A Career in Interior Decoration

A certain school of thought claims that interior decorators are born, not made. However, as long as you have a basic artistic streak and a yearning to be creative, you can be groomed to any level of expertise in interior decoration. Giving a property buyer the benefit of one's creative streak in this way is one of the most lucrative and creative careers today.

Beyond any doubt, interior decoration is a satisfying profession for those who 'have it' these days. There is an unprecedented amount of up-market residential and commercial property being sold on the real estate market today. Moreover, the present generation buyers of properties can afford to have their new acquisitions packaged attractively. Engaging the services of an interior decorator was once considered a lavish luxury, but not anymore. With the increased spending power of the IT generation, a home is defined by its aesthetic appeal -- and a growing number of people are ready to pay for that.

The trend for professionally decorated interiors has percolated down from film stars to almost every upper stratum of society. Nor is the demand for interior decoration any longer confined to residences -- witness the offices of most successful doctors, lawyers and advertising agencies, as well as bookstores, music shops, shopping malls, restaurants, hotel lobbies... yes, the scope for interior decoration is virtually endless.

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES

Apart from being an inherently glamorous profession, interior decoration has a career has a number of other appeals to offer:

PEOPLE -- You meet a lot of them, and from a fascinating cross-section - from movie icons to business magnates; from well-known restaurant owners to fast-track lawyers; from neurosurgeons to the idle rich.

MONEY -- You earn a lot of it. Everyone has respect for artistic flair, and your efforts are supposed to reflect the property owner's own taste. This makes it an ego issue, and people pay a lot to support their ego.

CONTACTS -- A career in interior decoration is self-propagating. One successfully completed contract almost immediately leads to another, till you can actually pick and choose. Also, the people you come across can come in useful in many other respects later on.

NO SPECIAL TRAINING REQUIRED -- of course, a basic degree in the Arts can't hurt, but a period of internship under an established interior decorator will serve just as well.

EXTENSIVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS -- You will not be operating on your own. A large enough contract will require the services of a carpenter, electrician, painter and a graphic computer designer. A lot of people will benefit from your profession - and that is significant.

LIMITLESS JOB SATISFACTION -- Expressing oneself artistically is one of the most satisfying experiences that a human being can have; being paid to do it is nothing but a bonus. It is no secret that one works best at what one enjoys doing - it is equally true that one of the biggest problems in today's professional world is lack of creative outlets.

Most people have an 'inbuilt' creative streak in some form or the other. Professional interior decorators who were polled recently firmly denied that theirs is a 'born' breed -- almost anyone can develop a flair, liking and proficiency in this field.

WHAT IT TAKES

As already pointed out, you don't require any special qualifications to become a successful interior decorator (as opposed to interior designing, which has far more demanding parameters). Basically, you should have an ability to judge spaces (including the potential for hidden storage space), lighting requirements, color schemes and contrasts, furniture styles, etc. and a 'feel' for upholstery and curtain fabrics. Finally, you will need to bring these out to maximum advantage within the framework of a given budget.

There are a number of books and journals available to the subject of interior decoration, though not so many on the Indian market. For the seriously interested, however, this will not present a problem. Any specialty bookstore can offer you a selection of imported publications. A subscription to Indian magazines like 'Inside Outside' would be helpful by offering information on styles and combinations currently favored in the country.

One of the most helpful things you can do is to visit properties that have been professionally designed, study the work done there, and even ask the owners in what respects they are or aren't satisfied with the end results. The places to zero in on are newly bought flats and offices that have engaged the services of an interior decorator. The point is not to judge the quality of the job done, but to get a feel of what kind of interior designing is popular on the real estate market, and therefore sells.

This costs you nothing, and people are always ready to talk on such subjects (after all, what is the point in splurging on interior decoration if you can't gloat about the results later on?) In this manner, you can build up a useful mental catalog of successful and unsuccessful approaches.

Getting an eventual interior decoration team together is another important factor. You should also try to establish a personal network of carpenters and painters who will be able to spend time on unscheduled projects. This way, you will be able to obtain their services as and when you need them. Sharing your design discoveries with them occasionally is a good idea, too. In that way, you will have some concrete prototypes to refer to when you actually get to work on a project.

