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The Profession: • Interior Designers create functional, accessible, and beautiful design solutions for your home/family/business/workplace in a collaborative process which considers your vision, your lifestyle, and your budget. • An Interior Designer will map out your space in a set of technical drawings that include electrical wiring, plumbing, flooring, and the way people move through that space. • Interior Designers know when building permits are required for projects and they have the knowledge to apply for a building permit on your behalf. • Interior Designers will work with trusted tradespeople including contractors, plumbers, and electricians, among others, to complete your project. • A lot of people think an Interior Designer is just responsible for the way things look in a space. But we work on what’s below the surface too. On a project, we will address both form and function. The Title: • The title ‘Interior Designer’ is regulated in Ontario. ARIDO Registered members may use the title ‘Interior Designer’, as we have completed a rigorous training process to earn this credential. ARIDO Standards • ARIDO protects the public by setting and enforcing the standards for the profession. To become a Registered member, individuals must meet ARIDO’s current standards, of a CIDA approved Bachelor of Interior Design, supervised work experience under a qualified professional and pass the 3 part NCIDQ practice exam. • You have peace of mind engaging a Registered Interior Designer on your project because we adhere to an established code of ethics and practice standards, and maintain professional liability insurance". ARIDO Association of Registered Interior designers of Ontario. 2020 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Tracy's comment: As an advocate for the client. Ask yourself: Who would you rather hire to design and decorate your spaces? A person who has credentials and expertise or " a contractor alone- without an interior designer"? " Remember: a contractor does not go to school, does not go through professional training, does not have a certified credential and does not have to maintain a license to practise their trade and does not carry any type of insurance for their design". Together the projects are great- it is like completing a recipe. You need the recipe and the products to succeed.
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Wow, 2020 has sure been a year that will go down in history, for many reasons both political and personal.
We have seen the end to living a lifestyle we all knew- and now, we are onto new chapters in all our lives, whether wanted or not. Gone are the days of merrily going for a walk without a mask or a wet wipe in your pocket. Now we have to wipe off everything that we touch or want to bring into the home from outside spaces. Did you ever think that you would be wearing a mask inside everywhere- beyond halloween? I sure didn't. I also did not think that I would be home so much. After 2019's Breast Cancer- I was looking forward to freedom, Yes, I am fine now. Yes, my hair has grown back in- curly...which is very entertaining from someone who has had poker straight hair for their entire life. Yes, I have stared at my walls far longer than most people and have redecorated it millions of times in my head and I have moved the furniture, art and accessories about. That was in 2019...now what to do? Most people are at home and have stressed out about many issues. Why is there no more space? Man, we need more space! Moving is difficult for many reasons beyond money. So take a staycation and rejuvenate! Where to start? Clean your closets out. Clean the junk out, Reorganize the products and you will be amazed what happens when your life is organized! Rearrange the accessories and art- that is amazing- how it transforms a space. Change the use of the space. Why does a bedroom have to remain a bedroom? It can become a den, office, dining room or a large closet to store the stuff- which creates more space in the spaces that you live in. Paint, wallpaper and patience can do remarkable things to a space! Carpet and area rugs can add pizzazz! Lighting is magical- dimmer switches make your world a better place for everything! Art is what makes you smile! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.... We are open for business! Best! Tracy Keep healthy, keep two masks on your person- in case one breaks- and a bottle of sanitizer! If there is a Home Show happening in Toronto, I am usually speaking with the Design Dilemma group with Homes and Reno Magazine.
2020 COLOUR: What is interior design doing to reflect this New Decade? Thus far 2020 has shown us that colour is FINALLY BACK - not that it EVER left my palette...but for those who have been afraid to leave their security blanket of neutral palettes...It is refreshing! and It is about TIME! Spring is a time of renewal...Pre-spring is the time to "ponder the possibilities" of "a colour filled spring fling." The nice thing about colour is that there are so many ways to marry it into your space. If you are a " virgin" colour enthusiast- it may be, as simple as, a towel change, a new accessory throw and pillows and perhaps a table runner and some beautifully colourful flowers. This will refresh your space and start your change in attitude. It might even make you more daring and open to a new palette or three! If you are more daring, the layering of colour and pattern throughout your spaces ( including your residential and work spaces) are ready and waiting to be explored! Just remember "trends are only that"- Select what YOU LOVE to make your space Yours! Happy First Quarter of the Roaring 20's! Make it a blast - by using colour in your interiors! Designs by O'Brien has been guiding colour filled spaces for two and a half decades +. I blend, shades, tones and values to create very unique interior spaces which change as the light changes throughout the day.
