Smaller, Eco-Friendly Spaces Define Interior Design Careers

For interior designers building their careers, designing small and designing green are two things they will have to do well.

by Joe Cooper
Interior Design Schools Search Columnist

As real estate stays expensive and “building green” only becomes more popular, interior designers aiming to build their careers will need to address the issues of space and environment with even more focus in the coming years.

Good design is space-conscious. It’s also increasingly earth-conscious, as builders seek to maximize energy efficiency in their designs. Take a look at these two trends in the interior design industry.

Shrinking Space in Interior Design

Tim Butler, an architect for a Tennessee-based firm, told the City Paper that space was the reason why interior design has become more of a focus in recent times. “Space is shrinking, getting smaller and more expensive, so you have to make it do more,” he told the publication.

Space is sparse and clients will pay the price. In 2005, the price per square foot in New York was $965. Although this doesn’t represent the US as a whole, the fact is that real estate is expensive, and creating unique, client-pleasing designs is essential to any interior design career.

Green Design

Building green is another interior design trend. The US Green Building Council estimated the market for environmentally conscious housing at $7 billion. While this is a large increase over ten years ago, it is still a very small amount compared to the national real estate market.

Environmental design is something that interior designers and architects wanting to be competitive in years to come need to pay attention to. Designing buildings that are energy efficient and using sustainable materials are two of the most effective ways to create green design.

For the best chance at qualifying for interior design jobs background and experience in both of these areas will serve interior designers well.

Sources

The City Paper Online
Miller Samuel

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.

Posted on September 4, 2007 at 12:34 PM

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