Interior Design Consultancies

One of the best ways for Interior Design Consultancies to stay in touch with new ideas is to attend exhibitions and trade shows. Just recently I was honoured to receive a VIP invitation to “The London Sleep Event 2009,” 3rd and 4th November at London ’s stunning Business Design Centre in fashionable Islington. This well-known annual exhibition and conference is always attended by representatives from many of London ’s top interior design consultancies. I took advantage of the opportunity to meet and/or reconnect both with exhibitors and with interior design consultancies whose work I admire. As the name would suggest, London ’s Sleep Event focuses on hotel furniture, bathrooms, fabrics and wallcoverings. The exhibitors included a number of well-known architecture firms, furniture designers, project management companies and interior design consultancies. Although Global Interior Design does not regularly serve the hospitality and resort sector, I always love to see the exciting cross-fertilisation of ideas when concepts from hotel design get absorbed by interior design consultancies and used in London residential settings.

Since conferences are very much on my mind right now, I thought I would offer a few tips for how to make the most of attending a conference, from the perspective of an interior design consultancy:

1. Be focused. Scan the exhibition floorplan in advance, and mark out exactly which exhibitors or interior design consultancies you most need to see.

2. Always follow up with new contacts. A great technique I use is to have my assistant write on the back of each business card I receive a brief 2-line summary of the conversation and any required follow-up or action items. That way when we return to London and to our interior design consultancy’s office with a stack of contact cards we know exactly what to do. If contacts are based in London , I will often suggest an in-person meeting over coffee.

3. Use your time wisely. Often there is the opportunity to split between exhibitor booths, awards ceremonies and conference seminars. If you are employed by an interior design consultancy that has several staff at the conference, try to have each person go somewhere different in order to get good coverage.

Role of Social Networking in the Interior Design Profession

Sometimes people ask me about the Role of Social Networking in the Interior Design Profession. I always respond that it works in different ways for different people. Most London interior designers tend to ignore social media altogether, but I think that it is a great way to both connect with potential clients and to improve the public's knowledge about interior design in general. For example, many Londoners misunderstand interior design and seem to think it is just about pretty colours and beautiful fabrics. Similarly, I often feel that the public is confused about the differences between interior design and interior decoration or renovation. Social media interactions can be a great way to clear up this confusion.

In my opinion, social networking is a fabulous opportunity to connect with people who otherwise would never get to interact with a real interior designer. In this blog posting I'd like to tell you about some of the social networking websites that I'm on. Feel free to connect with me via any of these - or just send me email via my company's website.

* LinkedIn - this site is very business-focused and de-emphasises the "social" while maxing out the "network" aspect of things. I have established valuable business relationships within the interior design community via this site, though I would note that its membership seems more US-based, at least in my limited experience.

* Facebook - I was invited to join this popular social networking community just a few months ago, and it has exceeded my expectations in many ways. Many interior designers, surveyors and property managers have accounts on Facebook and it is a very dynamic and interesting community. I love to connect with people who are looking for interior design ideas or tips - both in London and beyond.

* Twitter - the newest social networking phenomenon, this can be a great tool for interior designers to get the message out about what they do. I mainly use Twitter to explore the latest trends and ideas from well beyond just the London interior design community. In the future I have big plans for how to use this site more deliberately in my day-to-day work. Stay tuned!

London Interior Design Consultancy

Often, junior interior designers or interns will complain to me that they just can't seem to find the time to get everything done. I tell them that being a great interior designer 100% means being able to respond in a timely fashion to clients, working effectively to deadlines and not losing focus. All of this means the modern interior designer must have outstanding organisational skills. I wanted to share a few of the top tips and techniques that I use in my London Interior Design Consultancy, Global Interior Design, to make sure that I stay on top of my busy schedule.

1. Use a planner. This sounds really simple (and it is!) but so many people forget that just writing things down is the key to staying organised as an interior designer. There are all sorts of tools out there to do this - from paper-based diaries to electronic gadgets and calendaring software packages. I like to keep one electronic planner for my interior design business and another (paper) diary for non-work or lifestyle items.

2. Don't let the hectic pace of London life become a distraction. There is so much going on in the city that some junior interior designers or interior design interns often get side-tracked into all sorts of other projects or activities. I always gently remind them that being a superior interior designer in London requires true dedication to the profession!

3. Be attentive to clients. I always make it a priority to let my interior design clients know my mobile phone number, and I stay on top of technology in all its forms. In addition to writing this interior design blog, my team keeps our company website regularly updated and I work hard to be responsive through all media - including text messaging, email, phone, facebook, and now Twitter as well!. Sometimes my clients include busy London professionals, and I have gone for weeks during a project when the only way that my client communicates with me via SMS text messaging!

