ABC’s of Fine Design

I found this interesting interior design game on another blog and I had to share it with you. It is called Home Sweet Home and the point of the game is to decorate a home based on what the client wants.

It’s a very interesting and fun game. I may actually buy it just so I can keep playing with it. I am wondering though if I could convince my teacher to let us play it. I don’t think I could, we are not doing residential design anymore, but I can still have fun with it.

Check it out and enjoy!

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Interior designers don’t just walk into Home Depot and bring you great design. They work directly with the suppliers to find the perfect fit for their clients design and budget. Interior design is more then just paint, you have to find that perfect piece of furniture or that perfect lamp or desk to make the design function well and look good.

Sometimes it is hard to keep track of the suppliers that you have used in the past. Especially if you are a small design firm of one or two designers. You usually do all the work yourself. That includes all secretarial work. Designer Pages has made that task much easier by providing a website that has all the suppliers you need in one place. They help you to communicate with them and keep track of what you have done and what you like. You can save products you have found an keep track of contacts all from your dashboard. This site is not only helpful to the residential designer, but will help with industrial design as well.  If you do both types of design this would be the perfect site for you.

If your a student, like I am looking for items for your school projects this site will also help you. I don’t have a huge resource area at the school I am in, so I am always looking for new things online. This site will help me alot these next 2 years since Industrial design is my focus and those types of items can be hard to find in literature I can actually get my hands on.

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I was watching something yesterday about the history of design in the 20th century. It was a program about how much design has changed and how much good and bad it had accomplished.

It seems like nowadays everyone wants a special room for everything from exercise equipment to their pets or games. If you look back to the homes build 100 years ago for the wealthy it was close to the same they had specific rooms for everything, but unlike today these rooms were architectural wonders and included carvings and other beautiful permanent woodwork.

Today we are always looking ahead, we want rooms that can change with our needs and wants, since those seem to change on an almost daily basis. We want to be able to appeal to everyone in case we move that way we can get the most money out of our home. A hundred years ago more people stayed put or at least someone in the family stayed while others moved. They built homes for themselves, choosing lamps and the decorative carving based on what they liked.

It would be nice if we in our wonderful changing modern society could look back and appreciate what they had done. Maybe we could even take a tip and instead of designing a home for the next person, design it for ourselves. In other words design it so that you leave your mark on it. If you paid to have the home built, put something there so that people know who you are. Thats the best part about moving into an existing home. Finding out things about the people who lived there before you.

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I know I said this before, but if your interested in getting into the interior design field you need to watch your credit. With Christmas everyone is out shopping and most people turn to credit cards to help them get though the season.

I guess my only advice would be to find a card that gives you cash back, rewards or another perk. Once Christmas is over consider getting a card with 0% balance transfers so that your not paying high interest on your cards, but make sure to compare credit cards and you need to cut up the old ones, don’t keep them.

It’s not only during Christmas that people rack up there credit cards, many people do this when they fix their home. A problem for anyone who really loves design, I know I have been very tempted to use the credit card to buy some nice things for my home, but I stopped myself.

I’m not saying don’t use them, but keep them for big items only or emergency’s. I will tell you from experience you will not get a job in the design field without good credit. I have had to learn the hard way and now I’m working on fixing that. A very hard thing to do when I don’t have a job.

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I have been talking alot about customization. I have been asked a few times by some people, why? Well, customization is a huge part of design, that is really what you do, you customize a space for a person or use. You make that space feel unique and different from other spaces and you show people a new world or idea.

Customization doesn’t just start and end with custom pens or notepads. It goes all the way up to custom wall coverings or rugs. Many designers create there own rugs for a client, they design it, select the color and makeup of it. Then they send all of those specifications out to be made by the manufacturer. As I have said before a designer does not just throw paint on a wall and put in furniture. There is so much more to it then that.

What does customization mean for the do it yourself? Well for you it’s easier, find things you like and get them. Use your name or your pets name on different things. Just remember don’t’ make those things a permanent fixture in your home. Eventually it will have to be sold and someone make not like the name Fluffy etched into there driveway.

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If your goal in life is to be an interior designer then you really do need to look the part. Now what do I mean by that. You need to dress as a professional. Yes it’s fun to look like your right out of a movie where the designer is flouncy and dressed in creative ways, but it probably will not land you a job.

Dressing for a job interview in the design field is simple, a suit with an interesting shirt under it works well. The problem is once you are out there looking, you need to look good all of the time. Casual wear is the problem that many students have a problem with, they think it’s okay to wear sweat shirts and riped jeans everywhere. It’s not, you never know who you will run into.

If your not sure where to find casual clothing check the site where I got this free mock turtleneck. They have a great selection of casual professional clothing that can help you get that design job. Yes I know it’s a plain black shirt but, if you pair it with a nice red or light brown jacket it will look good. Yes this site also sells those sweat shirts you love too.

I know your still wondering what shirts and clothes have to do with design. Well it’s simple, if I see a well dressed women or man I trust them more then a person who looks like there still in college. They look more responsible and approachable. Dress well and throw in a little of your own style and you should be able to get where you want to go, in design or in any profession.

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An important thing for any interior designer is to have good credit. That is one reason why I am trying so hard to get mine fixed before I graduate. I know it won’t be perfect but if I don’t owe anything but student loans it will look good.

One important step to make sure your credit is good is to check your : checking accounts regularly. This is important because if you bounce checks and don’t have the money to pay it will go on your credit report. Checking your credit report is probably the most important part of watching your credit.

Why is credit so important for an interior designer? Many companies that will sell you that merchandise your clients want give you that merchandise on credit, if your credit score is good. If it’s not you have to pay for it first, most of the time this will come out of your pocket until the client pays you. Of course this situation only applies if you are in business for yourself or the company requires separate accounts for designers. Most of the time design firms will already have an account set up in their name.

Checking your credit can also help the average do it yourselfer. If you want to get that insulation or energy efficient appliance before the end of the year, having good credit may help you. You can put it on a credit card and pay for it later in payments or in a lump sum. That is always helpful this time of year anyway.

Check your credit at least once a year and see where you stand.

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