Interior Design

Interior design is the process of shaping the experience of interior space, through the manipulation of spatial volume as well as surface treatment. Not to be confused with interior decoration, interior design draws on aspects of environmental psychology, architecture, and product design in addition to traditional decoration.

An interior designer is a person who is considered a professional in the field of interior design or one who designs interiors as part of their job. Interior design is a creative practice that analyzes programmatic information, establishes a conceptual direction, refines the design direction, and produces graphic communication and construction documents.

Market for Interior Design:
There are two types of market for interior design:

• Residential Interior Design
Residential interior design focuses on the planning and/or specifying of interior materials and products used in private residences. In terms of scope and contract amount, residential jobs are often smaller, but offer a higher profit margin particularly if you are marketing the products to be used in designing the rooms.

• Commercial Interior Design
Commercial jobs, on the other hand, are often much bigger in scope but the bidding that often accompanies the contract can push down your profit margin. Commercial design covers a wide variety of specialties, such as entertainment, facilities management, government/institutional , health care (e.g. hospitals, nursing homes, long term care facilities); retail or store planning (e.g. boutiques, department stores, malls, food retailing centers); hospitality/restaurant (e.g. country clubs, hotels, cruise ships); and offices.

Tips for Choosing Good Interior Designer:

• Hiring a good designer
Good interior designers are like good therapists. They don't tell you what to do, rather they guide you through a process of helping you determine your options and helping you select those options that best suite your style. You should strongly consider the merits for major renovation projects. Also, if you need some creative assistance, a good designer will help make your remodeling efforts a success.

• First Impressions
You should interview several interior designers before making your final selection. Be sure to review pictures of their recent work for similar home improvement projects. A good designer will have a portfolio of pictures from several of their recent remodeling projects for you to review. Pay particular attention to their style and consider whether it aligns with your goals. Ask for the designer for referrals and contact each prior client. Some prior clients may hesitate to answer your questions, but most will answer one important question: Would you re-use the designer for a future remodeling project?

• Attentive Listening
Many interior designers will appear to be listening, but then politely ignore your suggestions. There are times when this may be acceptable and times when this is bad. It may be acceptable if the designer is very good at what they do, has taken the time to understand your overall objectives and then chooses to offer alternatives if your suggestions do not fit well with their overal design plan. It is generally bad when an inexperienced designer ignores your suggestions, does his or her own thing and then ultimately you are unhappy with the results.

• Experience Matters
The ideal interior designer will have many years of experience working with builders, remodelers, contractors, vendors and other suppliers. They should have depth of experience in fabric, appliances, furniture and other accessories. After listening to your desires, they should be able to take you to showrooms, fabric stores and other suppliers that will offer you products that complement your individual style.