PROGRESSING TO INTERIOR DESIGNING

This is a far more demanding -- and rewarding -- career field, and you will need a lot of experience in interior decoration before you can think of entering it. There are certified institutions that offer courses in interior designing, and you may want to consider such a move at a later stage.

Till then, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't make lucrative waves as an interior decorator. As a famous philosopher once stated, the only limitations we face are those we make for ourselves.

Home Stager - Interior Decorator - Interior Designer - What is the Difference Between Them?

In Toronto and Suburbia (where I live and work) we are fortunate to have a wealth of service industries that cater to home owners. We have home stagers, interior decorators, interior designers, colour consultants, re-designers, home staging-to-live consultants and on and on. With so many closely related service industries it can leave consumers feeling very confused and uncertain about which service best suits their needs. I will try my best to briefly explain the primary differences between several of these services to make your job little easier.

home staging:

Home stagers are part of the Real-Estate industry (not the decorating industry as many assume). Their primary focus is to make your home as appealing and desirable to potential buyers as possible. A fast sale for top dollar is the motivator and inspiration behind their decorating choices. homes are striped of their personality. Belongings are carefully edited and minimized. Colour schemes are neutralized and decors are up-dated to appeal to today's buyers (more specifically targeted markets). They may recommend home up-grades or renovations that will bring a good return on the dollar and be in harmony with current buyer demands, but their role here is usually one of a consultant, as most lack the education and skills required to design and manage a renovation project).

If you are looking to sell your home these are the people to call even before you call your Real-Estate agent. A word of caution though; home staging is an unregulated industry. So do your home work first. Make sure the home Stager you hire has been properly trained and is part of a trade affiliation that holds them accountable for their work and business conduct. Examples of home staging Trade Affiliations are: Real Estate staging Association (RESA), Certified staging ProfessionalsTM (CSP), Accredited staging ProfessionalsTM (ASP).

home staging-TO-LIVE CONSULTANTS: (also known as Re-design)

You will see this service offered by some home stagers. It is similar to home staging To Sell except for home owners personality will be encouraged in the decor not stripped away. This service is also similar to interior decorating except there is greater emphasis placed on the editing of the space. Decors tend to be more minimalistic and colour schemes more neutral (although the current decorating trend amongst interior decorators and designers right now is also quite neutral palettes). Most home staging-to Live Consultants (or Re-design Consultants) are not formally schooled in the disciplines of interior Decoration so take great care when choosing one. Some home owners will hire the stager they used to sell their home to decorate their new one. This is a good bet as they are already familiar with their work and their style.

interior decorators:

interior decorators usually have an in-depth expertise in window treatments, textiles, colour, paint, wall-coverings, furnishings and antiques. Unlike home stagers, their role is to fill homes with personality (the owners personality). Many interior decorators liken them-self to an artist. Their canvas is your empty room; their artistic medium is paint, fabric, furnishings, carpeting, wall papers, accessories and art. Again an unregulated industry (for the most part but that is changing) so do your homework and choose decorators who belong to a trade affiliation like Canadian decorators' Association (CDECA) or Certified interior decorators International (CID). Educational requirements for trade affiliations varies but typically a 2 to 4 year college diploma (degree) is required.

If you are re decorating your space for your own enjoyment and plan on sticking primarily to surface design (rather than architecture modifications) then they are the ones to call.

interior designers:

The criteria to call oneself an " interior designer", varies from province to province (State to State). Generally speaking though, an interior designer is a person who specializes in designing architectural interiors and their furnishings. Although it evolved from interior decoration it is a much more involved discipline requiring a sound knowledge of architecture, product design, drafting, CAD, commercial (contract) design, building codes and other regulatory requirements. Most interior designers, in the residential industry, are also interior decorators and as such offer all of the services an interior Decorator offers. To find a qualified interior designer check out trade affiliations like The Association of Registered interior designers of Ontario (ARIDO), ASID (American Society of interior designers), International interior design Association (IIDA). The educational requirements for membership in these and other trade affiliations can be quite comprehensive requiring a 3-4 year degree from a recognized design school, followed by a 3 year apprenticeship and finally the writing and passing of a qualifying exam (much like law students who are required to write the bar exam).

Does You Living Room Interior Decorating Style Reflect Your Personality?

