All that time spent could be put to better use of the designers talent. Things like networking and nurturing  client relationships. As a designer, your time is much better spend on the big picture tasks.

Laini and I, in our service, take care of all of that. We field measure the home and create the cad drawings in the field while creating a window and door schedule, and  take detail photos all at the same time. The average cost is around $375 per floor. It is a great value and local interior designers love the quick turn around and accuracy of the drawings.

Why not free up that time by using a service like ours.  You will free up your time for more business, save money by not having to staff people for this task, and create happier clients by focusing your attention on them.

Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.  ~John Kenneth Galbraith

Before I learned autocad, I did all my drawings by hand.  It was a dying  craft and  art form,  and I was doing my duty to keep it alive.  I insisted that I needed to “feel” the pencil draw the curves and that hand drawings looked so much more authentic, than something drawn on the the computer.  I was going to prove that I did not need to learn Autocad and that people would want and appreciate my hand drawings.  Looking back,  I can admit that I was a little scared to change and maybe even a little lazy to learn something new.

Change always comes bearing gifts.  ~Price Pritchett

Then, because of my job, I gradually learned autocad.  The more I learned, the more I did.  I started by doing details and sections, which then led to elevations , which eventually led to complete sets of drawings.  How could I have never seen it?  I could do one floor plan, which  could easily be modified and turned into 4 separtae floor plans…I could erase mistakes without leaving big black smudges, and best of all, I could make revisions without having to redraw the whole plan.   I was able to accomplish so much more in such little time.  Learning autocad  allowed me to be  more creative.   Because I wasn’t so worried about erasing or putting overlay, upon overlay,  it was  truly  liberating.

When you are through changing, you are through.  ~Bruce Barton

Needless to say, now all of my drawings are computer generated.  I hardly ever pick up a pencil anymore.  However, I was still using the ‘ole drafting table and mechanical pencil when I wanted to see a space in perspective..until recently that is.   A few months back I started using Google Sketchup.  A free program introduced by Google to produce 3-D renderings. All I needed to do is download the program onto my computer, watch a few tutorials and I was on my way.   It was so much fun and so easy to use.   I could never design so quickly and efficiently by hand as I could on the computer.  With the click of the mouse I could change finishes, insert a fixture, and view my drawing from all different angles.   I think the best part of it all, is that I thoroughly enjoyed creating on the computer and learning new functions.  There’s almost nothing better then when I am struggling with learning something new and I finally figure it out.

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.  ~Confucius

An image of a 3d model

My dirty, little secret is ….When people ask me “what I do”….I cringe.  Not because I don’t love my career, but because saying that I’m an Interior Designer, for some reason, always causes a blank look or  a comment like, “Oh..so you can help me decorate my living room”.   And… to make matters worse,  I am not your typical Interior Designer.

Inevitably,  I find myself explaining..or more appropriately..rationalizing “what I do”.

“I am an Interior Designer…I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design and I have my NCIDQ, which was a 2 day test I was required to take by the state of Connecticut in order to call myself an Interior Designer.    As an Interior Designer, I specialize in  Space Planning, Kitchen & Bath Design, Tile Design and Presentation Documents”.

What makes me unique is the fact that  I primarily do Freelance work for other Interior Designers and Builders.   I collaborate with them in order to design and produce the vision that they have for their clients.   All my drawings are produced in Autocad and Google Sketchup( for my 3d presentations). Yadda..Yaddda…Yadda.

I continuously struggle with the challenge of how to explain “what I do” in order to get more clients.   I never feel that the marketing tools I use are communicating this effectively.  How do I say…”I’m an Interior Designer for Interior designers”?  Hmmm..it couldn’t be that simple?  Could it?

Yes!

Currently My husband is working with me to spread the word through social media. You can learn more about his work at A Passion for Connection

Happy connections!

Some of the plus side-I usually ask some questions right back. How much time to you spend traveling to all those client appointments? Can some of that time be better spent by having online screen to screen meetings?

3. A Blog Attached to your website Keeping your website ALIVE and active is something that you can easily do as designers. It does not have to be eolaborate lengthy posts Just share a lilttle vingetter of a recent project, or a great furniture find or perhaps a conversation with a client. Keep it simple. By incorporating a blog on your site it will naturally come up higher in searchg engine rankings. There is no reason to “game” the system. A blog will keep your site interesting and keep it growing in traffic ( which again search engines like!)

How?  What are the first steps?

New Growth

A. Evaluate- where you are now and your online presence. I call this your Infrastructure.. Which Social media utilities or networks will you employ, and how you can strengthen your presence there? This is like the programming phase when working with your clients. Define your goals. You need to know where you want to go in order to know how to get there.

As we move into 2010 we will be changing the focus of CM-Interior Design to match our current efforts of Design-Build. Please stay subscribed here for remodeling tips and maintenance ideas to keep and m

ake your home  more comfortable , afford-ably.

We will also be concentrating next year on connection while helping other small businesses grow through social media. If you are reading this, you are already ahead of the curve.

As always we will be continuing our charity efforts through http://www.12for12k.org.

