Interior Decorating – Home Staging

Archive for the ‘Interior Designer’ Category

How to know if a job in interior design is right for you. Starting out, and moving up in the field. What kind of schooling may be required.

A career field that is becoming increasingly popular is the field of interior design. Many busy people realize how important it is to have a home or office that is professionally decorated, and therefore many new jobs in interior design are being created.

Another important aspect of the field is that interior designers are located in every city, all over the world, so jobs are available just about everywhere. If a young person is creative and has an artistic flair, a career in interior design may be perfect and will provide a long lasting and satisfying job choice.

The first thing one has to know in order to obtain a job in interior design is what kind of education is required. Different areas may require different levels of education, and a job in a design house in a major firm in Manhattan, for instance, may require a four year degree, while working for a small company in the Midwest may only require two years college. Many schools offer degrees in interior design as part of their fine arts department, and a specialized degree such as this would definitely be an advantage.

Starting out, a new graduate would normally work for another person or for an interior design company. A great deal of experience and contacts can be gained in this kind of environment. Working for an experienced interior designer can give a young person invaluable experience in every aspect of this business, and he can learn many things it took the seasoned professional years to learn. Working side by side with an experienced interior designer, the novice will handle mundane tasks such as ordering swatches and following up delivery schedules, but these are important skills to develop.

After working hand in hand with a senior professional, a new interior designer will then be handed an assignment of his own. Having a a company behind him while he hones his own design skills on a customer is a major advantage to a designer just starting out.

The main (and some say only) focus of interior design is customer satisfaction. The client is the be-all and end-all of the field, so the ability to work with people, who sometimes can be very testy, is crucial.

Once a designer has paid his dues, so to speak, at a company or two, he will want to branch out on his own. Besides being more profitable, owning his own interior design firm allows a decorator to put his own creative stamp on the work he is commissioned to do.

If decorating a room or a home is something you have enjoyed doing, consider a career in interior design. It is very rewarding to be able to bring an artistic vision to fruition, and it can be a very financially successful career as well.

About The Author: Andrew Caxton writes for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . Find more publications about interior decorating at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/styles-guide.html

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Begin your selection process by understanding what an interior designer can do for you and what skills and experience they should have. Many people believe an interior designer simply chooses paint, furniture and accessories but you know they do so much more. Interior designers provide a long list of services including:

· Using software to create and manage design projects.
· Space planning.
· Negotiating prices on furniture, fixtures and accessories.
· Create drawings that include all the technical and design elements of the project.
· Reading blueprints.
· Hiring contractors.
. Keeping the project on time and on budget.
· Researching health and safety codes, permit requirements and building codes.
· Creating contracts and reviewing contracts of other service professionals on the project.

Once you have decided to use an interior designer on your design project you will want to hire someone who is qualified, who shares your vision and who communicates clearly with you.

Begin the selection process by defining the geographic location, budget, scope and time frame for project completion. You will want to use this information when researching and interviewing potential designers to make sure they are a good fit for your project and your location.

Review the websites of your pool of interior designers. Call the candidates who particularly interest you and ask questions and take notes. Some general questions you should ask:

· How long have they been in business?
· Do they work alone or as a team?
· Do they have a field of specialty?
· Can they give you a client list?
· What is their fee structure and contract requirements?
· What supplier partnerships do they have?
· How skilled are they at negotiating pricing for services and projects?
· Do they have case studies and a portfolio?
· What experience do they have with local building codes and the permit process?
· Do they do handle commercial, residential or both?
· Have they worked on a project similar to yours before?
· How do they handle refunds for furniture and accessories that are not used?
· Can they provide at least three references?

Set-up an appointment with those who received good references and take your notes, sketches and design ideas with you. Pay careful attention to the communication style and personality of the designer. Discuss budget and fees, scheduling, deposits, contracts and other policies. If possible, view other projects that the designer has completed. After you have completed this process review all the information you have gathered and you should find it easy to pick a designer or firm for your project and you can begin to look forward to your design ideas becoming reality.

Don’t only look at designers that have done projects exactly like the one you are looking to do. You want a designer that can create personalized spaces that represent your lifestyle vs. a replica of something they have done before.

2008, Style for Life Interiors. Copying of Contents, in its entirety is permitted provided that author by-lines are kept intact and unchanged. Hyperlinks and/or URLs provided by author must remain active.

About The Author: Designer Paul Andrew, Style For Life Interiors, has more than two decades of design experience. His style and intuition has matured and helped to build Style for Life Interiors into a full service design firm that offers home staging, art acquisition, shopping trips, renovations, and new construction consulting in NJ, NY and CT. Paul can be reached at pandrew@styleforlifeinteriors.com and http://www.styleforlifeinteriors.com

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