Designing and decorating living room interiors is a classic experience for many homeowners. You are creating a personal space within your home, which will form the first impression of your home, and your lifestyle in the mind of the visitor who visits for the first time. If the visual quality of your home interiors is full of clutter then it can have a bad impact immediately.

Sadly many few people understand that designing is an inside process. Normally what peopled do is buy a bunch of interior design magazines and try to copy what other designers have done for their clients. You may get some nice ideas by looking at the works done by professional designers but there remains one important question unanswered, which is.

Does your living room interior design reflect your personality?

Now this is so important in the first place?

Every interior space, which has been designed or just happened to be the way it is, is a reflection of your personality in some way or the other. If you get inspired by beautiful designs you see in the movies, interior design magazines or television shows and try to copy them, then what will happen is after a few days they will start to reflect the truth about
your personality.

What I mean is what looks beautiful in pictures may not be as comfortable in reality for you. Your definition of comfort can never match with other person's perspective on comfortable spaces. So before you think of copying from someone else's design make sure to check out your own needs and triggers that make your comfortable.

For example one person looks at a photo of a living room with beautiful chandelier hanging from top and grabs a similar one from a website that sells lighting fixtures. Spends quite a lot of money on this gadget and his living room is now looking beautiful. But after a few days of using this he realizes that it consumes lots of electricity and secondly there's too much light in his living room causing unnecessary glare.

So first know your standards of comfort living and then cleverly make choices that will help you to not only save money but also at the same time create spaces where you can really relax and enjoy your day with family and friends. What's the point spending your hard-earned money on living room interior decorating that will only make you unhappy?

Office Interior Decorating

Like our home, our office or workplace is an important part of our life. There can be little denial of the fact that we spend a major portion of our lifetime in the office.

Based on this observation, you will be able to contemplate how to improve the facilities and design of the office. The concept of the home office is gaining popularity, with more and more people choosing to work from home.

If your office is a home-based one, then you need to select the suitable area and plan the interior decorating accordingly. The main criterion for selecting a suitable place for your office is silence. The area should not be disturbed by any other event in the house. Next, choose the suitable interior-decorating scheme.

Whatever interior decorating scheme you choose, you need to allocate enough room for movement and accommodation of all the necessary equipment and furniture. For example, your workstation should not be too crowded or muddled up. You can use smaller objects instead of large ones. For example, you can use old trays as stacks for piling stationery and other rough documents. The chairs and computer tables should be soft but sturdy, with as many compartments as possible. This will save you the much-needed space.

You need to have separate plugs and boards so that the wires and other cords are not messed up. After all, you cannot afford to waste your precious time, struggling with those jumbled knots everyday! You have got other jobs to do.

Talking of a general or commercial office, some guiding factors for interior decorating are freedom of movement, appearance, maximum space utilization, and so on.

There should be a separate workstation for each employee, where he or she can work with ease and comfort. Also, the lighting and air-conditioning facilities should be correctly fitted to cover all sides evenly. There should be enough air circulation through windows, which of course, should be beautifully draped with curtains or blinds. Only if the surroundings are comfortable will a person's mind think freely and creatively.

For an office, starting from the entry point to the cafeteria lounge, interior-decorating ideas must be chosen carefully. Safety is also important in big offices, since a large number of employees work there. So, measures like emergency exits, automatic water sprays in case of fire accidents; fire extinguishers and alarms should be adopted in the designing stage of the building itself.

You can decorate the reception or guest room with beautiful bouquets, which will be refreshing to look at, and spread their freshness all around.

In big factories, interior-decorating ideas can be followed to reduce manual labor. You can opt for low-cost furnishings and furniture.

While framing the structure or design of your office, you can be immensely rewarded in terms of satisfaction and full value for your money, if you seek a professional's help. He will be able to suggest what you need to include and what to avoid.

Wall Decals For Interior Decorating And Design

Wall decals are a great way to dress up any interior decorating and design project. With an Internet search you should be able to find them on just about any theme. When searching take into account that they may be referred to as wall stickers or vinyl decals. The nice thing about them is they can easily be removed and placed elsewhere in a room.

