Changing Rooms also transforms perceptions

Rasshied Din (VoxPop, DW 19 May) is right to acknowledge that TV’s interior makeovers have raised awareness in decorating and design issues, while berating their dreadful presentation.

Like it or not, the formula is increasingly supported by consumer interiors magazines and the interiors industry as a whole should be thankful for them.

While the media obsession with dotcoms could be over by the end of the year, the public’s interest in interior design will grow, and just as the leading names of fashion houses feed the high street, design practices should learn to profit from, rather than feel threatened by, makeovers and their offspring.

Buyers of commercial design know the difference between a makeover and a fit-out, but it’s up to us to spell out the business benefits of our work to the media.

The enormous popularity of shows like Changing Rooms is a good enough reason alone for the commercial sector to use and push for better programming and representation.

Alex Ford

alex.ford@virgin.net