Interior design information resources news and trends keep your business up to date. With regular reading, you'll be ready to respond to client requests for trendy solutions and design. It's also important to keep up with news about legislation and economic influences that affect the design industry.

There's a wide range of information available to interior designers. Sources provide news about up and coming designers and new products as well as consumer trends. Consider the following to keep your interior designer resources library well stocked and up to date:

1. Get an interior design guide and information from national industry associations.

2. Read print and online magazines and newsletters to get information about news and trends.

3. Order reports on trends that affect the interior design industry.

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

Get references for interior design from national groups and associations

Interior design associations are a top-notch source for informational materials about news and trends in the design industry. They provide research from multiple sources as well as credit and non-credit educational courses.

I recommend: Visit the knowledge center of the International Interior Design Association for recent articles and news. They also feature a calendar of continuing education courses and seminars. The American Society of Interior Designers offers links to news about the world of interior design, including legislation and articles.

Read publications to keep up with information on interior design

Keep current magazines on hand as part of your interior design library. They offer ideas and inspiration as well as industry news and current trends.

I recommend: The Interior Design Magazine website provides news from Designware Daily and other sources about projects and trends in interior design. Contract Magazine offers commercial design industry news. Dezignaré Interior Design Collective provides links to industry news and articles. They feature a monthly newsletter and a magazine subscription service.

Get a guide to interior design that lists upcoming trends

Annual market research reports provide information about consumer buying trends in the interior design market. While they are usually not free, it may be worth the investment -- your firm can get in on new trends early and prepare to serve the market. There are also magazines, free articles and websites that report on interior design trends.

I recommend: Trend Hunter provides reports available for purchase on lifestyle and design trends presented in a slideshow format. You can also purchase reports about upcoming trends from MarketResearch. For free information about trends, check out Home Decorating Trends Magazine, which offers articles about trends in interiors and home design, and Pillars of Design for paint color trend information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Do further research on interior design information after getting information about trends. Make sure the trend is going to take hold before you invest a lot of time and money on learning about it.

Interior design information resources are necessary if you want to stay competitive in today's marketplace. If you have an excellent interior design library in your office, it provides a great way for new and old designers alike to get ideas that will make your clients happy.

There are many different interior design resources you may be interested in. You'll probably want to stock your library with a definitive interior design guide as well as several magazines that provide constantly changing inspiration.

A few more reasons why you might want interior design reference materials:

1. To act as a how-to guide. You may know all there is to know about design, but implementing certain strategies can be difficult. Books that include information on interior design should also offer some simple systematic instructions.

2. To expand your business. Interior design market research will help you understand the local market and find new ways to get customers.

3. To stay up to date with current trends. You want to provide your clients with both stylish and classic trends. A constant flow of interior design information helps you learn about new techniques and trends.

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

Subscribe to several magazines that act as references for interior design

All interior designers want to stay on the cutting edge of design. If you focus on one particular style, then you will not get as many customers. Having many magazines on hand for inspiration will help you to appeal to a broader range of clients.

I recommend: Find magazines that appeal to different types of people. Subscribe to Interior Design, which offers a sleek, modern style that many people find attractive. Country Home gives ideas for a more "homey" decorative touch. Keep these in your office to give your workers ideas.

Join a professional organization to network and get information on interior design

You can always learn from other professionals and belonging to an organization for interior designers helps you to meet other designers. There are often many additional benefits to joining as well.

I recommend: The International Interior Design Association provides many opportunities for networking, in addition to providing training classes and a bi-weekly newsletter full of industry news. The American Society of Interior Designers helps increase your knowledge and build your business.

Attend industry trade shows to get the latest interior design information

Trade shows are a great way to network with other professionals and to see the latest trends and products. You are sure to come home filled with inspiration.

I recommend: Stop by the DECOR Expo, where you can attend seminars and listen to industry leaders. Paris has a reputation for style and you can see some of the ways that they implement this into interior design by attending one of the shows at the Meuble Paris.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Schedule time in your employees' day to allow them to browse the interior design information resources you have on hand. It's not worth buying them if nobody has the opportunity to use them.

