The Future of Interior Design – How, and How Much, Will It Change?

Too bad Nostradamus moved to the Great Beyond some 450 years ago. Had he been more contemporary, he might have been able to give us some clues to the future of interior design, luxury furnishings, and business in general. (A few thoughts about online marketing would have been super helpful too!) Alas, we must instead rely on our own experience, knowledge of human nature, and guidance from industry experts.

For the latter, we offer you this link to an article at BusinessOfHome.com, which examines (predicts) what the industry will (may?) look like a decade from now.

Before going there, however, we feel the need to mention our own predictive blogging on the subject of changes in the short term, here and here.

While these posts focus on the ways that doing business will likely change following our recent health crisis, the article mentioned above addresses the probable evolution of the design industry. This is just the first in a three-part examination of upcoming design business trends from the folks at BoH, so we hope to offer more soon.

Long Term Design Industry Changes

For now, the article is devoted to the thoughts of people who predict trends for a living:

“Our crystal-ball gazers are Brian David Johnson, the futurist-in-residence at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination; Dror Poleg, a consultant and the author of Rethinking Real Estate: A Roadmap to Technology’s Impact on the World’s Largest Asset Class; and Piers Fawkes, an innovation consultant and the founder and president of consumer research agency PSFK.”

Familiarity Will Not Breed Contempt – By nature, human beings are habitual in their behaviors and environments, resisting change for the comfortable and familiar. This means that despite the inevitable technological advancements we will undoubtedly see in the future, home designs will remain largely consistent. Too much change coming too quickly leads to stress and uneasiness, which most tend to avoid.

Still, making an impression online will be even more important moving forward. Although innovation will generate interest as it always has, things that roam too far outside the box will get little play.

“I tell my students that if you walk out your front door and it looks like it did on The Jetsons, that’s a nightmare. We don’t want our homes to change all that much.” (Johnson)

Personal Space Becomes More Valuable – For many, their recent experiences with stay-at-home orders and working remotely will have a profound effect on how they view their personal spaces. According to the article, this trend was developing before the restrictive regulations in response to the pandemic, and have only been reinforced by them

In other words, “The manipulation of space will become more important, and furniture will get more and more multifunctional.” (Fawkes)

As will a designer’s ability to deliver value: “So in a world like this, the ability to capture more profit shifts to the design of a space, the sales experience, the unique components, all of that. Long story short: Interior design is becoming increasingly a driver of the value of a building, and that will continue to be the case.” (Poleg)

People-Focused Design Becomes Ever More Important – As mentioned above, technology intrigues everyone, interior designers, and homeowners included. Yet, no matter how advanced it becomes, it will never replace relationships between human beings. That means, “Interior design isn’t really just about designing the interior of a home. It’s about people and solving their problems… [so it] isn’t going to be done by robots and artificial intelligence.” (Johnson)

Even more telling, “The profession will still exist, but I think interior designers may need to develop another layer of technical sophistication to understand what people’s desires are for their homes. They may need to go from ‘This is wallpaper that looks nice’ to ‘This is wallpaper that looks nice and blocks Wi-Fi signals and protects digital privacy’.” (Fawkes)

As much as people resist change, the natural evolution of all aspects of life forces us to deal with it. This is as true in business as it is for life in general. Though predicting the future is difficult, experience and recognition of current trends can offer direction. This makes predicting the future of interior design critical to your success, whether you are resistant to change or not.

While he’s not in the same league as Nostradamus (and doesn’t claim to be), Ted continues to offer business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years’ experience in the luxury furnishings industry, and through all sorts of economic crises and natural disasters, he should be able to help you get ready for your future.

To get in touch with Ted, or for more design business tips, trends, and marketing ideas… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Responding to the Pandemic – What Comes Next for Your Business?

Depending on where you live and work, things should be loosening up a bit for you, though it begs the question of what comes next in response to the pandemic and its aftermath.

We hope that as the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders are relaxed, your life and your furnishings or design business begin to resemble something like normal. Although it's likely to take some time to get back, you would do well to believe that we will evolve from crisis living to a more acceptable way of life and work.

While uncertainty may be the dominant mindset at the moment – we must all remember that it is just a moment – a particularly stressful point in time that will not, that cannot, last forever.

Yes, it may seem like our situation is dire for now. Yet, there is no reason to suppose that the negative aspects of the current situation will be especially important over the next six months or the next few years.

Experience teaches us that human beings are remarkably resilient in the face of crisis and tragedy. It is an integral part of human nature that we bounce back from disasters and look to the future, despite the most serious of challenges.

Examples of this might be the 9/11 tragedy, hurricane Sandy, or the many other natural and manmade disasters from which most of us have recovered. And yes, that is the key. That we have recovered – and that we will recover again.

Visualize Your Future Beyond the Crisis

As you look to the future, you will need to ask yourself some questions – about yourself, your business, and about your clients' lives. The answers to these questions will be an invaluable guide for moving forward successfully and with as little ongoing disruption as possible.

Questions to answer about your business:

• How has your design business changed in the past 60 days? (Or, your life.)

• Do you need to change your value proposition?

• What will be different moving forward?

• What short-term changes have you made, and what are the long-term effects?

• More specifically, which suppliers and subs have weathered the storm and are ready to get back to work?

It may also be helpful to pay attention to your competitors. Some will surely do well despite the current crisis, while others may disappear altogether. Do what you can to emulate the former and avoid the latter like a deadly virus.

