How do Interior Designers talk?

November 9, 2015 3:25 PM

What do Interior Designers talk about among peers? Looking for topics from logistical to theoretical. What is important to Interior Designers? What verbs do they use, what are their specialized vocab and sayings? What drives them to create? What do they hope their content to communicate? If the inner circle of the top Interior Designers went out for a drink, what would they discuss? What is the culture of Interior Design like?
posted by nologo to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

You're probably looking for a residential or commercial interior designer, but my partner's a VP at a company that refurbishes old malls. He's basically a construction dude who makes construction pretty, while working with the retailers in fancy malls who have REALLY specific design needs if they're going to agree to be in a mall.

They say things like: design concept, retail concept, CONCEPTS, brand identity, boldness, sight lines, mixed use, transit-integrated, community planning, community hearing, lots of stuff about cost estimates, construction management, LEED, CEQA, exemptions, soft open, etc.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:04 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

Can you clarify your question? Otherwise it's vague and you won't get very many helpful answers.

What's the goal of your question? Is it to communicate better with interior designers? Are you trying to sell a product to interior designers? Create a platform for interior designers?
posted by suedehead at 4:14 PM on November 9, 2015

The magazines House Beautiful and Architectural Digest have a lot of conversations with interior designers that give a good picture of how they talk.
posted by cecic at 5:40 PM on November 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

If this is research for a book, I'd suggest picking up some interior design magazines (especially high-end ones) and have a good browse for phrases. Any library should have a couple.
posted by kariebookish at 4:44 AM on November 10, 2015

There is a big difference between public/commercial work and private work. They have different economies and different vocabularies. A few span the field, but as far as I can see, they adapt to the different circumstances.
posted by mumimor at 1:34 PM on November 10, 2015