So You Want To Be An Interior Designer?

My wife has a problem.

Every night, once the kids are asleep, she rushed to the living
room, grabs the remote, and switches it to HGTV. For the next
hour and a half, she's mesmerized by strangers making choices on
home decor. And she's more than willing to offer her own advice
as well.

"Are they kidding? That color is HIDEOUS!"

"Oh who would want that in their bedroom..."

Or the one that frightens me the most: "Let's do the same thing
to our kitchen!"

But this is not an uncommon occurrence. All over the country
people are swarming to these home decorating shows, anxious to
get their interior decorating juices flowing. And the cable
networks are eating it up.

But is there REALLY a market for interior designers out there?

The answer is a resounding YES. Right now, interior design is
one of the fastest rising careers in the marketplace. With the
popularity of shows like these and the "keep up the the Jones'"
mindset that's so prevalent in today's suburbia, more and more
homeowners are hiring interior designers to make magic in their
house.

And they'll pay anything--ANYTHING-- to make sure it's twice as
magical than the folks next door. So the opportunity to make big
bucks as an interior decorator is there...but how do you go
about getting into this field?

Here's a few tips to help get you started...

--Look into attending an interior design college. Here's where
you'll learn how it all works, with courses on everything from
proper room acoustics to feng shui. Most programs come with
bachelor degrees, so you can get educated and start your own
business in just a few years.

--Become a volunteer or an intern: Want a free education? Hook
up with an existing firm and learn all of their design tricks
firsthand--for only the cost of your time. Many busy interior
designer would love to have someone helping them out. And you
reap all the benefits of getting your hands dirty from day one.
Maybe they'll even offer you a paid position, so you can get
trained AND get paid. How cool is that?

--Offer to redecorate for friends or relatives: What a fabulous
way to work up a portfolio. If you have a decorator's eye, then
offer to do a room (or two) for someone you know. This is a
superb method for gaining experience and that all important
sample to show potential clients. Plus, your friends and
relatives will love you for it!

These are just a few of the ways to get started as an interior
designer. So get up of the couch and put your talents to
work...for real! And who knows? Maybe you'll have your own show
someday, and my wife can question your choices too!





About the author:
Jay White is an author, copywriter, and marketer whose wife
loves to watch those darned design shows. If you'd like to know
more about how to become an interior designer, check out
http://www.become-an-interior-designer.com href="http://www.become-an-interior-designer.com">Interior
Design

Mastering Interior Decorating

The best way to go about decorating today to keep things clear
and clean. Less is better in this modern style of decorating.

For years, most people believed that they had to hire a
professional interior decorator to decorate their home.

Today, however, people are more involved with the decorating of
their homes and prefer to have a lot more to say about it, and
have the home reflect their own tastes.

And it is true, you do not need to have a degree in art or
design in order to decorate your home. And you do not need to
hire an expensive decorator.

If you want to decorate yourself, keep the ideas basic and
simple and you can't go wrong. You do not have to furnish your
home with outrageously expensive furniture and materials to make
it lovely and comfortable.

The most important concepts when designing the interior of your
home is the use and function of each piece, and to make sure
that they are pleasing to the eye.

You can do the interior decorating of your home simply and
easily if you follow some simple steps to make your home more
beautiful and more functional.

1. Clear out. Keep the interior clean and simple by getting rid
of anything extraneous. Old items you no longer use or furniture
that has outlived its use fullness should be discarded.

2. Make sure the rooms are current. Set aside a room or storage
place for all out of season items, such as Christmas decorations
in summer or summer items in December.

3. If you have small rooms, you should consider changing any
furniture that is large and cumbersome. Nothing makes a room
look smaller than large heavy, heavy furniture.

4. In modern design, less is more, so get rid of your
knick-knacks and bric-a-brac. Too many pictures, statues and
other paraphernalia just say old fashioned.

5. If you have old carpets, you should replace them and if you
don't have carpets (especially in the living room), you should
install them.

About the author:
Adam Peters is the author of more resources published at
http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . A website with tips on
href="http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/styles-guide.html">m
inimalist interior decoration, amongst many related topics.