Part 2: Getting Organized

This is second in a in a series of posts that will outline the five reasons why this girlaboutOtown believes design is coming on strong on Ottawa. 

Check here to start from the beginning, or read more today about reason number two:

2.  Ottawa’s design community is increasingly organized.

In addition to its ARIDO accredited four year Interior Design degree program,  Algonquin College has been pumping out graduates from its full and part-time Residential Decor Program for over ten years now.   There seems to be a critical mass forming, with new graduates everywhere to share their knowledge as either employees or entrepreneurs in the local industry. 

Algonquin College has also broken ground on its new Centre for Construction Excellence, set to open its doors in September 2o11.  This cutting-edge facility will be a showcase and teaching laboratory for sustainable construction, and is being built to the LEED platinum standard. The Centre aims to foster innovation and collaboration between students and faculty members from 23 construction-related fields, including interior design, architecture, and a variety of building trades, all under Ottawa’s largest green roof!  Talk about organized.

The National Capital Region Chapter of the Canadian Decorators Association (CDECA) lists more than forty full members from the Ottawa area, not including students and affiliates.  The chapter has also launched a blog to share design-related news from around Ottawa, feature members, and raise their profile.  And, beyond the framework of these more official organizations, there are a growing number savvy self-taught stylists, home stagers and local design-oriented bloggers.  

Members of the CDECA NCR Board, image via CDECA NCR Chapter Blog.

Enter the Ottawa Design Network Group (ODNG).  This informal network of designers and decorators has only recently emerged from the grass roots, but seems to have solidified the city’s interior design community – at least socially! Set up to facilitate the swapping of information and encourage some fun exchanges among like-minded local professionals, this loose group has already met three times.

Oh, and speaking from experience…the meetings end with a glass of wine!