Wall decals because they are easy to remove should be considered in a rental. Vinyl wall stickers usually do not have adhesive and cling using static. If you are a renter where your landlord will not allow you to even paint and you would like some interior decorating and design to color up a room then they may be the best solution not only that you can take them with you when you move.

If you have need some interior decorating and design for a children's nursery or young child children's wall decals decals are quite popular, alphabet wall decals and train wall stickers are quite popular. Other themes for interior decorating and design of a child's room are Star Wars or Spiderman wall decals. In many cases most popular movie and cartoon related vinyl decals can be found online.

If your a sports fan you can often find your favorite sports wall decals. Life size decals of your favorite players in action or any sport such as football, baseball, basketball, snowboarding even Nascar. If you have a sports themed room this is often the way to go.

Wall decals for interior decorating and design give you virtually unlimited possibilities for designing a theme roomed. They are easily removed so if you are a renter or are moving from your current home you can takes these with you and apply them to you next project in your new place.

Modern Interior Decorating

Do you like redecorating your room so it looks inviting as well as relaxing? Do you want to make things more accessible and your room layout more functional? If so, you probably love interior decorating.

Interior decorating encompasses a wide area of interests: the paint on the walls and on the other surfaces of your room, wallpaper, carpet, tiles, light fixtures, furniture, and even paintings and sculptures.

It is not easy to define exactly what modern interior decorating is since it can actually take on many forms. It seems like there are new design themes and styles coming out every day. In fact, the sky's the limit when it comes to modern-day decorating. Identical designs are no longer the norm. Nowadays, your personality is reflected in your room's interiors.

To create a new look and feel to your room, you may want to try this more up-to-date form of interior decorating. Although there are different classifications to modern design, they can be used as a guide to how you can go about redecorating your place.

You can choose to go with an eclectic style of designing. This is a more common style of modern decoration. As its name implies, eclectic decorating makes use of a combination of different styles to give rise to a completely unique look. Usually, interior decorators just incorporate designs that appeal to them personally, positioning furniture and décor to their liking. You could do the same for your room.

Another decorating style is art deco. Although art deco is classified under modern designs, this style was actually inspired by the 1920s and 1930s. In this style, a lots of lines are used in angular, but elegant, ways. Colors are bright and vibrant.

You may want to go whimsical if you like bright pastel colors. As suggested by the name, this style has no set pattern. A whimsical design applied to a room often gives it a standout and fanciful look and feel.

4 Factors of Interior Design

Decorating a home or room appears to be a very simple job. Professional decorators that publish beautiful bedroom, living rooms and kitchen in magazines seem to pull it off effortlessly. How much work is decorating? Is it hard to personalize a space? Preparation is an essential factor in interior decorating. An effective decorating project begins with an elaborate plan. When designing the décor of your home, find inspiration, determine your style, consider the use of your space and access your materials.

Finding Inspiration
The first step to almost any project is inspiration. When people dress daily, it is often influenced by an image viewed in a magazine. Decorating a home or space is similar. When decorating, it is key to have an idea of the desired outcome. This usually is inspired by a picture in a magazine; something viewed on television or maybe even an advertisement. From the color scheme, to the artwork to the furniture used in the space, it is important to have a general idea of the desired result. How can you work toward a goal of which there is no vision?

Determine Your Style
"Home is where the heart is" is a very true statement. We spend the most times in our homes. Our homes not only provide shelter but also relaxation and entertainment. A person is most comfortable in a space that is comfortable. A comfortable space is likely a space that reflects your personality. A fun loving, spontaneous person would decorate their home much different than that of a conservative introvert. When decorating a space, be sure to allow your personality to shine through, maybe it's a piece of wall art or shag rug, no matter how big or small, make your space a reflection of "you".

Consider the Use of the Space
If you are the parent of 4 children under the age of 5, it may not be practical to decorate your space in all white, glass, sharp pieces. Your family would be very uncomfortable and the room would definitely be "display only". When designing the décor of your space, consider how the space will be used. For example, when decorating a kitchen, make sure there is ample lighting where food will be prepared. Make sure bathrooms have ample vanity lighting if a female will be applying makeup. Creating a magazine worthy space will certainly be a waste if the space is off-limits.

Access Your Materials
The first step of any project is reviewing or creating the budget. One of the biggest expenses of any project is materials. When designing décor for your space, make sure to consider the materials that are available. Purchasing additional items/materials is anticipated, but if it can be avoided, that is wonderful.

