-
Workplaces that work — finding synergy between people and place
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesDo great workplaces make better workers, or do great workers make the most of their workplaces? It sounds like a chicken-or-egg question, but in practice, the answer is more complex. New research suggests that what makes workplaces work well is finding the appropriate synergy between the occupants and the environment. According to Gensler's U.S. Workplace Survey 2019, what people want most from their workplace is a great experience. What makes for a great experience, Gensler's researchers found, are not lots of extracurricular amenities and hip socializing spaces but a flexible environment that supports the various ways employees need to work.
-
How to turn your brand into a phrase that pays
Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesBranding has become big business among interior design professionals as they strive to get heard above the noise and stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace. There are nearly as many interior design "brands" out there as there are interior designers, but the most effective of these — the ones that create the most buzz and attract the most business — have one word in common: "Only." Nothing differentiates your design firm more dramatically and spells out your specialness more effectively than that word.
-
Pace of remodeling activity expected to pick up after slow start to 2019
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesComing off a strong period of sustained growth, demand for remodeling services softened somewhat in the first quarter of the year. Although growth remained positive, industry professionals reported lower levels of business activity and shortened periods of project backlogs compared with the previous quarter. Nonetheless, remodelers are optimistic that better business conditions in the second quarter will revive demand. Early forecasts had predicted that industry growth in 2019 would remain positive but at a more modest pace than in the past several years.
-
Demand for design services currently a mixed bag
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesAs I talk with clients around the country, I'm hearing quite divergent views of how business is going these days. The picture that emerges is something of a mixed bag. Some designers are keeping quite busy and have future projects lined up. Others are reporting a decrease in client requests and inquiries. Some of this appears to be sector-driven and some of it regional. What's not clear yet is whether this is a temporary blip or the start of a general slowdown in the industry.
-
Housing America part 5: Cooperatives — taking the profit out of shelter
Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building MaterialsHousing cooperatives essentially represent the "third way" between renting and owning a property. This model once formed part of the bedrock of affordable shelter provisions in New York, but more recently has been rapidly disappearing. Often famed more for the celebrity interest they attract than their role in combating the housing crisis, some are now turning to housing cooperatives as part of the solution to the housing affordability crisis hitting many U.S. cities. However, while cities like New York have a rich history of cooperatives, they are often both misunderstood and overlooked.
-
Interior designer hiring slows, salaries rise
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesAfter several years of substantial gains, beginning in 2015, the pace of interior designer hiring has slowed. According to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, between May 2017 and May 2018, tthe U.S. labor force added only 1,000 new interior designer jobs. That's an increase of less than 2%, and only about a third of the number of positions added between May 2016 and May 2017. Given anecdotal reports of firms in recent years having difficulty hiring needed talent, this slowdown may be an indication that the profession is nearing full employment, rather than a declining demand for designers.
-
More affordability lifts home sales
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsAs the cost of buying a home has begun to come down, home sales have begun to go up. The economics are not complicated, but they do speak to the tension between price and what buyers are able to pay that has constrained the housing market for the past year. For the moment, the factors behind that tension appear to be easing somewhat, which should encourage more buyers to enter the market in the coming months. After two months of declines, sales of existing homes catapulted 11.8 percent in February over January’s figures. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said it was the largest month-over-month gain since December 2015.
-
What it means when you get their questions but not their business
Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesIf it hasn't happened yet, it probably will: a prospect seeks your advice on furnishings, then goes online to buy them. If there's one thing interior design professionals hate, it's sharing their insights and ideas with people who end up taking their business elsewhere. But, as you think about that, think about this: What if those people are doing you a favor by "shopping" you? What if they're teaching you a very valuable lesson and giving you some frank feedback? What "shoppers" are telling you is that you're not selling them.
-
Baby boomers are changing the senior living paradigm
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsHaving spent a lifetime demanding and indulging their independence, members of the baby boom generation are showing no signs of letting up as they prepare for their next life-stage. Now in their early 70s, leading-edge boomers are looking ahead to how they want to spend their later years. One thing most of them don't want is to wind up like their parents or grandparents in an isolated senior care facility. They are pressing builders and developers to give them more options to remain connected to their communities.
-
Cater to your ‘currents,’ and you’ll beef up your bottom…
Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesLooking to build your interior design business? Look no further than your current clients. After all, your current clients are your best ones. They’re the ones who know, trust and value you. They’re the ones most likely to refer you. And they’re the ones as interested in forging lasting partnerships as you are. Perhaps more so. The problem is most design professionals fail to tap into their resources of clients as much as they could, or should.
All Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures Articles