Prompt Post #6: Evaluating Sources

When looking at a scholarly article about the history of Interior Design, I learned that it is about 100 years old.  In 1900's, most decorators at the time had no academic credentials, but the best of them had a combination of good taste, common senses, and natural talent to interpret and address the issues, such as scale and proportion. 

“Interiors,” insisted on using only the term “interior designer,” not “decorator.” At this time design schools also recognized the work not only of designers but also of architects and engineers.

  The history of interior design continues to rapidly evolve in a world that is at once becoming ever more global and at the same time demanding the fine-focus of specialized areas of critical knowledge.      

Open Post #5: Color Study

From my last post, I decided to talk a little bit more about color and what they mean. Each and every room interior designers make a solution for, have a meaning behind and even the color is part of it.

Let’s put a chart here for a better understanding:

Also, green means, life, growth, environment, healing, money, relaxation, and red means danger, romance, energy, urgency and many others.

When you understand color meaning and that everything you choose to decorate your home with, has a direct effect on how your environment supports you, you will be better equipped to create a happy, healthy home. On the other hand, you also avoid the opposite; dull, draining or tired.

Prompt Post #5: Observing Community

Open Post #4 – Hospital Patients benefit from Interior Design

When reading the title you are probably wondering, how does that happen? Well let me explain it to you.

Most people probably think that wherever you are, the bigger (the room) the better. Well when in a recovery, it is proven to be the opposite.  When the room is smaller, things are more approachable and easily.

There’s a window so that nurse can keep an eye on the patient and the patient can see other people walking other than just nurses, but with a curtain for private situations.  Higher corridor-to-patient visibility may have contributed to higher patient satisfaction because it’s likely to support nurses in responding to patients’ needs, while increased legibility in wayfinding makes it quicker and easier to travel to patient rooms.

The color of the rooms change the mood of the patients, so when being an interior designer you learn what each color mean and the common reactions they give to people. In a hospital, it isn’t too common to see the color blue, because that one is normally linked with sadness. When putting colorful artworks inside and outside, it brings life to the place, and that’s what hospitals are adopting now.

Some of these changes make patients improve, reducing the amount of medicine and the how long they are there for.

For more information: http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/article/increasing-patient-satisfaction-decreasing-patient-room-size?page=3

Prompt #4 – Considering Delivery and Style

When comparing the two sources I looked up, I found out some interesting things in the difference of the way they deliver their point and the style they use.

The blogger uses a more personal language, as if he was talking to someone in person. The audience can vary in ages, but it is normally for people searching for good Interior Designers, or trying to look up some ideas, so they put pictures in there, because it catches attention.  

The other one is more elaborated in terms of vocabulary. The audience of this one is a little more specific, because normally, people wouldn’t look into a scholarly article about interior design if not in the field. The vocabulary is more sophisticated, there are no pictures and it is more explanatory.

                            

While one is trying to sell his work through images and works he has done, the other one is being informative about Interior Design.

Scholar Google: http://www.majorhospitalfoundation.org/pdfs/Effects%20of%20Interior%20Design%20on%20Wellness.pdf

Interior Design Blog:

http://freshome.com

Prompt #3 – Exploring Communication

For this post, I interview the successful interior design Fiona Klerekoper, who I came to know better for the past year for being my boyfriend’s mother. Even though she was relatively close to me, I never knew all these professional aspects about her life, and it was very interesting to identify myself in what she said.

Question #1: What do you like more about being an Interior designer?

Answer #1: I love making the best use of a space.....particularly small or awkward spaces.  They are like puzzles to be solved.

I like being able to find solutions for clients so that their homes become more functional and comfortable. 

Sometimes things are bugging them and they can't quite put their finger on what is not working. I try to come in and put words to why something is not working for them. Often they say, "Exactly, that's it!"

Once we identify the challenges, we can find the solutions.

I want to give them information so they confident and independent and making her choices creating their environments.

I also want to help them to chief what they want the first time and avoid spending unnecessary money.

Questions #2: What were the difficulties you encountered when looking for a job?

Answer #2: A huge part of this job is selling yourself. I am not particularly good at that. When you do not have a portfolio of work, it is tougher to do this.

I had to spend a lot of time doing work for free. Taking internships with very talented people and picking their brains. I also need to find somebody you trusted me and gave me those first few jobs.

Once you break through that barrier, things become easier.

For me, the best way to sell myself is by being genuine and letting the client know I am their advocate and I am as excited about their project as they are.

Question #3: Do you think what you learned before your job prepared you enough for your job?

Answer #3: What I learned in classes was invaluable. All of the basics built a foundation that you definitely need. 

Working at a commercial design as an intern and residential design firm as an intern was even more useful. It was a requirement of my program. Nothing can beat that on the job training.

It is good to try variety of firms and specialties so you can find your niche.

Question #4: What didn’t you expect when actually being in the field’s job?

Answer $4: I did not expect how much of the job would sales and bookkeeping. 

You need to be generating leads, signing clients, sometimes managing projects and contractors/subcontractors, solving problems and fixing errors.....all at the same time.

Also you're working with so many personalities, being a conflict resolution manager!

Oh yes, sometimes you get to design stuff.

Some pictures of her works are:

I really appreciated her time to answer and the quality of her her answers. I didn't expect these answers and I'm sure I'm going to encounter about the same difficulties as her if I want to be as successful as her.