Michael J. Berens

Michael J. Berens is a freelance researcher and writer with more than 30 years of experience in association communication and management. He can be reached at mjberensresearch@gmail.com.

Articles by Michael J. Berens

• Design for mental wellness

  Decades of case studies and research studies have demonstrated ways that interior design can improve…

  Tuesday, December 15, 2020

• Outlook for remodeling industry in 2021 still fuzzy

  As previous indicators predicted, demand for professional remodeling services rebounded in the third…

  Wednesday, December 09, 2020

• Luxury homebuyers changing faces, places

  More than any other factor in recent years, the coronavirus has changed how we live and where we choose…

  Thursday, December 03, 2020

• High demand for homes is depleting inventories

  Prospective homebuyers are facing a dwindling pool of choices as the supply of properties for sale has…

  Tuesday, December 01, 2020

• How design is aiming to bring hotel guests back

  Hospitality and travel arguably have been the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Beset…

  Wednesday, November 18, 2020

• Remodelers bullish as demand resurges

  Remodelers entered the final quarter of the year riding a wave of strong demand for home renovation projects.…

  Thursday, November 12, 2020

• Interior designers foresee softer demand at year’s end

  Continuing the upward trend that began toward the end of the second quarter, interior design activity…

  Wednesday, November 04, 2020

• Untethered affluents fueling booming home sales

  Back in the spring when the housing market plummeted practically overnight, no one expected that homes…

  Wednesday, October 28, 2020

• Improving senior care by mimicking natural light cycles with LED technology

  Numerous studies have identified the need for better lighting conditions in senior care facilities. Residents…

  Wednesday, October 21, 2020

• Better days ahead for remodelers

  The homebound nature of American life since March has produced a boom in the home improvement industry,…

  Friday, October 16, 2020

• Confinement is changing our attitudes toward our homes

  Familiarity has not bred contempt for our living spaces, but it has set us thinking about what kind of…

  Wednesday, October 07, 2020

• Shrinking inventories rein in booming home sales

  Home sales in August eased back to a more normal pace after hitting record-setting levels in June and…

  Wednesday, September 30, 2020

• Hospitality embraces co-working to entice a new kind of business client

  Along with bars and restaurants, hotels have been one of the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic.…

  Wednesday, September 23, 2020

• Remodeling activity rebounds, but for how long?

  Even though a large portion of homeowners are undertaking do-it-yourself home repair and improvement…

  Wednesday, September 16, 2020

• Urban exodus revives luxury home sales

  Not all the news about the coronavirus pandemic is bad news. After slowing to a crawl in April and May,…

  Wednesday, September 09, 2020

• Home sales soar, and so do prices

  The homebuying spree that began in June continued into July, fueled by a shift toward larger, suburban…

  Wednesday, August 26, 2020

• Designers addressing workplace challenges on two fronts

  As businesses gradually reopen, some workers are reluctant to return to the office, and for those who…

  Wednesday, August 19, 2020

• Homeowners doing more improvements with less

  Home renovation and improvement activity has surged in recent months as owners confined to home have…

  Wednesday, August 12, 2020

• Shifting conditions present challenges for designers

  At the beginning of the third quarter, as many states began to relax restrictions, business appeared…

  Wednesday, August 05, 2020

• Delayed buying season pushes home sales to record levels

  Pent-up demand from months of home confinement combined with record-low mortgage interest rates created…

  Tuesday, July 28, 2020

• Pandemic accelerates next-generation design in senior living

  Because COVID-19 spreads so rapidly, often undetected, and is disproportionately fatal in the case of…

  Wednesday, July 22, 2020

• Remodelers hopeful resurgence in business will continue

  Renewed homeowner interest in undertaking home renovation projects has boosted remodelers' optimism that…

  Friday, July 17, 2020

• Home design priorities changing as owners age in place

  With the largest percentage of homeownership and length of stay, as well as home asset value, the 55-plus…

  Wednesday, July 08, 2020

• Homebuyers head to the ‘burbs

  New home sales soared in May, pushing year-over-year sales figures back into the black. Low interest…

  Wednesday, June 24, 2020

• Tracking how we view interior design

  Walk into a room and the mind immediately begins to note its characteristics. As the eyes scan the objects…

  Wednesday, June 17, 2020

• Homebound homeowners pursue remodeling projects

  Like other sectors of the housing industry, remodeling services have experienced a substantial drop in…

  Wednesday, June 10, 2020

• Luxury home market poised for quick rebound

  As with other sectors of the housing market, sales of luxury homes in the U.S. plunged in late March…

  Wednesday, June 03, 2020

• Health concerns are reshaping the housing landscape

  As expected, home sales plummeted in April, the first full month during which much of the nation was…

  Wednesday, May 27, 2020

• VR goes to work in interior design

  Confronted with the need to maintain social distancing and minimize direct contact with clients, many…

  Wednesday, May 20, 2020

• Early indicators signal mixed recovery for remodelers

  When the economy begins to regain momentum, will demand for remodeling services bounce back? Or, will…

  Wednesday, May 13, 2020

• Interior designers drawn to top metro areas

  For the second year in a row, during a 12-month period from May 2018 to May 2019, the numbers of employed…

  Wednesday, May 06, 2020

• Sellers pull back as housing market tumbles

  In spite of rising home values, sellers began pulling their homes off the market during the last two…

  Wednesday, April 29, 2020

• What happens when the hospitality sector reopens?

  Just before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry nearly to a halt, U.S. hotel construction hit…

  Wednesday, April 22, 2020

• Remodeling activity tapers off amidst economic standstill

  Concerns for health and safety as well as the economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic…

  Wednesday, April 15, 2020

• Interior design employment growth highest in 5 years, per most recent data

  Since 2015, when the industry rebounded from the Great Recession, the number of employed interior designers…

  Wednesday, April 08, 2020

• Housing recovery slips away, again

  Given the ups and downs of recent years, any prognosis about the state of the U.S. housing market is…

  Wednesday, March 25, 2020

• Downsizing comes to senior living

  More is more has been the trend in senior living for many years — more variety, more choice, more activities,…

  Wednesday, March 18, 2020

• New remodeling forecasts revised upward

  Demand for remodeling services maintained momentum in the fourth quarter of 2019, with remodelers reporting…

  Tuesday, March 10, 2020

• Designers upbeat as remodeling boom continues

  With market conditions trending in their favor, residential interior designers are looking forward to…

  Wednesday, March 04, 2020

• New home sales soar while inventories plummet

  If you can’t buy 'em, build 'em. With inventories of existing homes for sale at their lowest levels…

  Wednesday, February 26, 2020

• The brain on nature:  The why behind biophilic design

  Natural environments and the presence of nature in built environments have been found to produce beneficial…

  Tuesday, February 18, 2020

• Remodelers ride a wave of consumer optimism

  Consumers have a lot to be happy about. Job growth is strong, household incomes are increasing, inflation…

  Wednesday, February 12, 2020

• Single women homebuyers are a growing market niche

  Women have long been the primary client — or in the case of couples, the primary decision-maker —…

  Wednesday, February 05, 2020

• Creeping prices keep lid on home sales

  Low mortgage rates helped drive home sales in December. At the same time, shrinking inventories combined…

  Tuesday, January 28, 2020

• Feeling the way to better acoustics

  Dozens, if not hundreds, of studies have demonstrated the negative impact noise has on occupants. Yet,…

  Wednesday, January 22, 2020

• Remodeling activity holding steady for now

  Early indications suggest that, as it has for the previous two quarters, growth in remodeling activity…

  Thursday, January 16, 2020

• What designers should know about buying habits for home furnishings

  What people put in their homes says a lot about who they are and what their homes mean to them. And how…

  Wednesday, January 08, 2020

• Builders, buyers optimistic about housing market

  Renewed activity in home sales along with low interest rates and a more positive forecast for the economy…

  Tuesday, December 17, 2019

• What lies ahead for remodelers?

