber, architect at FX Fowle; Sabrina Pagani, design director at Sarah Pagani Design; and Benjamin Huntington, of Veritate Design.

Sums up Fisher, “It was agreed that interior design expertise, distinct from architecture, is in designing for the health, happiness, productivity, safety, and wellness of people in the built environment, through attention to appropriate lighting, access to daylight, ergonomics, privacy, and awareness of the effects of nature, color, materials, acoustics, and other factors.” Interior design, they shared, should be a part of the design process from start of projects, particularly healthcare, workplace and education interiors where “evidence-based” interior design is particularly notable.

Panelists were also in agreement on the validity of the currently proposed New York State legislation, which would allow designers to, as Fisher explains, “sign, stamp, and seal construction drawings, and submit these to local building departments for permitting, for projects that would not include structural work, changes to the building envelope, or to building systems.”

Learn more about the issues of licensure at the IDLNY Town Hall, to be held on Wednesday, October 14 from 6 to 8 p.m., at Bernhardt, 58 West 40th St, 3rd Floor New York.