4. Don't take on more than you can handle. My interior design clients are always my number one priority, and although I am often offered work across the world, I am very selective about which projects I choose and when. I never allow my workload to get in the way of outstanding results for the client.

Interior Designers in London

Just the other day I was thinking about what makes a great blog posting. So few Interior Designers in London actually write blogs, and I have often wondered why that might be. So, for other interior designers who are thinking of taking up blogging, I thought I would explain why I love to blog and why you might enjoy it too.

My first recommendation is: don't be scared to start blogging! Not everyone can immediately become a thought leader in the interior design community - but everyone can contribute. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. I would recommend that you start by commenting on projects that you have recently encountered as an interior designer. If you are based in London , you could perhaps talk about the seasonal ups-and-downs of the industry, or review any number of the great interior design exhibitions that one can attend so easily in the capital.

Secondly, blog about subjects that you find exciting. Personally, I love to blog about new trends in interior design, and just in general about what it's like to be an interior designer at Global Interior Design, my London interior design consultancy. I also like to talk about specific projects and reveal how my team uses creativity and design flair to overcome myriad interior design challenges. Just looking back over my recent blogs, I see topics like how to hire interior design contractors, international influences in the London interior design community, applying for jobs in interior design, and specific commentaries on a London kitchen redesign and the deployment of "rat traps" in London lavatories. Quite wide-ranging, as you can see!

Finally, do make sure to respond to comments from your readers. I often receive enthusiastic and very complimentary feedback from people who gain interior design inspiration from my blog, and I always try to respond personally. Sometimes my readers even supply ideas for future interior design subjects that I should cover!

London Interior Design Community

Recently I was thinking about how the London Interior Design community continues to evolve over time. London is such a dynamic world-class city that there is always a steady influx of new interior designers from abroad, and of interior design students who graduate and complete their qualifications to enter the profession. Many interior designers who come to London will bring their own perspectives and cultural conversations to bear on their subsequent interior design careers. And even though an international interior designer may start out in London, often they will return to their home countries and continue those conversations in a different way in the future.

I am always intrigued to learn more about the practice of interior design in different cultural contexts. In recent years I have seen the growth in popularity of Asian-inspired interior design themes in many London residences and offices. Many of these interior designs feature highly tasteful and fresh styles that can be truly eye-opening. I have also increasingly observed Asian influences (especially Japanese and Chinese) in some of the furniture and wall hangings that are available today from some of the UK's top interior decorating emporiums.

What is equally exciting is the increasing use of technology in interior design today. Today's interior designers have access to a vast array of high-tech options, many of which feature Japan-sourced electronics or are engineered in continental Europe. It is a great feeling for me to be able to spruce up a room or even an entire residence with high-tech LED lighting solutions, underfloor heating, remote controls and comprehensive home automation. And that is not even to mention the increasing availability and affordable cost of home entertainment systems, from Blu-Ray players to high-definition TVs and integrated consoles. Can't wait to see what the next few years will mean for London's global interior design community!

As the Lead Interior Designer and Founder of Global Interior Design, I often receive

As the lead interior designer and founder of Global Interior Design, I often receive applications from designers or students who are seeking employment or internship opportunities. The autumn is always a busy season as graduating students start seeking interior design work, and I sometimes find myself deluged with applications from all over the world. Unfortunately many of these get eliminated from the selection process by my assistants or by our office manager because of their failure to follow a few simple guidelines. So with this blog post I hope to provide some advice for interior designers or students of interior design who may be seeking work. By sticking to these easy instructions, you can make sure that your application will get past the initial screening process and into my inbox.

1. Read this website! Whenever you apply to an interior design consultancy for work, you must read every word on their website to fully understand their focus areas, projects and design styles. If you miss out on this simple step, your application can seem generic and may well get eliminated immediately.

2. Do a spell-check! I instruct my office manager to immediately delete any applications that have egregious spelling errors or that seem confused about the name of our interior design consultancy.

3. Showcase your abilities. I always love to hear from applicants who have a natural flair for interior design. Include examples of your interior design portfolio and please be sure to discuss your coursework or experience in interior design.

4. Please don’t exaggerate the compliments. I appreciate it when job applicants compliment Global Interior Design on recent projects or mention how much they respect me as a thought leader in London’s interior design community. However, mentioning this repeatedly or overstating these facts can seem fawning or sycophantic.

That’s all! Good luck to all job applicants.
DECF5P8H8WN9