  As remodelers prepare to say goodbye to the century's second decade, they may be feeling a bit ambivalent…

  Wednesday, December 11, 2019

• Luxury homebuyers are shifting locales

  The market for luxury homes regained its footing in the third quarter — the first positive quarter…

  Wednesday, December 04, 2019

• Housing inventories drop as sales heat up

  The seesaw ride that is the U.S. housing market appears to have no end in sight. After dipping in September,…

  Monday, November 25, 2019

• In hotel design, business skills can give you an edge

  Hoteling today is all about creating memorable guest experiences. In recent years, hotel operators have…

  Tuesday, November 19, 2019

• Remodelers lower expectations but anticipate growth

  Remodeling activity in the third quarter eased slightly. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)…

  Wednesday, November 13, 2019

• Mixed expectations for interior design businesses at year’s end

  Interior design activity in the third quarter of the year was by and large mixed, with some sectors and…

  Wednesday, November 06, 2019

• Home sales lose momentum despite falling prices

  Housing activity in September softened across the board and across the country. Low mortgage rates and…

  Wednesday, October 30, 2019

• Is it time to put ‘senior living’ out to pasture?

  Back in the day, when you reached a certain age and had no one to care for you, you’d be sent to the…

  Wednesday, October 16, 2019

• New insights into millennials’ remodeling preferences

  With more and more millennials becoming homebuyers and sellers, we are learning more about what they…

  Tuesday, October 08, 2019

• Uncovering a smart-home tech disconnect

  Smart homes are undoubtedly the wave of the future. Yet, despite the hype in recent years around the…

  Wednesday, October 02, 2019

• Lower interest rates boost home sales, prices

  Bucking the more common seesaw pattern of recent years, home sales in August rose for the second month…

  Wednesday, September 25, 2019

• Remodeling activity to ease, then dip in 2020

  Contrary to earlier forecasts, demand for residential remodeling services increased during the second…

  Wednesday, September 18, 2019

• Fixing the bugs in activity-based work environments

  Companies with high concentrations of knowledge workers have been gravitating toward activity-based work…

  Wednesday, September 11, 2019

• Interior design’s widening impact on healthcare outcomes

  One of the biggest successes in interior design in recent years has been the recognition that the design…

  Wednesday, September 04, 2019

• Housing market revived with more affordability in July

  It was Christmas in July for the housing market. Mortgage rates fell to near-historic lows following…

  Wednesday, August 28, 2019

• Designing intelligent interactive environments

  Integrating interactive technologies into interior environments is becoming increasingly common. So,…

  Wednesday, August 21, 2019

• Homeowners opting for repairs over remodels

  By some measures, the home improvement industry is bustling. More homeowners are taking on more projects…

  Wednesday, August 14, 2019

• Smaller and new are the prevailing trends in luxury homes

  Changing customer lifestyles and preferences are realigning the market for luxury homes. Sales are declining…

  Tuesday, August 06, 2019

• For well-being, natural is almost as good as nature

  Numerous research studies have shown that people experiencing stress, fatigue, trauma, and recovery from…

  Wednesday, July 31, 2019

• New home sales rebound as resales dip

  In a pattern all-too-familiar to builders and realtors, housing market activity flipped again in June,…

  Wednesday, July 24, 2019

• Remodeling activity expected to slow in third quarter

  Having held relatively steady during the first half of the year, growth in home remodeling and renovation…

  Thursday, July 18, 2019

• Interior design activity trends positively in spring

  Coming off a slow start at the beginning of the year, interior design business activity surged in early…

  Thursday, July 11, 2019

• Falling mortgage rates lift home sales

  Prospective homebuyers took advantage of a drop in mortgage rates in May to scoop up available inventory.…

  Wednesday, June 26, 2019

• Adapting hotel design for bleisure travel

  One the biggest trends in the hospitality industry today, bleisure travel has hotels vying with one another…

  Wednesday, June 19, 2019

• Pace of remodeling stays brisk, spending softens

  Remodeling activity in the first three months of this year exceeded that of the previous quarter, continuing…

  Wednesday, June 12, 2019

• Human-centered design is the secret sauce for open-plan success

  Open-plan workspaces have been given quite a thrashing in recent years. The more ubiquitous they become,…

  Wednesday, June 05, 2019

• Rising prices dampen home sales

  Declining mortgage rates and increased inventory of lower-priced homes sent prospective buyers — especially…

  Wednesday, May 29, 2019

• More sellers than buyers for luxury homes

  Sales of luxury homes have been falling since the beginning of the year. In most areas of the country,…

  Monday, May 13, 2019

• Opposing trends will hold remodeling growth in check

  Recent first quarter industry reports show signs that the pace of remodeling services growth has begun…

  Monday, May 06, 2019

• Interior designers consolidating in fewer states

  Between 2017 and 2018, large numbers of interior designers changed locations, according to the most recent…

  Wednesday, May 01, 2019

• Housing still searching for the sweet spot

  Housing activity flip-flopped in March, with sales of existing homes plunging while the market for new…

  Wednesday, April 24, 2019

• Workplaces that work — finding synergy between people and place

  Do great workplaces make better workers, or do great workers make the most of their workplaces? It sounds…

  Wednesday, April 17, 2019

• Pace of remodeling activity expected to pick up after slow start to 2019

  Coming off a strong period of sustained growth, demand for remodeling services softened somewhat in the…

  Thursday, April 11, 2019

• Interior designer hiring slows, salaries rise

  After several years of substantial gains, beginning in 2015, the pace of interior designer hiring has…

  Tuesday, April 02, 2019

• More affordability lifts home sales

  As the cost of buying a home has begun to come down, home sales have begun to go up. The economics are…

  Wednesday, March 27, 2019

• Baby boomers are changing the senior living paradigm

  Having spent a lifetime demanding and indulging their independence, members of the baby boom generation…

  Wednesday, March 20, 2019

• Remodelers expect healthy gains, forecasters project modest growth

  Will 2019 be another busy year for remodelers, or will demand begin to taper off? Data from recent industry…

  Tuesday, March 12, 2019

• Does DIY harm interior designers?

  There's plenty of good news in the 2019 Houzz State of the Industry report. Among all the statistics…

  Wednesday, March 06, 2019

• Housing’s delicate balance

  With home sales continuing to fall, things don’t look good at the moment for the housing industry.…

  Wednesday, February 27, 2019

• The future of hotel designing

  No one knows what trends will shape hotel design a decade from now. One thing seems certain, though.…

  Wednesday, February 20, 2019

• Aging homes will keep remodelers busy

  It's not just homeowners but also their homes that are aging in place. As the pace of new home construction…

  Wednesday, February 13, 2019

• Design demand drops amid economic uncertainty

  Recent indicators show architecture and design firms experienced a slowdown in activity during the latter…

  Wednesday, February 06, 2019

• Home sales plummet in December

  A bad year for housing got even worse in December as sales of existing homes plunged to their lowest…

  Wednesday, January 23, 2019

• Ironing out the wrinkles in activity-based workplaces

  Snowballing complaints about the deficiencies and annoyances of open-plan office spaces have pushed employers…

  Thursday, January 17, 2019

• Remodeling market sending mixed signals as 2019 begins

  Will 2019 be another banner year for remodeling and renovation, or will firms begin to experience a softening…

  Thursday, January 10, 2019

• Housing pressures cool luxury home market

  Many of the same factors that are dampening the housing market overall finally caught up with the luxury…

  Wednesday, January 02, 2019

• Will the single-family home market find relief in 2019?

