Why We Don't Gatekeep

and why sources shouldn't always be expected

First and foremost, interior design is a business and a lot of designers' sources are a direct line of their income. Often, designer’s accounts are meant to simply inspire and aren’t necessarily intended to be a resource.

Although we are happy to give sources when we can, we can see both sides and respect why another designer might not.

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Reasons why designers might not share sources—

• First a client must give permission. Since clients have paid for the time spent to find sources, the decision to share those is completely up to them.

• Some sources just aren’t available to people who aren’t in the design trade.

• Some designers feel like their sources are part of how they earn their money (their intellectual property).

• No one person can remember every source. It takes a lot of time to find a source if the designer can't remember it off the top of their head.

Reasons why we think it's beneficial to share sources—

• Good craftsmanship deserves to be promoted, not hidden.

• Designing is more than just picking out paint colors, furniture, build finishes, etc. It's not the source itself that makes a good design, it's how well it's executed.

• Gatekeeping makes good design feel unattainable.

• More exposure to various sources leads to better design for the design community and general public.