Interior design studios are now playing a more prominent role as the focus on real estate sharpens. The need for consultants is rising: during a soft market, home sales are stagnant and the demand for interior design staging increases; during a real estate bubble, homes are selling right and left and you stay busy helping clients decorate them.

Your consulting firm may specialize in interior design only, or you might work with builders and architects to maximize sales. You have to stay at the forefront of the latest trends so you can offer your clients only the best.

1. Visit an interior design showroom to check out the latest in home fashion.

2. Shop wholesale interior design centers to keep prices under control and still supply your clients with the best the industry has to offer.

3. Use builder design centers or specialty software for room planning and rendering architectural modification drawings.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start with a one-stop shop interior design center

Interior design centers tend to have everything under one roof. There are bathroom design centers, kitchen design centers and a whole slew of other design motifs in one place. You can go to one of these showrooms to keep yourself updated on styles and trends and also to buy things for your clients' homes.

I recommend: Browse EXPO Design Center's catalog, where you'll find the ultimate in interior design; from lighting to flooring, appliances to window treatments, kitchens to bathrooms and hardware to decor, they literally have it all. In addition to having almost everything you could ever need, Williams-Sonoma also does custom upholstery to give you something else to offer your clients.

Give your clients a better price by buying from wholesale interior design centers

Research shows that retailers mark up home furnishing an average of 43%. In this day and age, people are more money-conscious and aren't able to afford to pay a premium for quality items. Offer an alternative by buying from a wholesale or factory-direct design center and marking the items up yourself. It's wise to only charge for the time it took you to do the shopping, otherwise, the whole purpose is lost and you won't save your clients a dime.

I recommend: Request a free pass to your closest DirectBuy Showroom. This company does require a membership after the first visit, but after a few clients, it will more than pay for itself. Fly out to the San Francisco Mart for wholesale home furnishings; browse their website for a list of products and designers before planning your trip.

Contact builder design centers for help with space planning and architectural rendering

As a home consultant, when working with a client who is building a custom home, you may be asked to plan the best use of his space before interior walls are put up. Once those walls are installed, there's no turning back without demolition, so it's best to get it right the first time. Present your ideas in the form of an artist's rendering to help your client visualize your thoughts.

I recommend: Request the services of Creative CAD Design for quick, quality work. If you'd rather use a software program and do it yourself, check out the reasonably priced residential room planning software from ViewIT Technologies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  As a consultant, it's important to stay on top of the latest trends in home design. Home Depot and Lowe's both offer clinics in the evenings and on weekends for do-it-yourselfers. Find your local stores and see if they have any interior design clinics that can give you new ideas and insight into the industry.