  Housing starts and sales of existing homes rose for the second month in a row in November, thanks to…

  Wednesday, December 19, 2018

• The evolving design of coworking spaces

  One of the fastest-growing areas of commercial real estate is coworking spaces. They have become increasingly…

  Wednesday, December 12, 2018

• Remodelers brace for deceleration

  The good news for remodelers, according to recent forecasts, is that demand is expected to continue to…

  Wednesday, December 05, 2018

• Inventory boost lifts home sales

  More buyers looked favorably on the housing market in October, encouraged by a greater number of homes…

  Wednesday, November 28, 2018

• Biophilic hotel design is going mainstream

  Beachfront properties, mountain lake resorts, luxury forest cabins, jungle hideaways, atrium lobbies…

  Tuesday, November 20, 2018

• Remodeling growth levels out but remains strong

  For the past several quarters, the remodeling industry has experienced exceptional growth. That trend…

  Wednesday, November 14, 2018

• Home sales weaken as buyers back off

  Increased inventory and declining prices were not enough to seal the deal for some prospective homebuyers…

  Tuesday, November 13, 2018

• Using design to curb aggression

  Within the past five years, American society has become increasingly angry, belligerent and aggressive.…

  Thursday, November 08, 2018

• Making housing more affordable

  Historically, a robust housing industry has been a bellwether of a booming economy. At present, however,…

  Wednesday, October 24, 2018

• Interior design activity regains momentum

  Adhering to a familiar seasonal pattern, demand for interior design services softened somewhat in late…

  Wednesday, October 17, 2018

• Homeowners adding bedrooms, remodeling baths

  In the previous two years, U.S. homeowners completed more than 43.7 million home improvement projects.…

  Wednesday, October 10, 2018

• Building community, fostering creativity: A collaborative workspace for interior designers

  Collaborative or co-working spaces provide a supportive environment where self-employed individuals can…

  Wednesday, October 03, 2018

• Homebuying softens as market idles

  Purchases of existing single-family homes remained flat in August as the gap between consumer demand…

  Wednesday, September 26, 2018

• Do active workstations benefit employees?

  Most of us engage in much less daily physical activity than our parents or grandparents did. Some individuals,…

  Wednesday, September 19, 2018

• Forecasters project high demand for remodeling services will continue

  Remodeling activity is at levels not seen for some years. Fueled by economic, market and demographic…

  Wednesday, September 12, 2018

• Luxury home market gets a makeover

  Is the luxury home market on a roll or did it just take a dive? The answer depends on which part of the…

  Wednesday, September 05, 2018

• Home construction recoups as sales slump

  After taking a tumble in June, housing construction got back on its feet in July, with both the number…

  Wednesday, August 29, 2018

• Workplace design: Where play gets serious

  ​By now, the notion of designing playful workspaces or spaces at work for play is no longer novel.…

  Wednesday, August 22, 2018

• Robust remodeling trends holding steady

  Some regional and seasonal fluctuations notwithstanding, remodeling activity held steady during the second…

  Wednesday, August 15, 2018

• The best methods for client presentations

  While some still prefer the napkin sketch, architects and designers today have a battery of tools they…

  Wednesday, August 08, 2018

• Tariffs weigh on housing market

  Present and future U.S. tariffs on imported goods are taking their toll on housing, as both builders…

  Wednesday, July 25, 2018

• Is hotel luxury dead?

  What’s in a name? A luxury hotel by any other name is still luxurious, right? No longer, it seems,…

  Wednesday, July 18, 2018

• Millennials do more renovating, but boomers hire more pros

  More than half of current homeowners plan to undertake one or more renovation, remodeling or repair projects…

  Thursday, July 12, 2018

• Designing lighting for biology

  Decisions about how best to light an interior space tend to be based on the types of activities for which…

  Thursday, July 05, 2018

• A seller’s market with few sellers

  Historically, the second quarter is one of the busiest times of the year for home sales. Currently, however,…

  Wednesday, June 27, 2018

• Creating noise oases in open-plan workspaces

  Sound masking systems, sound-absorbing ceiling tiles and panels, and enclosed pods are just some of the…

  Wednesday, June 20, 2018

• Remodeling activity maintains momentum

  Riding a solid growth trend at the end of last year, remodeling activity continued its upward trajectory…

  Wednesday, June 13, 2018

• The luxury home market’s ‘meteoric’ rebound

  In what may foreshadow a boost in demand for interior design services late this spring and through the…

  Wednesday, June 06, 2018

• Housing slips as market tightens

  A strengthening economy and steady employment figures were not enough to combat market pressures last…

  Thursday, May 31, 2018

• Choose art carefully for use in retail design

  Art has the power to compel us to stop and observe. It also can tap deep-seated emotions, associations…

  Wednesday, May 23, 2018

• Generation Z is reshaping the rental market

  Believed to be the largest birth cohort in U.S. history, Generation Z, also referred to as post-millennials,…

  Friday, May 18, 2018

• Signs point to improving business conditions for designers

  After several months of declining growth, the interior design industry showed signs of regaining momentum…

  Thursday, May 10, 2018

• Multifamily steps up to fill the housing gap

  ​With little relief in sight, sales and starts of single-family homes tumbled in March. Would-be homebuyers…

  Wednesday, April 25, 2018

• Ambient color may not affect learning ability

  ​A commonly held tenet of education design is that ambient color affects students' ability to learn.…

  Tuesday, April 17, 2018

• Demand for major remodels remains strong

  As more long-term homeowners make the decision to stick with the home they have, they are undertaking…

  Wednesday, April 11, 2018

• Interior designers gain jobs, wages

  Hiring of interior designers picked up in the year from May 2016 and May 2017, according to just released…

  Tuesday, April 03, 2018

• Mixed signals keep housing market in check

  For real estate agents, February was a relatively good month. For homebuilders, it was disappointing.…

  Wednesday, March 28, 2018

• Adding emotional complexity to retail environments

  Retail design today is all about creating great and unique experiences for consumers. But with so many…

  Tuesday, March 20, 2018

• Confident consumers to increase spending on remodeling projects

  Growing confidence in the strength of the U.S. economy and personal financial situations has consumers…

  Wednesday, March 14, 2018

• Designing spaces to account for subjective response to noise

  Much attention has been paid to the negative impacts of noise on individuals' health and well-being.…

  Wednesday, March 07, 2018

• Housing shortage prompts multifamily construction revival

  ​Multifamily construction activity slid in 2017 in the face of rising vacancy rates and concerns about…

  Wednesday, February 28, 2018

• Is customization the way forward for hotel design?

