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Employment options for older designers
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesA former client wrote me recently to say he had hired two older employees some months ago and has never been happier. Their professionalism and experience has helped his firm to thrive. Regrettably, he is the exception rather than the rule. Not only are designers as a group aging, so are many of their clients. As a result, older designers are experiencing a decreased demand for their services.
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4 ways to maximize efficiency in a tiny space
Katie Mohr Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesSince 2012, we've noticed an increasingly large market for studio apartments. Low on square footage (and rent), studios offer younger, single renters an option that fits an on-the-go lifestyle. But they also present a problem: What do you do with all your stuff?
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Kitchen’s bigger footprint stepping on designers’ toes
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesOpen kitchens continue to grow in popularity. Recent industry reports show a strong consumer preference for completely open or partially open kitchens in both new construction and remodels. With a lot of older housing stock growing in value, some homeowners are using the additional equity to open up their current kitchens, upgrade materials and appliances, and give them a fresher, more contemporary look.
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Interior design is not about flowers
Leslie LaskinReese Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesIf you could see me now, you'd see the droop in my shoulders. It wasn't the first time someone demeaned what I have been doing with my professional life for the last 25 years. She's a friend, and she really didn't mean to. We were talking about credentials and continuing education required in various professions. When I told her the amount of continuing education I must take to maintain the three credentials I've attained, she smiled and wondered aloud why I'd need continuing education to decide what color the flowers should be and where they should go.
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Improve your design business by focusing on what you do best
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesRunning a small business is not usually top of mind for most would-be designers. They want to be doing design. Somewhere along the line, they decide to strike out on their own and soon discover that requires them to set up a small business.
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Designers should tell all, if they want to sell all
Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesIf you're not earning the income you could be, or should be, that may have nothing to with the interior design services you offer. It may have everything to do with the fact that not enough people know about them.
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Think like a designer when planning the year ahead
Susan Mulholland Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesHappy New Year! If you had the luxury of taking time off completely from Christmas to New Year's Day, then you have probably spent a lot of time the last few days catching up on all your emails, including thinking about what will come in the next year both personally and professionally.
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Smart home devices help monitor and mitigate indoor air quality
Jennifer Tuohy Facilities & GroundsAir quality is becoming one of the biggest global threats to public health, putting people at risk for respiratory diseases, stroke, heart disease and lung cancer. According to research released earlier this year, air quality levels exceed World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for 80 percent of those living in urban areas that track air pollution. In the UK, for example, air pollution is believed to cause between 40,000 and 50,000 deaths a year; in London it may be killing more people than smoking does.
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Acoustic balance: Office design’s holy grail
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesResearch demonstrating the many ways that office design affects employees' well-being and performance continues to mount up. Perhaps no other single factor has garnered as much attention lately as sound. The proliferation of minimalist open-space layouts, increased workstation density and a preference for collaborative workspaces have made managing workplace acoustics — and in particular, noise — a critical human resource issue. Findings from several recent studies provide insights that may help designers in their quest to achieve a more hospitable acoustic work environment.
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Interior designers should be meaningful about their marketing
Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesSo, you say you'll market your interior design business more in the year ahead? Why? Marketing is meaningless unless you have a specific reason in mind. Too many design professionals don't. Sure, they have a vague notion that they should promote themselves though social media and other channels as a way to "get more recognition." Right idea. Wrong reason.
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