I have been so excited these past few months to hear from printer service providers about their enthusiasm to enter the interior design market. Many I hear from have the same question: How do I break into interiors? Like any new market, there is always a lot to learn about how it operates. My first piece of advice is to start familiarizing yourself with the industry and attend industry trade shows to research and network. The more you know, the better you can manage expectations and set realistic goals.
Sara Whiteley
In an effort to learn more, I recently connected with Sara Whiteley, a senior interior designer at DBVW Architects in Providence, Rhode Island, to ask her to weigh in on some common questions I’ve been getting.
I began by asking her what words or phrases she always finds herself defining for her non-designer friends. She responded, “The phases of a project and design.” She then went on to describe the four phases of commercial design.
- Conceptual
In this first phase, we communicate our idea with visuals such as vision boards of inspiration photos and materials.
- Schematic
Here, we combine the ideas from the conceptual phase with the space or constraints of a project at a very high level. During this phase, we introduce material options, furniture concepts, and loose layouts.
- Design Development
This is the phase where we begin to figure out how the concepts work in detail. We learn about constraints and limitations as they relate to things like the building’s mechanical, plumbing, and structural needs. We also flush through ADA requirements and layouts.
- Construction Documents
This is when we pull together all the realities of the space learned in the previous phases to create a set of drawings used to communicate all design, specifications, and construction.
Regarding timing, Whiteley says it usually takes about six months between deciding on a material to use in a project and placing the order for production. Yet, it’s also important to understand that often, concepts don’t make it to fruition in the design process.
When asked how she and her team typically discover new materials, Whiteley said it is usually a combination of visits from a sales rep, where they can see and feel new materials and “understand how the product performs and/or works,” and at trade shows such as NeoCon. Rarely does she discover new materials simply by scrolling social media, word of mouth, or happening upon something. Instead, she “leans in on my sales reps a lot.”
Thank you so much to Sara for sharing her insight and experience so I could share it all with you. If any of you plan on attending NeoCon this year to research this market, please stop by the Design Pool booth (#7-3050) to say hello!
Inside Scoop: Senior Interior Designer Shares Tips for Breaking Into Interior Design
I have been so excited these past few months to hear from printer service providers about their enthusiasm to enter the interior design market. Many I hear from have the same question: How do I break into interiors? Like any new market, there is always a lot to learn about how it operates. My first piece of advice is to start familiarizing yourself with the industry and attend industry trade shows to research and network. The more you know, the better you can manage expectations and set realistic goals.
Sara Whiteley
In an effort to learn more, I recently connected with Sara Whiteley, a senior interior designer at DBVW Architects in Providence, Rhode Island, to ask her to weigh in on some common questions I’ve been getting.
I began by asking her what words or phrases she always finds herself defining for her non-designer friends. She responded, “The phases of a project and design.” She then went on to describe the four phases of commercial design.
In this first phase, we communicate our idea with visuals such as vision boards of inspiration photos and materials.
Here, we combine the ideas from the conceptual phase with the space or constraints of a project at a very high level. During this phase, we introduce material options, furniture concepts, and loose layouts.
This is the phase where we begin to figure out how the concepts work in detail. We learn about constraints and limitations as they relate to things like the building’s mechanical, plumbing, and structural needs. We also flush through ADA requirements and layouts.
This is when we pull together all the realities of the space learned in the previous phases to create a set of drawings used to communicate all design, specifications, and construction.
Regarding timing, Whiteley says it usually takes about six months between deciding on a material to use in a project and placing the order for production. Yet, it’s also important to understand that often, concepts don’t make it to fruition in the design process.
When asked how she and her team typically discover new materials, Whiteley said it is usually a combination of visits from a sales rep, where they can see and feel new materials and “understand how the product performs and/or works,” and at trade shows such as NeoCon. Rarely does she discover new materials simply by scrolling social media, word of mouth, or happening upon something. Instead, she “leans in on my sales reps a lot.”
Thank you so much to Sara for sharing her insight and experience so I could share it all with you. If any of you plan on attending NeoCon this year to research this market, please stop by the Design Pool booth (#7-3050) to say hello!
Kristen Dettoni is the founder and CEO of Design Pool LLC, the only pattern library created exclusively for interior designers. Since 1996, Kristen has worked for mills throughout North America, designing fabrics for automobiles, furniture, and home furnishings. She developed the first sustainable upholstery fabric for office interiors, the first sustainable upholstery fabric for automotive interiors, and was awarded a patent for automotive suspension seating. Kristen believes strongly in the power of good design to transform our environments and experiences.