  ​As competition from shared accommodations and niche offerings increase, large hotel chains and even…

  Wednesday, February 21, 2018

• No end in sight for remodeling industry’s upward trajectory

  ​Earlier speculation that the red-hot remodeling industry might begin to cool down in 2018 appears…

  Wednesday, February 14, 2018

• Wayfinding’s engagement with hearts and minds

  Sir Winston Churchill, calling for the reconstruction of the British House of Commons after it had been…

  Wednesday, February 07, 2018

• Housing industry looks past December to the year ahead

  ​Housing activity across the board slumped in December as the industry continued its pattern of waxing…

  Thursday, January 25, 2018

• Kitchens are in high demand. Why not designers?

  Early estimates indicate that the remodeling industry did much better than expected in 2017. Business…

  Wednesday, January 17, 2018

• Uncertainty dampens homebuyer confidence

  ​Despite signs of a strengthening economy, low unemployment and a promise of lower taxes, consumer…

  Thursday, January 11, 2018

• Are you ready to start an interior design blog?

  ​Perhaps you've been thinking about adding a blog to your marketing arsenal. A blog can be a powerful…

  Wednesday, January 03, 2018

• The right approach to design for aging in place

  Building and remodeling projects to make homes more aging-friendly have boomed in recent years. And no…

  Monday, December 18, 2017

• Housing market in 2018 likely to be more of the same

  Early forecasts of next year's housing market exhibit trends that will look familiar to builders and…

  Wednesday, December 13, 2017

• Interior design industry growing steadily

  ​Over the last three years, the interior design industry has rebounded from its post-recession decline…

  Wednesday, December 06, 2017

• Housing industry gaining momentum

  Housing construction roared back in October, quickly recovering from the setback in September resulting…

  Wednesday, November 29, 2017

• Long-term remodeling outlook foresees strong growth

  ​Coming on the heels of third-quarter indicators that showed sustained high levels of activity in the…

  Wednesday, November 15, 2017

• Making do with multis

  With no end in sight to the nation's housing shortage, occupants are increasingly turning to doubling…

  Thursday, November 09, 2017

• Luxury spending is on the rise

  Encouraged by improving economic conditions at home and abroad, wealthy Americans have increased their…

  Wednesday, November 01, 2017

• Disasters not deterring home buyers, builders

  ​Hurricanes, floods and wildfires did not sideline homebuyers last month. Consumers are feeling more…

  Wednesday, October 25, 2017

• Remodelers optimistic growth trend will continue

  ​Remodeling activity is strong and is likely to continue that way for the rest of the year. Although…

  Wednesday, October 18, 2017

• Millennial homebuyers can’t get a break

  ​At last, the large influx of millennials into the housing market has arrived. Unfortunately, the housing…

  Wednesday, October 11, 2017

• How office environments may affect decision‑making

  ​Office designers are familiar with the body of knowledge demonstrating how the design of office environments…

  Wednesday, October 04, 2017

• Housing can’t shake summer slump

  ​Housing indicators declined for the second month in a row in August. Although activity to date still…

  Friday, September 29, 2017

• Keepers accelerating pace of remodeling activity

  Benefiting from low-rate mortgages and rising home values, more Americans who traditionally would be…

  Wednesday, September 20, 2017

• What you can’t hear can hurt you

  ​News last month that American diplomats working at the American Embassy in Havana, Cuba, were getting…

  Wednesday, September 13, 2017

• Can ID survive AI?

  ​Although still in its infancy, artificial intelligence (AI) is already raising alarms as a job killer…

  Friday, September 08, 2017

• Workplace culture creates obstacles for women managers

  Silicon Valley has come in for a shellacking this year from high-profile accusations of corporate leadership…

  Friday, September 01, 2017

• Constraints keep lid on housing industry

  ​Market conditions continue to keep pressure on the housing industry. Tight inventories and rising…

  Friday, August 25, 2017

• Tomorrow’s kitchen: Flexible, adaptable ... and invisible?

  ​Over the past decade, the kitchen has assumed pride of place in the home and has accounted for a major…

  Wednesday, August 16, 2017

• Consumer confidence strong, but housing confidence weakens

  Although it has fluctuated somewhat in recent months, consumer confidence remains strong. Reports of…

  Wednesday, August 09, 2017

• Market brightens for interior designers

  After a rather tepid beginning to the year, interior design activity jumped in late spring. Although…

  Wednesday, August 02, 2017

• Prices putting a squeeze on housing market

  ​Short supply of available inventory pushed down sales and drove up prices of existing homes in June.…

  Wednesday, July 26, 2017

• Remodeling activity increases as home equity grows

  Remodelers are riding the rising tide of home values. According to recent industry polls, home improvement…

  Wednesday, July 19, 2017

• With economy on cruise control, home buyers readjust aspirations

  Consumer expectations that the Trump administration's pro-business and anti-tax policies would give a…

  Wednesday, July 12, 2017

• Are you speaking your clients’ language?

  Demand for residential interior design services has been on a general downward trend for the past year…

  Thursday, July 06, 2017

• Housing shortage benefits sellers, affluent buyers

  ​Shrinking inventories and concern over a possible increase in mortgage rates drove up sales of new…

  Wednesday, June 28, 2017

• The bathroom is the new kitchen

  Lifestyle changes and new technologies have transformed the kitchen into the central hub of today’s…

  Wednesday, June 21, 2017

• Life-stage transitions continue to shape housing market

  Predictions that aging baby boomers would flock to retirement havens or that millennials would split…

  Wednesday, June 14, 2017

• Consumers conflicted about color

  ​Deep down in their hearts, consumers prefer brightly or boldly colored spaces. But when it comes to…

  Wednesday, June 07, 2017

• A new Golden Rule for leadership

  Leaders and managers seeking to engage, motivate and retain employees should consider adopting a slightly…

  Thursday, June 01, 2017

• Housing activity softens, but outlook remains positive

  ​Across the board, housing activity weakened in the month of April as markets readjusted following…

  Wednesday, May 24, 2017

• Housing squeeze keeps remodelers busy

  ​As home values increase, current homeowners are choosing to redecorate and renovate rather than buy…

  Wednesday, May 17, 2017

• Softwood lumber dispute cuts both ways

  Recent news that the U.S. Department of Commerce would impose a 20 percent import tariff on softwood…

  Wednesday, May 10, 2017

• Time to rethink the office design paradigm?

  Today's office spaces are a far cry from the colorless, regimented fluorescent-lit boxes of old. Thanks…

  Wednesday, May 03, 2017

• Is housing trending or spiraling?

  ​Could this be the year the housing industry finally reaches escape velocity from the tenacious pattern…

  Wednesday, April 26, 2017

• Design for aging in place goes mainstream

  For well over a decade, professional associations related to the building industry have been advising…

  Wednesday, April 19, 2017

• Elder tech: The next level in age‑friendly housing

  ​Builders have come a long way from the days when putting in a ramp, some grab bars and maybe a wheel-chair…

  Wednesday, April 12, 2017

• Pace of interior design employment slows

  Following an unprecedented spike in new hires in 2015, the pace of interior design employment returned…

  Wednesday, April 05, 2017

• Can housing sustain its ‘Trump bump’?