As the economy remains sluggish and with a jobless recovery, the needs in communities around the world remain high.

Be in Peace and Love always my friends,

Richard

]]> http://cm-interiordesign.com/wordpress/index.php/2009/12/19/merry-christmas-and-happy-new-year/feed/ http://cm-interiordesign.com/wordpress/index.php/2009/08/21/a-stich-in-time-saves-nine/ http://cm-interiordesign.com/wordpress/index.php/2009/08/21/a-stich-in-time-saves-nine/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:48:09 +0000 ramartijr http://cm-interiordesign.com/wordpress/?p=356 “A Stitch in time saves nine,” is important today as always. If your roof was leaking, it would be prudent to make the investment to repair it in order to save a much higher expense for repairing rot in the future. If our house needs paint, it is wise to repaint so we don’t have to replace.

In business today it is important even if difficult to make the investments in the future. To make prudent choices with our money in marketing to plant the seeds for future success. The internet and particularly social media provide excellent vehicles to conservatively invest some money and time for future sales. The question that usually is raised is, “how?”

The answer is both simple and hard. Generally our best clients come from referrals, word of mouth. In much the same way a business would use a telephone to network, we use social media tools to communicate with more people. In the same way that we might join the local Chamber of Commerce, we can join online organizations and meet new people, grow closer relationships and develop new business relationships. It does take a little work. Doesn’t anything worthwhile?

Fortunately social media channels are becoming increasingly cross linked. When I write a blog post, it is automatically linked to LinkedIn. If I write a Tweet, I have the option of posting it to my wall on Facebook. This trend will probably continue making it even easier to get connected, grow relationships, and maintain them.

So back to that needed stitch. Is your business in need of a stitch? Are you in touch with your existing client base in the most effective way?

( For a low cost analysis of your social media marketing activities please contact me at ramartijr@gmail.com)

For More Information http://calhounride.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=291273

When my daughter turned 13, the only thing she wanted for a gift was to have her bedroom remodeled. She felt her old room was childish, and she wanted something that would reflect her personality and creativity.

I thought this was a reasonable request, so we began to discuss the options.

While driving in the car one day, she announced that she wanted each wall a different color! One wall hot pink, another neon green, another sky blue and the last one bright yellow! With little time to spare (so not to show fear), I quickly came up with a solution that would work as a compromise. I needed to appeal to her sense of wanting to be in control of her new space, but at the same time guide her in making a sensible decision.

I let her know that the colors she wanted would be too “exciting” for her small bedroom and would not work well with her ADHD or her sleeping problems!

My idea, as I explained it to her….calmly and convincingly:

This is what I will allow you to do…if you like.

You can pick out a main color, in which all the walls will be painted. Then you can pick out a daker value of that same color. We will then paint large, vertical stripes on three of the walls. On the last wall, which will be the focal point, we will keep the base color and then spatter paint in all the other colors you requested.

This idea, she liked. We then came home, pulled out the paint color books and she proceeded to pick out the colors she liked for her walls. I made sure she taped the colors to her walls, so she could see them everyday and get “a feel” for them.

And then, when she was sure of the colors she wanted…she changed her mind and chose a different ones.

Once we had the painting done, we were then able to buy accessories, fabrics, curtains, rugs etc. to tie all the colors together.

This was a great experience for my daughter, because she was involved in the whole process (even the painting of it). I was surprised with how responsible and focused she was with getting the project done. She and I (and a couple of her friends) spent 2 days prepping and painting. I forgot to mention that we made the painting day, her Birthday Party. She had a Painting Party!! We only had a few people over and kept it very controlled, because teenagers and paint can get crazy very quickly. They had a lot of fun, because I made a point of getting the focal wall done first, so they could each grab a paint brush and a can of paint and spatter the wall.

At one point or another, your kids are going to want to redesign their rooms.

So, let them! Just make sure to guide them in their decision making, without making it look like it was your idea, but that ultimately, they were in control of the decision making.

While in a manic search for inspiration for color combinations, I found Colourlovers.

Delicious eye candy for those like me who love color. The site is not just visually stunning, but loaded with tools that ignite the imagination.

Want to know where colors trends are headed, the site groups color trends for:

• Websites
• Magazines

It groups together palettes and patterns
Tools to create your own palettes and patterns

You can look at combinations that others have put together and rate them. There are forums to discuss ideas. You can create a profile to save and share your ideas with others.

I have made it my starting place for color inspiration-   just not ready to completely chuck the fan decks!

The Non-Profit provides a service that upon acceptance, will remove good cabinetry and appliances from the home and resell them providing funds for the charity. In the companies terms, it is “Win-Win.” I agree.

This service provides benefits for the donors including tax deductions, reduced labor and disposal costs, with the feeling of doing something a little better for the environment.

The Organization then sells the cabinetry providing benefits for yet another family. The new purchaser can get good quality cabinetry and appliances  at a good price.

The proceeds from the sales of goods are used to help people with addiction.

The benefit to the enviroment, less in the landfill and energy is conserved. Since they are reused, less new cabinetry and appliances need to be manufactured.