For success in this trend-driven industry it is imperative to gather interior design information to stay on top of news and trends. Interior design research needs to be done constantly to understand how styles are changing and what customers want.

While expenses for research should be expected, not all information on interior design is costly, and some resources might even be free. When looking into interior design information resources pricing and costs, keep the following things in mind:

1. It is important to have frequent, regular updates from interior design resources that feature what leading designers are doing.

2. Try to find a blend of interior design information from national and regional sources.

3. Research a wide variety in interior design resources, from publications to exhibits.

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

Subscribe to interior design reference magazines

Magazines can be the best kind of interior design guide, because they are not only inexpensive but offer current industry trends and colorful photo spreads for inspiration. They might address a variety of styles or might be completely dedicated to a specific style. Subscribe to magazines for annual subscriptions for as little at a few dollars per issue.

I recommend: Subscribe to Interior Design for just under $60 for 12 issues or House Beautiful for about $10 for 12 issues.

Look for online references for interior design

Online resources are plentiful, and are usually the newest and most recently updated. Read about interior design in the news or in blog posts.

I recommend: Read Contract magazine digital edition online for free. Read posts on the Interior Design blog for free to see what other designers are doing.

Use trade shows as a guide to interior design

Trade shows are held across the country every year, and are the best way to see what hundreds of interior designers are doing in a short amount of time under one roof. See the latest in everything from windows treatments to flooring exhibited, and find out first-hand what the latest materials, color and textiles are being used.

I recommend: Find listings of local trade shows at Design Trade Shows, which range in price from about $20 to $50 per ticket price. Find event listings at DesignTrade.net with ticket prices ranging from $15 to $100 per person.

Get access to interior design resources from associations

Join associations for a small yearly fee and network with other professionals, get invited to special events, read interior design news, and gain access to educational resources and opportunities. You can also use the information gained to create your own interior design library.

I recommend: Join the International Interior Design Association for between $260 and $450 per year depending on level of membership after paying a one-time application fee of $75. Become a member of the Interior Design Society for between $35 and @99 plus a one-time application fee.

Interior design is an artistic profession. Professionals in this field know how to turn any room in the house into something beautiful. Interior designers can also work with commercial spaces, giving them an inviting feeling for customers. Interior design professionals get industry news and information through a variety of resources. Professionals read trade publications, browse websites and consult blogs written by other professional interior designers to become inspired.

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

Interior Design

Interior Design is a magazine that caters to the interior design professional. The publication is distributed about 15 times a year. The magazine features the latest news, new products and noteworthy projects from across the United States.

I recommend: Find the latest headlines and blog posts on the Interior Design website.

Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC)

The Interior Design Educators Council is an organization that brings together educators in the field of interior design. The organization helps to promote the advancement of education and research in design as well as improving the educational standards of this field.

I recommend: The IDEC website provides information and resources for educators and interior design professionals.

Blogs

Blogs are websites set up by a group or individual to provide regular entries of information. These entries can include news, opinion or multimedia.

I recommend: Be An Interior Designer is a blog dedicated to teaching those interested in interior design the skills necessary to meet the demands of this career field.

Council for Interior Design Accreditation

The Council for Interior design Accreditation is an organization that provides the standards to meet in order to be licensed as an interior designer.

I recommend: The Council for Interior Design Accreditation provides a list of accredited schools for interior design students to get an education that meets the organization's standards.

American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)

The American Society of Interior Designers is an organization put together by interior designers to promote education, advocacy and community outreach. ASID works to show how design can have a positive impact.

I recommend: The American Society of Interior Designers provides many information resources for members including articles on design in public areas, sustainable design and codes to meet when designing a project.

International Interior Design Association (IIDA)

The International Interior Design Association is an organization built to promote interior design in the international community. IIDA provides resources and opportunities to professional designers and student members.

I recommend: IIDA provides a knowledge center that includes information on continuing education opportunities and networking options for members.