  Nearly every major indicator of housing market performance trended upward in February, capping one of…

  Wednesday, March 29, 2017

• Homes sales, aging propel remodeling industry

  Rising home prices and sales of existing homes have boosted recent remodeling activity, while major life-stage…

  Wednesday, March 22, 2017

• Compounding the benefits of nature in healthcare settings

  ​Research in biophilia — the notion that humans experience an instinctive bond with nature and other…

  Wednesday, March 15, 2017

• Wealthiest Americans spending more on home improvement

  Spending on home improvement has been hovering at record levels for the past two years and is expected…

  Wednesday, March 08, 2017

• Consumer optimism putting pressure on housing supply

  ​Housing activity picked up in January as more buyers seeking single-family homes entered the market.…

  Wednesday, March 01, 2017

• Tomorrow’s kitchen: Smarter, smaller and oh so cool

  Tabletop cooking, backsplash display panels and a garage for your appliances are just a few of the advances…

  Tuesday, February 21, 2017

• Boomers may elude predictions of their homebuying power

  ​Once again, baby boomers are bucking conventional wisdom. The scenario oft-repeated within the housing…

  Wednesday, February 15, 2017

• Turning around homelessness with design

  ​On any given day, more than a half-million people — children, women and men, including many veterans…

  Wednesday, February 08, 2017

• Getting help for struggling managers

  It is a fact widely known but seldom acknowledged that many managers hold their positions for reasons…

  Thursday, February 02, 2017

• Forecast uncertain as housing industry teeters

  ​December brought good news and bad news for the housing industry. Year-end tallies show moderate but…

  Wednesday, January 25, 2017

• Kitchen’s bigger footprint stepping on designers’ toes

  ​Open kitchens continue to grow in popularity. Recent industry reports show a strong consumer preference…

  Wednesday, January 18, 2017

• Conditions look favorable for home builders in 2017

  Homeownership remains an elusive dream for many Americans, and probably will remain so at least for the…

  Wednesday, January 11, 2017

• Acoustic balance: Office design’s holy grail

  ​Research demonstrating the many ways that office design affects employees' well-being and performance…

  Tuesday, January 03, 2017

• New tools bring VR to the job site

  Real estate developers and sellers garnered media attention this past year with stories about how they…

  Monday, December 12, 2016

• 2 key traits of effective leadership

  Effective leadership is critical to the success of any organization. At every level of the organization,…

  Wednesday, December 07, 2016

• Homeowners sticking to the basics in remodels

  Design media publishers like to dazzle their readers with awesome photos of amazingly designed spaces.…

  Monday, December 05, 2016

• Housing industry regains momentum heading toward year’s end

  Housing managed to get its second wind as it entered the final quarter of the year. Most industry indicators…

  Wednesday, November 30, 2016

• Creating a better world with design

  A substantial and growing body of research attests to what designers have long known. The design of the…

  Monday, November 28, 2016

• Who are millennial homebuyers?

  ​Millennials are back in the real estate news. After a much-anticipated influx of millennial homebuyers…

  Wednesday, November 16, 2016

• Remodeling activity to accelerate in 2017

  An undersupply of homes for sale along with rising home prices are spurring home renovation, repair and…

  Tuesday, November 08, 2016

• First-time buyers give housing a needed lift

  Even as new construction activity slowed, sales of existing homes in September rebounded after two months…

  Wednesday, October 26, 2016

• Design on demand: Just a matter of time?

  Until recently, living the good life was about having it all: the clothes, the jewels, the cars, the…

  Wednesday, October 19, 2016

• Homebuyer sentiment reverses course amid mixed signals

  Homeowners looking to sell are enthusiastic about the continued rise in housing prices. Prospective homebuyers…

  Wednesday, October 12, 2016

• Does the smart kitchen have a future?

  ​While still in its infancy, smart technology has made tremendous strides within a short time. Today,…

  Wednesday, October 05, 2016

• Multifamily gains as single-family home sales stall

  ​Homebuyers took a small vacation from the market in August, with both new and existing single-family…

  Wednesday, September 28, 2016

• Managing envy in the workplace

  ​Recognizing a job well done is one of the most effective ways to motivate employees and enhance job…

  Tuesday, September 27, 2016

• Interior design recovery robust but uneven

  ​After several years of modest growth following the recession, the interior design industry experienced…

  Wednesday, September 21, 2016

• 5 trends shaping today’s new home market

  ​Demand for new homes is heating up. A shortage of suitable existing home inventory may be one reason,…

  Wednesday, September 14, 2016

• For fall, functional kitchens with visual appeal

  As the remodeling industry enters the busy fall season, kitchen redesigns and upgrades continue to top…

  Wednesday, September 07, 2016

• Housing still hoping to gain momentum

  ​Slow but steady is the current prognosis for the housing industry. Housing starts are up for the first…

  Wednesday, August 24, 2016

• Fewer homeowners choosing design over remodeling

  ​Design activity weakened slightly in the second quarter, even as demand for remodeling and renovation…

  Thursday, August 18, 2016

• Red, white or blue: Which light is right?

  ​Recognition that the built environment can have a profound effect on human health and well-being is…

  Wednesday, August 10, 2016

• Kitchen and bath activity remains bright spot amid slowing market

  Home remodeling and renovation activity weakened somewhat during the second quarter. Across the board,…

  Wednesday, August 03, 2016

• New home sales rise as inventory shrinks

  A patch of blue has opened up in the murky waters clouding the prospects for the housing industry. Both…

  Wednesday, July 27, 2016

• New home buyers help fuel remodeling surge

  ​Remodeling activity is at its highest level since before the housing bubble burst. With mortgage rates…

  Thursday, July 21, 2016

• For first-time buyers, the American dream can wait

  Buying a home has long been regarded one of the hallmarks of entering adulthood, something to achieve…

  Wednesday, July 13, 2016

• The time is right for home renovations

  Homeowners are pulling out the stops on home renovation. Increased confidence in the economy, rising…

  Wednesday, July 06, 2016

• Housing’s new normal: A dragging industry

  Yet again, housing took a step back in May after taking a step forward in April. It is a pattern with…

  Wednesday, June 29, 2016

• Interior design employment soars

  If it seemed like firms were frantically hiring designers last year, that's because they were. Employers…

  Wednesday, June 22, 2016

• Is the honeymoon over with smart homes?

  Hailed as the technology of the future, smart devices connected through an Internet of Things and controlled…

  Thursday, June 16, 2016

• Designing kitchens for healthy eating

  Consumers are increasingly concerned about their health, and that includes ensuring their homes are healthy,…

  Wednesday, June 08, 2016

• Building industry teetering toward growth

  Builders continue to get mixed signals as to whether conditions are improving. Data reports from the…

  Wednesday, May 25, 2016

• Feng shui for the rest of us

  Two things homeowners can't get enough of are energy and time. To help maximize the number of minutes…

  Wednesday, May 18, 2016

• Building a construction industry that includes women, too

  ​Amid signs that demand for new construction may be softening in some areas, hiring in the industry…

  Wednesday, May 11, 2016

• Remodeling soars as home ownership dips

  After a tepid first quarter, the remodeling industry is on course to realize one of its best years in…

  Wednesday, May 04, 2016

• Builders ‘cautiously optimistic’ despite slow growth

  Hopes that momentum from last fall's burst of building activity would carry forward into 2016 have faded…

  Friday, April 29, 2016

• A surprising value-add for interior designers

  ​Designers are always looking for ways to enhance the value of their services in the eyes of consumers…

  Wednesday, April 20, 2016

• Green and smart growing up together

  While "smart" homes remain a vision more than a reality, new smart products and services continue to…

  Monday, April 18, 2016

• Waste no time when it’s time to say goodbye

  Donald Trump notwithstanding, for most managers firing an employee is one of the most difficult parts…

  Tuesday, April 12, 2016

• Consumers spending more on kitchen and bath changes

  ​Several recent homeowner surveys confirm what kitchen and bath professionals already know. Regardless…

  Wednesday, April 06, 2016

• As demand resurges, builders struggle to keep pace

  The building industry righted course in February, with all indicators trending upward. Activity increased…

  Thursday, March 24, 2016

• Use a laser focus in your luxury client marketing

  When it comes to attracting high-end clients for design services, less is definitely more. Glitzy home…

  Thursday, March 17, 2016

• Millennials: Housing’s lost generation

  "You are a lost generation," remarked Gertrude Stein to the young Ernest Hemingway, referring to the…

  Wednesday, March 09, 2016

• Countertops take center stage in kitchen and bath renovations

  ​When homeowners get the itch to upgrade or renovate their kitchen or bath, chances are it's because…

  Thursday, March 03, 2016

• Slip or slump: Which way are the housing winds blowing?