Questions to answer about your clients:

• How have things changed in their lives, homes, and offices in the past 60 days?

• What do they value that they did not before?

• What will be the most helpful and relevant things you can do for them to help them recover?

• Which types of clients (which homeowners and office tenants) are doing well and can afford to become clients?

• Where and how can you be empathetic to those who are afraid while accommodating those who are not?

These are essential issues that we will all need to consider as we work to restore relationships, rebuild our client lists, and return to business as usual (or, as as-usual as we can).

One More Thing to Consider

Among the many changes you're likely to see from clients and prospects, as well as suppliers and subs, will be ongoing fear and residual anger. Some will be afraid we are trying to recover too quickly. Others will declare it was a "fake news" conspiracy, and there is nothing to worry about. Neither of these beliefs can be discounted out of hand, for the simple reason that you need their business or support and can't afford to ignore them.

So, work hard to be considerate and respectful of everyone you encounter since you have no idea how deeply or tragically they may have been affected. In other words, employ the Golden Rule and treat them as you would wish to be treated. Your business will appreciate you for it, and your "What comes next?" question will quickly be a thing of the past.

If you're struggling to answer any of these questions, or with creating a vision for your future, Ted continues to offer business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry and through all sorts of economic crises and natural disasters, he should be able to help you cope with all the craziness.

To get in touch with Ted, or for more design business tips, trends, and marketing ideas… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Open For Business Through Uncertain Times & An Unpredictable Future

We’re navigating our way through uncertain times. It also appears that we face an unpredictable future, while individual states continue to enforce stay-at-home orders even as others declare themselves “open for business” once again.

Having stated the obvious, we feel compelled to let you know this: All of the companies we represent are financially stable and fully operational. In response to the unprecedented situation in which we find ourselves, they have implemented steps to weather this storm and protect their customer’s and client’s investments.

Likewise, we at TD Fall are open for business as your partner in design and luxury furnishings. Though our teams are being diligent in following social distancing guidelines, our facilities remain open. To help you keep your projects moving forward, we will hold your orders until you have a time and date for delivery, as needed.

This type of message is essential in the wake of the global health crises we’re facing, with repercussions for businesses at all levels. Experience tells us that, much like the 2008 recession, some will not make it through to the other side. 

Then as now, “On one side of the equation, the buyers are wary. On the other, sellers are stressed. Taken together, it’s an industry-wide game of chicken. With millions of dollars in the balance, designers continue to ask each other the same question nervously: Are you placing orders?” (BusinessOfHome.com)

The follow-up question to this is obvious: Are the vendors healthy, and are the brands ready and able to ship?

Stick with What – and Who – You Know

A recent article at Business of Home, titled Are you placing orders right now?, outlines many of the concerns of both designers and manufacturers in response to the pandemic (and its potential aftermath).

So, where does a designer or furnishings business turn in uncertain times? While small companies may be more versatile and responsive, large manufacturers likely have more resources to fall back on, having weathered such storms before.

As described in the article, “Large or small, the new table stake for any brand is transparency. Companies that don’t pick up the phone, or aren’t willing to send detailed updates about the state of their operations, are rapidly falling out of favor with designers. Now more than ever, vendors have to be willing to field tough questions.”

Of course, vendors also have concerns about those with whom they do business. They can’t help but wonder if their designers and dealers are working on a solid foundation. In other words, this is a two-way street of business stress. Both sides want to be supportive, and both sides worry at the viability of the other.

Even as the article offers the opinions of various designers and vendors, the conclusion seems relatively apparent – the solution is to rely on relationships. “Designers tend to be deeply involved with the companies they work with, and a worldwide health crisis has only deepened the bonds.”

Based on our decades of experience, the relationship we’ve built with Kravet is as stable as it has ever been. Further, working with the recognized leader in the home furnishings trade has instilled a sense of confidence in our ability to support our customers as fully as we have in the past.

In short, our relationships with the vendors we represent allow us to proclaim confidently… Yes, we are open for business!

Are you looking for more tips on growing your design business, new design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Can Your Design Business Survive COVID-19? Yes, It Can!

While we would never downplay the impact of the current situation with COVID-19, we are also confident that life will go on and business will continue – especially for those of us in the design business who spend most of our days working online. After all, remote conferencing and video chat apps make “social distancing” the norm for us.

“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.”

— Oprah Winfrey

With these things in mind, we ask that you focus first on keeping yourself and your family healthy and safe. Next, do all that you can to stay in touch with your team and clients, virtually, to assure them that you are still involved and committed to their ongoing success.

In fact, this would be a great time to make those Before and After videos of your design projects you’ve been planning, or even to get some online training yourself. (You now have the time.)

Challenge Yourself to Be Optimistic

Finally, rather than thinking of this as a time of struggle, challenge yourself to turn it into an opportunity to grow your design business. Use the time you have to get your marketing ducks in a row and develop a new online marketing strategy to implement over the next month, six months, and year.

For us, optimism is key because we know that life and business WILL return to normal and, when it does, you want to be ready.

If you're curious about how other designers are coping, check out this article from BusinessOfHome.com, Remote control: How designers are running their firms from home.

Wishing all the best to you, your family, and your business,
Ted Fall & Team TD Fall

P.S. Ted is currently working on some Zoom presentations and invites you to follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where more product pictures and links will be posted.

Looking for more tips on growing your design business, new design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.