The Demand for Luxury in Interior Design

Manufacturers, retailers, and real estate developers looking for more luxury in their design represent good opportunities for qualified designers.

by Joe Cooper
Interior Design School Search Columnist

Luxury home goods, luxury hotels, luxury transportation—the market for luxury design is growing. In real estate, the number of homes that sold for at least $1,000,000 increased 47 percent in 2004. The rising average household income and increased accessibility to luxury goods extends to the world of interior design, where the need for high-end design creates excellent career opportunities for educated designers.

Luxury Design in Transportation

Tabitha Purathar, an interior design degree graduate, works on train interiors. During work on her latest project, sponsored by the Plastic division of GE, she spiced up the cold, utilitarian style of standard coach cars to give them a more upscale look. Purathar showcased her project this May at the Industrial Design Centre’s annual Design Degree Show in India.

Other major manufacturers of transportation are focusing on interior (re)design as well. Boeing recently overhauled the interior of one of its popular business jets, adding more luxurious elements and functionality. Spiral staircases, flat-screen monitors, expanded space (5,000 square feet in one jet), and even vaulted ceilings are all now part of the jet’s interior design.

Opportunity in Luxury Design

Designing for luxury is not a new concept, but making luxurious design more accessible to average consumers is a growing trend. Mass-market home furnishing stores like Ikea have striven to provide consumers with affordable, design-conscious products, and other retailers like Target dress up its bargain-priced home wares and clothing through designer labels.

A similar shift is being seen in the interior design industry as well, with transportation, public space, and residential projects all seeking a certain luxury in their design. Designers with interior design degrees (and licenses, required in more than 20 states) will have the best opportunities to serve this need, especially with luxury projects with major manufacturers and building developers.

About the Author

Joe Cooper writes home services and design articles and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor’s in American Literature from UCLA.

Source(s)

DNA India
Aero-News
CNN Money

Posted on July 13, 2007 at 12:29 PM

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