  ​January — that contrary month for the housing industry — disappointed once again. Across the board,…

  Wednesday, February 24, 2016

• What makes a workplace healthy?

  ​Evidence keeps piling up that healthy workplaces produce big benefits for employers. Studies show…

  Thursday, February 18, 2016

• Values, lifestyle driving home design choices

  Location, location, location is the mantra familiar to every real estate agent, developer, builder and…

  Wednesday, February 10, 2016

• Remodeling industry expecting strong growth in 2016

  All signs point to a year of healthy growth for the remodeling industry in 2016. Indicators across all…

  Wednesday, February 03, 2016

• Tightening supply to sustain nonresidential construction growth

  Not all the news about the economy is bad. Numbers coming in for the final month of 2015 show resurgence…

  Wednesday, January 27, 2016

• ‘Easy’ does it when designing for today’s homeowners

  Homeowners are fed up with their old kitchens and ways of living and are investing in substantial upgrades…

  Wednesday, January 20, 2016

• Headwinds mounting as building industry enters 2016

  The year is new, but for homebuilders 2016 is looking a lot like 2015 so far. Early projections foresee…

  Thursday, January 14, 2016

• New smart design appliances your luxury clients will want to have

  Amidst all the hoopla about virtual reality, curved TVs and roll-up computer screens, manufacturers also…

  Thursday, January 07, 2016

• Consumer trends interior designers need to watch in 2016

  Forecasters have crunched their numbers, scrutinized their focus groups and peered into their crystal…

  Monday, December 14, 2015

• Slower growth forecast for construction industry in 2016

  ​Even as construction activity appeared to be slowing down in November, industry experts released their…

  Friday, December 11, 2015

• Kitchens that don’t look like kitchens and other trends for 2016

  Perhaps no other room in the home has undergone such substantial change in recent years as the kitchen.…

  Wednesday, December 09, 2015

• Remodeling activity on growth trajectory for 2016

  Remodeling and design activity softened somewhat during the third quarter, but not enough to break stride.…

  Wednesday, November 18, 2015

• Drones are evolving into worker bees

  The use of drones — or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — is increasing on large construction projects.…

  Wednesday, November 11, 2015

• For 2016, bathrooms get down to business

  ​Gray walls, shiny black tile floors and quartz countertops, paired with gleaming, sleek chrome and…

  Wednesday, November 04, 2015

• Builders confident that 2015 will end on a positive note

  Builders shrugged off a rather lackluster September, choosing to focus instead on regaining ground in…

  Thursday, October 29, 2015

• Luxury furniture industry reaches out to designers to boost sales

  ​At the height of the Great Depression in 1931, representatives of the furniture industry invited a…

  Wednesday, October 21, 2015

• The future of building comes a few steps closer with new technology

  ​Two recent news items reveal that revolutionary advances in building technology are just around the…

  Thursday, October 15, 2015

• Kitchens that cook so you don’t have to

  The Consumer Electronics Show is still months away, but manufacturers are already rolling out the next…

  Wednesday, October 07, 2015

• How do you track employee engagement? Ask engaging questions

  Lack of employee engagement continues to be a major problem for many businesses. The latest Gallup survey…

  Tuesday, September 29, 2015

• Builders betting boomers will occupy senior housing

  ​If you play the numbers, the numbers are promising. Every day 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 and,…

  Monday, September 28, 2015

• What makes a space gender neutral?

  Call it gender equality, gender parity or gender neutrality. As more and more women ascend to professional…

  Wednesday, September 16, 2015

• Reports: Housing construction turns a corner

  After another disappointing start to the year, housing appears to have gained traction. Second-quarter…

  Thursday, September 10, 2015

• Men are changing the concept of the kitchen

  The number of men who are the principle cooks in their households has been on the rise for some time.…

  Wednesday, September 02, 2015

• Construction gains mixed in July, but outlook remains positive

  ​Construction sector gains continued to seesaw month-to-month between modest increases and modest dips…

  Wednesday, August 26, 2015

• What’s the top luxury purchase these days? Time

  ​Buying time is the latest trend in luxury. It's one thing wealthy consumers can't get enough of. Constantly…

  Thursday, August 20, 2015

• Millennials squeezed out of housing market

  This was supposed to be the year when millennials threw off their chains of dependence and flocked to…

  Wednesday, August 12, 2015

• Bucking the trends: What homeowners really want

  As the year began, kitchen and bath trend forecasters made their pronouncements about what changes we…

  Wednesday, August 05, 2015

• How smart technology can put an end to thermostat wars

  Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak hit an icy nerve with her recent piece on gender disputes over…

  Thursday, July 30, 2015

• Service makes the difference in selling interior design

  Homeowners have challenges. Designers have solutions. So why aren't more homeowners turning to designers…

  Wednesday, July 22, 2015

• Putting a third ‘i’ in building

  Today's built environments are all about performance — and not just building performance. Yes, on the…

  Wednesday, July 15, 2015

• Aging boomers keep kitchen and bath remodels booming

  Realtors are waiting on millennials to revive home sales. But when it comes to custom home building and…

  Wednesday, July 08, 2015

• When mistakes happen, letting go will help you get ahead

  When mistakes happen at work, do you tend to dwell on them and worry about what your boss and co-workers…

  Monday, July 06, 2015

• Midcourse correction for building industry as demand slows

  Hopes for a sustained rebound in the building industry have dwindled as indicators point to slower growth…

  Wednesday, June 24, 2015

• Who’s buying luxury home goods?

  Once synonymous with wealth, opulence and exclusivity, luxury has become more accessible. Consequently,…

  Wednesday, June 17, 2015

• More evidence of positive effects of nature in built environments

  Increased daylighting is now a common strategy for reducing energy consumption in buildings. It has the…

  Wednesday, June 10, 2015

• The co-op: A new model for remodeling and design firms?

