Dear Designers: "How Dare You?"
People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
-Greta Thunberg
Designers, this one is for you… when visiting local showrooms, ask them what products are sustainable. Ask them how they are sustainable. Then, watch as they squirm. Why are they squirming? We never asked them for this before. In fact, I have had showrooms ask me, “what do you mean by sustainable?”
"Although environmentally sustainable interior design (ESID) has become a major issue in interior design practice, according to the literature the frequency with which interior designers make sustainable choices in real practice is still limited, particularly where materials selection is concerned."
Designers… how dare you? Particularly those of you with college degrees. I know you took sustainability courses. They probably had different names at different universities. Mine was “The Built Environment” and it moved me. I was touched by the designs that considered the environment and how people can live with the environment in a way that was beneficial to us, our communities, and the earth. So, why do we continue to specify materials that do not consider sustainability?
Is it because we aren’t educated? Here’s a resolution to that- get educated. Ignorance is never an excuse.
Is it because the client has an aesthetic that absolutely must be met? This one gets a bit harder. I have my own dead ends with this. My client loves big, bold floral prints. The kinds that are only found on fabrics that are not produced sustainably. My other client loves vintage-look hardware, the kind that has “proposition 65” warnings all over it… and in the end, it’s their space and I am not yet a big enough designer that I can refuse.
What I can do, is to note in the specifications “client selection, designer waives liability”. I’ve talked to my clients and warned them (at least with the latter option above), and these fixtures were insisted on. It’s their home and their money. I do not purchase these products, they do. So, I let it go with that. One day, when I’m a famous designer, I will say, “I’m sorry, but I cannot take part in projects that damage our environment” and I will walk away. Can you walk away? If not, try the note I suggest above.
I know they saw it on Pinterest or Etsy, and they love it. Let them love it with the liability on their shoulders.
It’s time we took responsibility.
Designers, this is your duty. It is your job to know the products, to educate the client. They hired you for your expertise. And, after all… you insist on the title of interior designer- which indicates some education, some training, some expertise. This is why they hired you, is it not? If you truly do not know how to make product selections that at least consider sustainabilty (hint: LVT is not, nor will it ever be sustainable)… stop using that title. You are a fraud.
I know it sounds harsh. It sounds cruel. But, as I type this, my two children are snuggled together, pressed against my legs, and falling asleep. My two children who deserve to live a life in the beauty of nature. They deserve to interact in interior spaces without being exposed to cancer-causing elements. So, I will be harsh, and I will tell you that until you know how to do your job thoughtfully, you need to step down and stop doing it.