Designing the décor of your space of home is an exciting time! Proper planning can lead to an effective and speedy process. Get started planning your next project today!

Zen Interior Decorating

Designing your apartment based on Zen principles can give you a more relaxed and peaceful state of mind. Though you may not be familiar with the terms and quotes Zen masters recite, you can still give your home a slice of nirvana. Here are some tips you can follow in order to have that mystic eastern feel in your home.

What is Zen?

Zen can be very hard to understand for those who have just encountered it because they will usually encounter paradoxical questions such as "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" and phrases such as "To become the Buddha, you must kill the Buddha" which can easily confuse you. So what exactly is Zen then? Unfortunately, the ambiguity of Zen does not allow it to be pinpointed with a specific definition.

First of all, Zen is not a religion. This is because they do not have priests, scriptures, and dogmas that guide or determine what a Zen monk should do. Second, it is not a philosophy. Zen does not have any systematic form of presenting their ideas unlike your typical western philosophies. The best way to describe what Zen is that it is a state of mind that heightens our awareness to the here and now without relying fully on our opinions and ideas.

Zen interior decorating uses the harmonious interaction of space and form within your home or apartment. This gives you a more soothing and relaxed feel, giving you the great amount of rest which you deserve.

The Zen approach to interior decorating promotes minimalism. Zen uses the bare essentials within a dwelling and each item in the house has a specific use. The best colors to use to have that Zen touch in your home are earth tones such as brown. Lighting is also important for a Zen home, and this is achieved by letting more sunlight through large windows.

By letting the principles of Zen on light, space and function interact harmoniously within your home, you could have a happy home that is in-sync with nature and the world around yo

Interior Decorating Ideas for a Sports Enthusiast

You are an avid sports fan and your life revolves around your favorite teams and athletes. Decorating a sports-themed room in your house is a must. This can be fun and a perfect way to create a living space for you, your family and your guests to enjoy. Whether you are wild about a particular sport or wild about sports in general, sports enthusiasts everywhere can create their own sports-themed room using a wide variety of decorating sports-themed ideas for the sports fan in you.

A popular sport-themed idea is to create a billiards room. Billiards rooms are not just for sports bars anymore and have become a popular theme in homes everywhere. Of course, a billiards room needs pool table, pool sticks, balls, pool chalk and other accessories. Add a wall rack to hold the pool sticks. You can add a small sports bar and sports-themed stools for spot-on bar feeling. Hang several 3 shade billiard lamps from the ceiling above the pool table. You can also hang pictures of pool sharks and billiard tables and add come comfortable couches, sofas and chairs.

Another popular theme is to create a room for the basketball lover. First, you need to includes a flat screen television which is at least 42" mounted on the wall. You can use wood flooring to look give the look and feel of a basketball court. You can also paint the walls of the room in a bright and bold color or a color that matches your favorite basketball team and add a basketball wall paper border or basketball-style wall decals. Add throw rugs with a basketball theme or with the logo or mascot of your favorite team. Include comfy furniture where you and your guests can enjoy food and accent with throw rugs or pillows that look like basketball or represent your favorite team. Add basketball-style table, floor, wall and accent lamps and clocks to the décor. You can also add an indoor wall basketball hoop with a nerf or foam-type ball.

For football fan, designing a room about this passion is fun and easy. You can paint your favorite team's logo or mascot on the wall. You can also find plenty of sports memorabilia to hang from the walls such as framed jerseys, replica framed jerseys pennants, helmets, footballs, clocks and ticket stubs. As with the basketball room, include a large television and the right furniture with accent rugs and pillows. Also, consider carpet that look like green turf.

Similarly, you can design a room around the baseball fan in your house. Use the tips above but paint a baseball diamond on the wall or find accent the carpet with throw rugs shaped as a baseball diamond or with your favorite team's colors, logo or mascot. Get sports memorabilia such as replica baseball bats, caps jerseys or framed pictures of your favorite player or team as well as clocks and ticket stubs.

You can add a sports clock scoreboard to any of these rooms. You can also add a whiteboard so that you can keep track of the record and standings of your favorite team or billiards pool shark. So, start decorating and enjoy.