  Business is booming in the remodeling industry. Profits, not so much. Looking ahead to better days, consumers…

  Monday, June 08, 2015

• WELL buildings getting better

  The release of the WELL Building Standard last fall has helped raise awareness of ongoing efforts to…

  Wednesday, May 27, 2015

• Getting to know HENRY — possibly your next best client

  ​Who is HENRY? HENRY stands for "High-Earners Not Rich Yet" — the group often also referred to as…

  Friday, May 22, 2015

• Sluggish economy may stall housing recovery

  There was good news and bad news about the state of the housing industry recently. New residential construction…

  Wednesday, May 20, 2015

• Business is booming for kitchen and bath industry

  Even during the lean years, kitchen and bath remodels topped the list of most requested home renovation…

  Monday, May 11, 2015

• Building industry betting on pent-up demand to boost activity

  ​The beginning of 2015 was "deja vu all over again" for the building industry, as severe weather conditions…

  Wednesday, April 29, 2015

• Report: More design jobs added in 2014

  Employers hired 1,300 more interior designers between May 2013 and May 2014, bringing the total number…

  Wednesday, April 22, 2015

• Lifestyle changes propel remodeling activity

  Remodeling and renovation activity continues to lead the residential building sector, as the market for…

  Wednesday, April 15, 2015

• Steamed up: Bathrooms get romantic

  Candlelight, soft music, a bottle of wine, roses. A romantic dinner for two? These days it could just…

  Wednesday, April 08, 2015

• 5 ways to improve employee engagement

  Companies worldwide are grappling with how to increase employee engagement. It is estimated that in the…

  Wednesday, April 01, 2015

• Are you freezing at work? New studies may boost building comfort

  Anyone who has suffered in an overcooled or overheated meeting room for a day or two understands the…

  Wednesday, March 25, 2015

• Retirees look forward to ‘best home of their lives’

  With greater freedom to choose where and how they want to live, retirees are focusing on making their…

  Wednesday, March 18, 2015

• Performance demands will drive green construction growth

  Of all the trends affecting the rise in sustainable construction, none is having a greater impact than…

  Wednesday, March 11, 2015

• Value of major remodels slips as home prices soften

  The cost of undertaking a major remodeling project increased last year, but the added value of those…

  Thursday, March 05, 2015

• How we want to live — The other housing gap

  Burdensome mortgages, tight credit, consumer debt, stagnant wages — all have contributed in some way…

  Wednesday, February 25, 2015

• Affluent women reshaping luxury market

  When you think "luxury," images of diamonds, jewelry, furs, high-fashion gowns, designer shoes and bespoke…

  Thursday, February 19, 2015

• Ready or not? Mixed signals from the millennial home market

  ​The latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor shows employment among 25-to-34-year-olds…

  Wednesday, February 11, 2015

• Kitchen and bath upgrades leading remodeling recovery

  Attendees at this year's KBIS had a lot to celebrate — new products, new technologies, lots of industry…

  Wednesday, February 04, 2015

• Year-end momentum boosts builder confidence

  Indicators across the building industry report notable growth in the final quarter of 2014. Conditions…

  Thursday, January 29, 2015

• Homeowners ready to tackle overdue renovations

  ​Positive economic and employment news, along with declining gas prices, have boosted consumer confidence…

  Thursday, January 22, 2015

• Refining your segmentation strategy

  Chances are your association's 2015 business plan includes goals to grow membership and increase revenues.…

  Wednesday, January 21, 2015

• Consumers prefer practical over pizzazz in smart home technology

  ​In the future, we will not be minding the machines; the machines will be minding us. At this year's…

  Thursday, January 15, 2015

• Modern traditional tops the list of 2015 kitchen trends

  The buzz at this year's Consumer Electronics Show is once again all about the Internet of Things, including…

  Monday, January 12, 2015

• New role for interior designers: Home health specialist

  Homeowners want their homes to support their health and well-being, and they are willing to undertake…

  Monday, December 15, 2014

• Millennials settling down, baby boomers staying put

  ​Two factors drive the housing market: the economy and demographics. At the moment, both are trending…

  Thursday, December 11, 2014

• Coming clean: Homeowners choosing shower over tub

  ​Are they in or are they out? By some accounts, homeowners are done with bathtubs. Others say the bathtub…

  Monday, December 08, 2014

• Tomorrow’s buildings may be built by robots

  Imagine building an entire 30-story hotel from the ground up in just 15 days. Sounds like futuristic…

  Thursday, December 04, 2014

• Conditions improving in housing and home remodeling markets

  Renewed activity in the housing industry in recent months bodes well for interior designers and remodelers.…

  Wednesday, November 19, 2014

• Construction industry building toward a strong finish for 2014

  After a disappointing third quarter, the construction industry regained momentum in October, with signs…

  Wednesday, November 12, 2014

• Using design to take a stand against falls

  A two-part series this week in The New York Times examines the alarming increase in falls among seniors.…

  Wednesday, November 05, 2014

• New directions emerging in multigenerational housing

  ​Extended life span, increased immigration, a weak economy and a tight housing market have contributed…

  Wednesday, October 29, 2014

• Young affluents are biggest consumers of luxury homes

  Although the media have focused on the large numbers of millennials who have struggled to get a toehold…

  Wednesday, October 22, 2014

• Home design in the age of Transformers

  In homes large or small, homeowners are looking to do more with the space they have. That's the message…

  Wednesday, October 15, 2014

• Kitchen and bath trends for 2015: Subdued elegance with a dash of cheer

  With the fall remodeling season well underway, the design media have now turned their attention to handicapping…

  Wednesday, October 08, 2014

• Contracts and collaboration: Can they co‑exist?

  Better, faster, cheaper is the mantra for today's building industry. Constraining costs and schedules…

  Wednesday, September 24, 2014

• Narrowing the ‘green gap’ for homeowners

  Marketing researchers call it "the green gap" — the difference between the universe of consumers who…

  Wednesday, September 17, 2014

• Active design: A trend with legs

  Along with ways to make buildings more sustainable and healthier, researchers, professionals and governments…

  Thursday, September 11, 2014

• Design insights for more livable kitchens

  Kitchen renovations top the list of home remodeling projects, and for good reason. The kitchen is the…

  Wednesday, September 03, 2014

• Putting a value on values

  As individuals and organizations we cannot function without trust. It is the glue that holds relationships…

  Thursday, August 28, 2014

• Construction technology: Getting down to business

  Building engineering, design and rendering software continue to get more sophisticated, but on the operational…

  Thursday, August 28, 2014

• Keeping up with the elders: Senior living offers choice, convenience

  For some time now, senior living has been migrating from a healthcare model to a hospitality model. While…

  Wednesday, August 20, 2014

• Uniting smart home technologies: Who will rule the roost?

  The race is on in the smart home industry to develop a unified "Internet of everything," a system that…

  Thursday, August 14, 2014

• Kitchen and bath remodels top homeowners’ makeover list

  Whether they are planning to sell or stay where they are, homeowners have remodeling on their minds.…

  Wednesday, August 06, 2014

• Remodeling industry gains momentum, trending upward

  After a disappointing first quarter, the remodeling industry bounced back in the second quarter of 2014,…

  Wednesday, July 30, 2014

• Are we on the cusp of a visual renaissance?

  A growing emphasis on visual communication and quality has elevated the public's awareness of design,…

  Wednesday, July 23, 2014

• A new corporate model: Profit with a purpose

  Capitalism with a conscience. The purpose-driven economy. Social entrepreneurship. By whatever name you…

  Wednesday, July 16, 2014

• All shook up: Boomers are rattling projections for the 55-plus market

  Are they moving or not? That is the question baffling the 55-plus market as it pins its hopes for recovery…

  Wednesday, July 09, 2014

• Affluent are browsing online, but are they buying?

  Smartphones and tablets have transformed the ways consumers are shopping. But market research experts…

  Tuesday, July 01, 2014

• Millions of millionaires: Who are they?

