THE YOUNG BOY'S ROOM

The young boy's room we show is equally suitable for some other members of the family. We have seen a boy immensely happy in it and likewise girls in their early teens. In one home it was used for a "paying-guest" and it looked very well indeed in a small suburban house where nothing was more elaborate.

It is in appearance "young" and has no special gender. This is why a boy likes it. Another point in its favor with the boy is that it is not "fussy." like, or in keeping with, the chief pieces of furniture. One small table will be for the telephone; another at the bedside; a third for his smokes, tobacco, cigars and pipes, matches and ashtray. If your man likes his tobacco "just so" get him a humidor. This will keep the tobacco moist.

As to styles of furniture most comfortable for men, we would advise one of those with straight lines and strongly built. It is an easy matter to choose furniture for a man's room if you will ask yourself the question "does this look like a man?"

As for color scheme it depends upon what each man likes. If he has no preferences yet seems to Totowa what he does not like, grasp at any clew he may drop when commenting on other homes. As a rule men like a simple room which not only has the comforts but looks comfortable. To the eye of the man not trained in the art of furnishing so as to get subtle beauty, you will find clear, rather strong colors are most satisfactory.

Try shades of red, attractive deep blues, browns and greens. Avoid what we call half-tones mauves, lavender, old rose, petunia, etc. There are men who like these shades, but we are talking about the average man.

Your figured materials for curtains and furniture coverings will depend, as to pattern and coloring, upon the style of the furniture; not absolutely, but there are distinctly suitable and un-suitable colors and designs when considered in relation to certain shapes. (See chapter on Periods in Color Schemes.)

Make the sash curtains of some thin white or cream washable material and arrange them on the rods so that if the man wants to push them back and let in all the light of heaven he can do so and not upset the housekeeper!

The floor covering should be one of the darkest tones of your color scheme; the curtains if of a figured material should be more serious in character than curtains you would choose for a woman's room. If you make sofa pillows let them be large and "masculine" looking, not of many colors and frilly. Follow the rules for making lampshades in the chapter devoted to that subject. They are to be attractive notes of color in your room to cheer it up as flowers can. But remember that the average man cares more for comfort and convenience than he does for effect, so give him these things in lamp shades as well as in bed and bureau.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN GETTING STARTED INTERIOR DESIGNING

When you are just getting started in any business, you can expect to have to do a lot of leg work to get a clientele base. This is not easy, and requires a great deal of people skills from you. You will have to go out there and meet every person that you can think of.

You should expect to encounter a lot of rejection from consumers, as well as competition from other designers. Many times, a potential client will want to place your work and estimates against others. If you can, offer to outbid everyone that you can, but be careful because a client may not tell you the truth about the bids. It is good to try and check with the designers about their bids. Some will tell you.

As a new Interior Designer, you can expect to get a lot of resistance from potential clients. You can expect to spend a great deal of time and money on building up your name. You may have to lower your estimates at first. You may have to spend some money by advertising your services in your local newspaper or penny saver.

Here are a few good ideas on how you can get some attention for you and your business.

>> Set up a booth at your local mall. Have business cards and your portfolio on hand. Try and set up some of your best work around you and prop them up for all to see. Offer free estimates to any takers.
>>Do the same at any other community gatherings.
>>Offer to do small jobs for free with the addition of a paid space.
>>Insert flyers into you local newspaper.
>>Build your portfolio.

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION TO BE INTERIOR DESIGN

Am I Creative?

Creativity is a subtle, but important quality to have when considering interior design as a profession. Much of your advancement will depend on your ability to be original in your creative efforts to design any space. Clients will always want to keep a designer that can offer them something that nobody else has.

You will also need to be able to turn whatever items that they already have into works of art. Sometimes clients do not want to change everything, or buy new furnishings and draperies; they simply want to make whatever they do have look and feel different. Creative thinking is the only thing that is going to help here.

Colors are your friend, and creativity can help you in setting colors against one another. Many designers love to add color to a room and change things just using this method and perhaps adding accents to existing items.
Accents in a room can vary. You can create a great space by adding throw pillows, valances, and vases. This is the perfect career choice for a person that likes to be creative, abut not idle and/or isolated.

Am I Organized?
Believe it or not, Interior Designers have to be extremely well organized to be able to handle all of the little details that go into doing a good job. You have to be able to keep track of your entire inventory, while keeping on top of other things also like, materials, tracking orders, employees, and making sure that you stay on or below the budget that your client set out for you.

It is no easy feat to try and keep track of all the things that have to be done; especially when you’ve got people constantly surrounding you. You must monitor what everyone is doing and still manage to keep up on what you should be doing. Do not forget that you also have to appear calm because your clients will likely be asking you a great deal of questions. If you are scattered and panicked, it will be difficult to answer all the questions and look cool at the same time.

The ability to know where everything is at, and where every person is at is another aspect of organization. It is very hard to keep jobs if you are constantly wondering where things, and employees are.

You will need to be very well organized if your design projects lead you to having to add or remove a room and/or wall. This type of work requires the use of blueprints. You must be able to read them as well as draw them up, you cannot do this without a great sense of organization.

How Good am I at Problem Solving?
The ability to problem solve is a necessity for an Interior Designer. As an Interior Designer, you will encounter glitches, and it is a must that you can deal with them. Many times, these glitches will need to be solved on the spot.

Your organizational skills will come in handy when you need to solve a problem as well. An organized workplace will help you to have an organized mind. Thoughts have a way of being cluttered when your work space is likewise.

Being able think quickly and under pressure is a definite asset to problem solving. Your problem is not going to get easier if it takes you too long to come up with a solution for it. Actually, waiting can just give the universe more time to make the problem get bigger.