Definition of Interior Design- by NCIDQ, "Interior design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements, and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.
Interior design includes a scope of services performed by a professional design practitioner, qualified by means of education, experience and examination, to protect and enhance the health, life safety and welfare of the public. These services may include any or all of the following tasks:
I have taken this quotation from the NCIDQ Governing Body for Interior Designers "Many people use the terms "interior design" and "interior decorating" interchangeably, but these professions differ in critical ways. Interior design is the art and science of understanding people's behavior to create functional spaces within a building. Decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful things. In short, interior designers may decorate, but decorators do not design. Interior designers apply creative and technical solutions within a structure that are functional, attractive and beneficial to the occupants' quality of life and culture. Designs respond to and coordinate with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology -- including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process — to satisfy the client’s needs and resources. U.S. states and Canadian provinces have passed laws requiring interior designers to be licensed or registered and to document their formal education and training. Many states and provinces also specifically require all practicing interior designers to earn the NCIDQ Certification to demonstrate their experience and qualifications. By contrast, interior decorators require no formal training or licensure". In Ontario, our association is called ARIDO ( The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario). To be professionally qualified to be titled a Registered Interior Designer of Ontario, you are required to be a Member in good standing. IDC is the Interior Designers of Canada who is our second body which regulates our continuing education requirements, as well as, other issues. As I sit here overlooking the lake and Toronto, watching the traffic and hear it swooshing past, I reflect on the year past.
For our family, it has been very overwhelming. Our, Mark ( Susan), Tara and myself, had suddenly lost our mother to aggressive brain cancer,and Susan lost her mother to Alzheimer's 3 months to the day before our Mom. What can I say, life changes and we sort through it. It has been a lot of sorting- and I am still doing it. Ah change... The best changes in my life- I moved again! ( 5 times in 5 years...no, I do not enjoy moving- I did it for my parents). This move was for myself- back to Toronto. A fresh new start! What I have learned about moving....MANY things! 1. Give yourself more time than you "assume" to " clean house" and pack up. a) Rid yourself of extraneous things before you move. They cost you more to move... b) All those things that you do not require- recycle them to Good Will/ Value Village etc. or a charity shop. If you decide that your "stuff"is valuable, sell it... online. Kijjiji.com or Craigslist.com or Freecycle.com are great! (Garage sales are usually too much hassle). Furniture: Call someone who will pick it up- The Furniture Bank will...if it is in good order.Toronto area. c) Hiring movers- interview them first. Have them come to assess your stuff- after you pack it- or have them do it. I have tried many- a realtor usually has some good ideas for the area. Also, have a mover that is in your area. ..those KMs add up. Homestars.ca is another resource for all things "home" related. d) Do not ask your friends, the kind ones will offer to help. Thanks to those who have seen me through this last one...Holy Godsends! e) Use a real estate agent to find a new place for you and your "stuff". The latest renting schemes could leave you poorer and without a space. f) Treat your movers well...water bottles, coffee/tea, paper towels to wipe their faces, food for lunch- non greasy... and appreciate that they are saving your body from physical pain...as you will have enough rearranging to do later. g) Have the new space, painted and ensure that the floors are going to be cleaned for you. Carpet needs to be cleaned prior to your move and hardwood/lam etc. Take photos before you move anything into the space- for reference and date stamp them. Send a set to the landlord and keep a set for yourself. No contesting imagery if anything happens. h) Before you move in- allow two days grace..The day before you move into your new space: Take the above mentioned imagery. - Go to check that there is toilet paper, paper towels, the space is clean and deliver your food. Clean the fridge again- for yourself. Clean the bathrooms again too. Your clean is not someone else's clean. Clean whatever you need to...as your clean is not someone else's clean. After you move, allow yourself one day to return to ensure nothing was left, the space is clean enough and to deliver the keys. i) Storage for those non required items- always check if there is a locker or enough for your stuff. Never store family photos in a locker....if there was ever a flood - or a fire, you would feel sick! Never store clothing, wood in a cold or too hot of a space, or paint or art. Temperature is important! j) Always have a radio playing while a move is going on- it keeps the mood upbeat. If the movers are slowing down- play something uplifting! |
Tracy O'BrienAfter 25+ years in the interior design business, I have seen and learned many things. These are a taste of what I have learned... Archives
September 2020
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