  ​While middle-class families have seen their incomes stagnate, the rich have been getting richer. Both…

  Tuesday, June 24, 2014

• Latest housing trends reflect larger generational shifts

  ​Depending on who you want to believe, Americans either are continuing the recent trend of flocking…

  Wednesday, June 18, 2014

• Economic easing has employees feeling restless

  Don't look now, but your employees are getting ready to leave — in droves. At least that's what ​they…

  Monday, June 16, 2014

• Unraveling the professional designation paradox

  ​Certifications and other forms of professional credentialing are the Jekyll and Hyde of the interior…

  Tuesday, June 10, 2014

• New efforts ramp up building’s response to disasters

  ​World leaders may be waffling on what to do about climate change, but the building industry is marshaling…

  Friday, June 06, 2014

• Does your association have a website succession plan?

  Of all the vehicles associations have to communicate with members and potential members, none has greater…

  Wednesday, June 04, 2014

• Affluent focusing on quality of life

  Extravagance and unabashed indulgence in luxury have long been regarded as the fruits of great wealth.…

  Tuesday, May 27, 2014

• Older consumers want to hear from you

  ​Leaders looking to grow their businesses might start by taking a look around their offices. They are…

  Friday, May 23, 2014

• Construction industry looking to turn a corner

  ​After a disappointing first quarter, construction activity continued to sputter in April. Industry…

  Thursday, May 22, 2014

• Do green workspaces benefit workers?

  ​One of the early assumptions about green buildings was that by improving environmental quality, they…

  Tuesday, May 13, 2014

• People performance: Building’s next goal?

  Back in the 1990s, management gurus talked a lot about high-performance teams. Today, the talk is all…

  Monday, May 12, 2014

• A better way to realign your staff

  In times of crisis or organizational change, leaders often resort to restructuring as a means of revitalizing…

  Wednesday, May 07, 2014

• Builders and remodelers expect growth despite adjusted forecasts

  ​Projections are down, but hopes are up. That in a nutshell is the assessment of the current state…

  Thursday, April 24, 2014

• Interior designers making employment gains

  After declining slightly in 2012, interior design employment is once again on the rise. According to…

  Tuesday, April 22, 2014

• Who killed strategic planning?

  Strategic planning is dead. So claims economist Bill Conerly in a series of articles for Forbes. That…

  Monday, April 14, 2014

• Early indicators bolster residential sector’s optimism

  Residential building professionals have high hopes for 2014. Results of a recent survey conducted by…

  Wednesday, April 09, 2014

• Prepping your design conversation

  Clients today are more demanding than ever. Some designers dread calling on new clients because they…

  Tuesday, April 08, 2014

• Mission or vision — Which drives your strategy?

  Ideally, an association's mission and vision should be in alignment. Often in reality they are not. Over…

  Tuesday, April 01, 2014

• Designing for collaborative consumers

  Collaborative consumption poses some interesting challenges for designers, not the least of which is:…

  Thursday, March 20, 2014

• Building behemoths: Supersize and megatall

  ​What once seemed impossible is now not only possible, but also imminent. Around the world, building…

  Wednesday, March 19, 2014

• What Twitter groups can teach you about your organization

  If someone asked how your company is organized, what would you say? Chances are you would pull out your…

  Thursday, March 13, 2014

• Innovations in improving indoor air quality

  ​Efforts to improve indoor air quality have encountered some limitations as builders and engineers…

  Thursday, March 13, 2014

• Dissatisfaction with remodelers creates opportunity for designers

  ​Home remodeling and improvement services have a bad reputation with consumers. ​According to a recent…

  Tuesday, March 11, 2014

• Suppliers — Your best untapped resource

  One of the biggest challenges any manager has is not knowing what you don't know. It's demanding enough…

  Thursday, February 27, 2014

• Luxury living makes its return — with a twist

  ​Inconspicuous consumption dominated affluent consumers' buying habits during the recent recession.…

  Monday, February 24, 2014

• What it takes to be the boss

  ​Who wouldn't want to be the boss? You get to call the shots and tell everyone what to do. You get…

  Monday, February 17, 2014

• Outlook improving for interior designers and contractors

  Early projections for building and remodeling activity suggest business should improve for interior designers…

  Tuesday, February 11, 2014

• Stories boards tell — and how to untell them

  Keeping board members on track is never easy, but what do you do when your board falls prey to misinformation…

  Wednesday, February 05, 2014

• A new paradigm for older workers

  Results of a recent Gallup study show that large numbers of baby boomers plan to continue working well…

  Thursday, January 23, 2014

• Smart homes getting smarter: How interior designers must adapt

  ​If you are not familiar with the term "the Internet of things," it is time to add it to your vocabulary.…

  Tuesday, January 21, 2014

• Don’t fear the feedback

  ​Day in, day out, associations accumulate feedback from members and customers. Some of it is solicited,…

  Wednesday, January 15, 2014

• Supportive workplaces: The gift that keeps on giving

  The start of a new year is the time for evaluating performance and deciding who will get the bigger carrot…

  Wednesday, January 08, 2014

• New research confirms impact of lighting and color on design

  As we approach the darkest day of the year, now is a good time to remember just how important light is…

  Tuesday, December 10, 2013

• Get more benefit from your benefits

  In my many years of conducting and analyzing member satisfaction surveys, I was always baffled by how…

  Friday, December 06, 2013

• What to make of those annual forecasts

  ​With 2014 only a month away, last year's business plans are heading for the shredder. 'Tis the season…

  Tuesday, November 26, 2013

• Taking your association to a deeper shade of green

  In the aftermath of yet another unprecedented catastrophic natural disaster fueled by global climate…

  Wednesday, November 20, 2013

• Guilt-free consumption: The new trend in luxury

  ​According to recent market studies, consumers are struggling with more than their wallets these days.…

  Wednesday, November 20, 2013

• Are you trading efficiency for productivity?

  One of the basic principles of a free-market economy is that markets perform better when unhampered by…

  Wednesday, November 13, 2013

• Biophilia: The next step in green design

  As the U.S. Green Building Council gets ready to roll out LEED v4 at the ​Greenbuild conference Nov.…

  Tuesday, October 29, 2013

• 3 steps to successfully broadening your member base

  After several years of declining memberships, associations are now looking forward to better days. Some…

  Monday, October 21, 2013

• The right mind to negotiate

  ​Much of a business leader's time is spent in negotiation. Brokering a deal, cutting costs, expanding…

  Monday, October 07, 2013

• Cyberaesthetics:  The next big thing for interior design?

  ​From roll-up screens and slide carousels to superthin flat-panel LED monitors, interior designers…

  Tuesday, October 01, 2013

• Are your staff members committed — to their space?

  ​All organizations, be they for-profit or not-for-profit, have a mission. It may be to create the coolest…

  Tuesday, September 17, 2013

• A crisis in leadership

  As the global economic slump drags on, pressure builds on heads of state and other leaders to find some…

  Friday, September 13, 2013

• Members: Your most important resource

  If you're in the association business, you don't have to think twice about what is your most important…

  Tuesday, September 10, 2013

• Who do you think you are?

  Marketing specialists will tell you that, as an association, one of your most important assets is your…

  Thursday, August 15, 2013

• Is your association in the know?

  Knowledge is power, so the saying goes. But not all knowledge is power to all organizations. Knowledge…

  Thursday, July 18, 2013

• Make the most of your staff’s skills

  It was one of those "aha" moments. A staff member had received an email inquiry from a potential customer,…

  Thursday, June 20, 2013