Posts Tagged ‘interior design jobs’
Top Interior Design Schools
When choosing from prospective interior design schools, be sure to see that they are accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. Once you have your bachelor’s degree for interior design, you will need to acquire several years of apprenticeship/work experience before you are eligible to take the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam. It is possible to become an interior designer without attending an interior design school, but you will need to have 7,040 hours of applicable work experience prior to taking your certification exam. Likewise, those who have an associate’s degree need 5,280 hours of work experience and those with a bachelor’s degree require 3,520 hours.
To become an interior designer, you will need a special set of skills unique to the interior design industry. You will need to understand color and how certain shades affect people’s moods or the size of the room. You will need to be an excellent communicator who is completely in-tune with your clients. You’ll need to be a problem solver who understands building codes and the challenges that come with arranging patterns, colors, architectural features and furniture in a meaningful way. You will need to know all the latest interior design trends and styles and understand interior design software for the computer. You must also be creative when it comes to envisioning a room but also practical when it comes to planning. While some of this is inherently innate, interior design schools can mold the sort of employees that an interior design company is looking for.
One of the best interior design schools is the Pratt Institute in New York City. This interior design school focuses on academic art theory, artistic design and placement coursework (during the senior year). According to their website, “It is widely acknowledged that interior design education, as it is taught across the United States, began at Pratt. That so many of our alumni are found in the Who’s Who of Interior Designers is no surprise. The Interior Design program is consistently ranked among the top in the country in an annual independent professional survey.” Courses range from designs color and lighting, to architectural drawing and building, to office management and portfolio development. Pratt focuses on preparing students for a competitive job market.
The California College of Arts is another one of the interior design schools to consider. With more than 80% of its classes having 20 students or less, the emphasis here is personalized instruction and mentoring. Students will gain internships as part of their coursework and will take other classes on building materials, space, lighting, technology, and interior design furniture. There are two campuses; one in San Francisco and one in Oakland to accommodate students. Tuition is $26,100 per term.
Taking A Look At Home Interior Trends Of 2009
Home interior designing for residential properties is such a personal thing that it is difficult to generalize. For instance, many professional designers actually prefer neutral-tone houses, since they are dealing with a bombardment of colors everyday at work. Some clients love bold accent colors, such as dark blues, wine reds and mustard yellows, while others prefer comforting pastel blues, terra cotta, pinks and greens. Some like glamorous, vintage-Hollywood furniture and rich tapestries, while others prefer to keep their designs more subdued, minimalist and airy. Even so, there are some prevailing concepts that builders say are early hits for 2009 interior design trends.
Homes from the 1800s to early 1900s were special in that the home designs of large family estates were internally divided to create distinct environments. For instance, home owners had practical servant’s quarters on the lower level floors near the kitchen, whereas the family’s bedrooms were all situated upstairs. A powder room was often found downstairs and an en-suite bathroom was just off the parent’s master bath. The children often lived down a hallway and in their own separate quarter of the house, so the parents could have a bit of privacy and reprieve.
In some instances, a carriage house held the in laws or guests. This is a home interior trend that’s coming back for 2009, with second or third bedroom suites and added bathrooms increasing in popularity. “Buyers are saying, let’s put kids over here to one side to keep things quiet for parents or in-laws who will be moving in with them,” explains Kyle Lindsey, owner of Kyle Lindsey Custom Homes. These secondary suites are typically 300-400 square-feet with full bathrooms and occasional sitting rooms in an isolated section of the house, Lindsey adds.
Family spaces are likely to continue in popularity throughout 2009, say home interior experts. “‘Rear living, with the family room and kitchen to the back of the house, makes is so that while mom is cooking, she can see the kids playing in the living room or entertain guests without leaving the kitchen,” details Michelle Uhrig, director of the KB Home Studio. She adds that many of their modern designs include fewer walls in common rooms and more of an “open concept” feel. Half-walls conjoining kitchens, dining rooms and den areas are preferable. Additionally, the European concept of outdoor living rooms have finally come to America, with exterior kitchens, pizza ovens, fire pits, chandeliers, artwork and comfortable furniture under a covered overhang are big.
In terms of furniture, people are looking for functionality out of their home interior selections. The Murphy bed is making a comeback when it comes to bedroom design, some say, because it allows comfortable meditation space, storage space and add-on seating options. Built-in bookshelves, storage nooks and closet organizers are helping a number of Americans pack away their messes. Traditional “media rooms” are turning into more central gathering points, as families add bars and snack centers, libraries and desk space into these communal locales.
Reviewing How To Design Interior Spaces
Those who design interior spaces will tell you, “It is all in the details.” It could be a new piece of furniture or a new coat of paint that livens up a room, or it may take tearing down walls, adding storage space-saver options and revamping the flooring. There are a number of blogs and interior design trends magazines dedicated to showing you the latest and greatest custom designs and projects. To view some of the innovative designs we are about to discuss, visit www.freshome.com.
When you design interior spaces, you sometimes have to work in small areas and find ways of de-cluttering. This is typically the case when you are dealing with interior design kitchen work. Many cooks hate the boxed-in feeling of a crowded kitchen, which is why Elica Om has come up with a sleek black stove hood that sits up on the wall, like a mounted flat-screen TV, for a more open-concept kitchen. You can purchase this amazing piece for £975 at www.johnlewis.com.
Another option is Daniele Lago’s futuristic 36E8, which encases your dishes in a tall, sleek cabinet that doubles as an art-piece. You can find this piece at www.lago.it. Sometimes you need to work around walls and existing features or condense space a little in a large square kitchen. The Pedini round kitchen countertops improve the chi flow of your house, while also putting the stovetop, the sink, the fridge, shelves and cutting boards all within one step of each other. Find these modern designs at www.pedini.it.
Perhaps you have a small room you would like to enlarge through design. Lighting is another design interior trick for re-sizing your space. Obviously, natural light-flow with sheer dressings is ideal, but you can also add cozy halogen lighting features to make the room look bigger. When it comes to designs color options, try ice-blue, cream, a soft green and lighter molding with a darker trim. Carefully choosing one or two pictures and keeping clutter to a minimum is essential in reinventing your space. Use “floating” furniture that affixes to the wall, the ceiling or other areas to keep the floor as open as possible. Decorative rugs, glass table tops and large mirrors can also make a cramped space larger. Check out www.furniture-for-small-spaces.com for some practical solutions. You might not have to rip that wall down after all!
To design interior spaces may initially seem like a matter of personal taste, but it is really an art form worthy of a four-year Bachelor of Science degree, involving technical manipulation of space and building materials, as well as an in-depth knowledge of how color and furniture contribute to an overall tone. While you may be able to save a few bucks doing it yourself, nothing beats professional interior design jobs. While you may think you are designing solely for yourself, you will still want to consider decorating for maximum retail value.