My name is Matthew Lee and I live and work in Virginia. I write this comment in STRONG support of the continued regulation of the Interior Design profession in Virginia.

I grew up in Virginia and despite having no familial ties to the area upon graduation, still found myself drawn back to the Norfolk / Virginia Beach area due to a job prospect at one of several nationally recognized design firms.  Thirteen years later, I find myself a Principal / Owner at the same firm and currently serving on the Board of Directors.  Our firm specializes in several areas: Higher Education, Science & Technology, Civic / Commercial and Historic Preservation.  As a firm, we have worked at over 160 colleges and universities across the country and beyond, planned and designed labs that are researching new treatments for diseases that affect friends and loved ones, restored our historic landmarks, such as the Governor’s Mansion and The Cavalier Hotel and are leading the thinking behind projects that capture the spirit and heart of our cities and turns them into economic engines, like Atlantic Park at the old Virginia Beach Dome site.  My work as an interior designer takes me across the country as I work on residence halls, dining facilities, student centers, academic buildings and labs at many large universities.  The work that I and my team perform is vital to living, learning, researching and recreating in healthy environments that foster community and help people thrive in challenging environments. 

We believe very strongly in the power of design to positively affect people’s lives.  This means that we are constantly studying, researching and developing best practices that ensure the health, safety and welfare of our citizens wherever they encounter an interior environment.  It is a monumental task that employs designers, scientists, inventors, manufacturers and academics.  Over 90% of your day is spent in interior environments, which is why we approach our life’s work with the highest degree of responsibility and professionalism.  Being a Certified Interior Designer is the mark of that responsibility and professionalism that our clients seek out and value greatly.  To lose that would be extremely harmful to our business by making it more difficult for us to compete at the national level which is a large part of our project work and business development strategy.

It is clear, eliminating regulation of Interior Design would gravely harm Virginia Certified Interior Designers, Interior Design small businesses, and others in the Commonwealth. For example:

– In order to hold a position on a corporate board for a “Professional Corporation,” the employee must be licensed or certified in their profession by the Commonwealth. Eliminating the interior design regulation would prevent interior designers from serving on the board of architectural-interior design and interior design-only firms.

– RFPs (Request for Proposals) and RFQs (Request for Qualifications) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and for Federal Government Projects that include Interior Design Services require that the Interior Designer providing these services be a Certified Interior Designer. Eliminating the regulation would bar Virginia interior designers from submitting for these proposals.

– Job postings for Interior Designers in the Commonwealth and for Federal departments typically require an Interior Designer to be a Certified Interior Designer. Eliminating the regulation would exclude Virginia interior designers from these opportunities.

In Virginia, of the 1,272 interior design establishments in the Commonwealth, 96% are small businesses of four or fewer employees. 83% of these small businesses are women or minority owned. Eliminating interior design regulation would crush these entrepreneurs and small businesses because of the reasons listed in this comment.

Eliminating the Interior Design statute would also harm the Commonwealth. Being a Certified Interior Designer in the Commonwealth provides the public with knowledge that a minimum set of requirements, including education, experience, and testing, has been met. Certified Interior Designers do complex design drafting work in large public and code-regulated spaces like hotels, hospitals, corporate offices, and multifamily housing where public life-safety is implicated. CIDs have a knowledge of building codes, standards, and other laws and regulations that are essential to the safe construction of public and other code-regulated buildings.

Washington D.C., Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, all have statutes in place for the regulation of the title and/or practice of Interior Design. In total, 27 states and two federal jurisdictions regulate interior design. No jurisdiction has ever deregulated the practice of interior design.

The interior design statute is not restrictive or protectionist. The title protection law—enacted during the 1990 Session of the General Assembly—does not restrict the scope of practice and serves as the framework for the voluntary certification program. While only certified interior designers may use the title “Certified,” any individual may contract with a client to render services as an interior designer, interior decorator, or similar practitioner if the client so chooses.

Eliminating the voluntary regulation of interior design in Virginia is bad public policy. Continued regulation is vital to the practice, profession, industry, consumers, and the public’s health, safety, and welfare. I ask you to not eliminate the regulation of this profession.

Thank you.

Matthew J. Lee CID/ASID, LEED AP BD + C, WELL AP | Principal, Owner, Board Member

Hanbury | Architecture Planning

120 Atlantic Street  Norfolk, VA 23510

www.hewv.com | t: 757.321.9636?