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Consumers spending more on kitchen and bath changes
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesSeveral recent homeowner surveys confirm what kitchen and bath professionals already know. Regardless of age or income, consumers are willing to spend more money to enhance their kitchen or bathroom than on any other room in the house.
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Use a laser focus in your luxury client marketing
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesWhen it comes to attracting high-end clients for design services, less is definitely more. Glitzy home and lifestyle magazines are chock-full of sumptuous photos of interiors and stylish ads for luxury goods, but they are more likely to appeal to affluent rather than wealthy consumers. Those with the most to spend are seeking a more bespoke experience, something created especially for them — and that includes how you reach them.
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Hiring strategies in a tightening design labor market
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesDespite concerns about the global economy, the U.S. labor market continues to add jobs each month. The U.S. Department of Labor's most recent survey of employers shows the workforce is growing at its fastest pace in more than a decade, and the share of the population with a job is the highest since 2009.
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Millennials: Housing’s lost generation
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials"You are a lost generation," remarked Gertrude Stein to the young Ernest Hemingway, referring to the devastating loss of millions of young lives — either dead or incapacitated — as a result of World War I. Today, Stein could be referring to the millennial generation, that cohort of 75 million people born between 1985 and 2004, whose relentless march toward adulthood has not quite captured the attention of mainstream America yet. Nowhere, perhaps, is that more evident than in the housing market, where anticipation of a millennial housing boom has had little impact on ensuring supply will be available to meet demand.
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Countertops take center stage in kitchen and bath renovations
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesWhen homeowners get the itch to upgrade or renovate their kitchen or bath, chances are it's because they are tired of looking at their worn, out-of-date countertops. They are the first things to be replaced, and one of the areas where homeowners are willing to spend a bit more to get the product they want.
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What makes a workplace healthy?
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesEvidence keeps piling up that healthy workplaces produce big benefits for employers. Studies show offices and other work areas designed to enhance worker health and wellness not only reduce employee absences and reported illnesses, but also improve productivity and help to attract and retain employees.
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5 mistakes to avoid in recruiting for your design firm
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesFrom the employer's perspective, doing your own recruiting makes a lot of sense. Who knows your business better than you or the kind of candidate you're looking for? In reality, though, most employers don't have a lot of training in recruitment. They tend to go by instinct or past experiences. That leaves them vulnerable to prejudices and blind spots that can result in a missed opportunity or a bad hire.
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Values, lifestyle driving home design choices
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesLocation, location, location is the mantra familiar to every real estate agent, developer, builder and prospective homebuyer. In today's more mobile society, however, location is no longer all that matters. Nor are size and status. Whether millennials or baby boomers, buyers are looking for homes that support their changing lifestyles and reflect their values. Home design is morphing to meet their demands.
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Remodeling industry expecting strong growth in 2016
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesAll signs point to a year of healthy growth for the remodeling industry in 2016. Indicators across all sectors of the industry are up. Remodelers, renovators, kitchen and bath specialists, designers and architects all express optimism that 2016 will be a better year than 2015 — perhaps the best year for the industry since before 2008.
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‘Easy’ does it when designing for today’s homeowners
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesHomeowners are fed up with their old kitchens and ways of living and are investing in substantial upgrades and remodels to improve their quality of life. That's the message that comes through the newly released findings from the 2016 Houzz Kitchen Trends Survey. Topping the list of improvements are changes and upgrades that will make homeowners' lives "easier" as well as update the kitchen's look and feel.
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