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Christina Chan

Expert Guru
After graduating with an architecture degree from the University of Southern California, Ms. Chan went to work to pursue her architecture career. Days spent behind the desk creating numerous pages of construction documents, trudging through buildings with a tape measure, and discussing the finer points of the building code with government officials made her realize she was in the wrong line of work. So Ms. Chan decided to pursue what she really loved – writing.

Ms. Chan has written for a range of markets, including educational writing, magazines, and online copywriting. Her credits include Dogs for Kids Magazine, National Geographic Kids, and the 2007 Not For Tourists Guide to Los Angeles. In addition, she has provided a great deal of copy for the World Wide Web, taking great care to maximize keyword usage within informative content for LifeTips.com.






10 Tips from Christina Chan

Getting the Most Out of Your Interior Design Education

An interior design education is your gateway into a promising career. In order to maximize the resources available to you while you are in school, get involved as much as you can.

• Be proactive and approach your faculty for advice on career guidance as well as feedback on your projects.

• Actively seek internships and ways to get real world experience while getting your interior design education.

• Make use of student competitions to push your design skills and become involved in the community.

• Join professional student organizations to start networking and gaining valuable educational and career resources.

Niche Areas for Your Interior Designer Career

Looking for alternatives to the mainstream path of an interior designer career? If you're comfortable by the grill and oven, consider becoming a kitchen designer. As a kitchen designer, you'll work with clientele to plan the layout, appliances, and finishes for everything from a kitchen for the home to the industrial sized restaurant kitchen. Are frosted glass showers with mosaic tile overlooking a view from the cherry wood framed window more your style? Then consider concentrating your efforts to become a bath designer. Or perhaps you can envision creating a tranquil mood by playing off pewter hued wall sconces in the main hallway. In that case, focus your interior designer career in the field of lighting design.

The Difference Between an Interior Decorator and An Interior Designer

You may have occasionally heard the terms for interior decorator and interior designer interchanged. However, there is a difference between the two titles. An interior decorator generally refers to someone who deals with finishes, surfaces, furniture, and wall coverings. An interior decorator may work in a variety of venues from a design showroom to a remodeling retail store. There is no government regulation regarding the work of an interior decorator. An interior designer is a more specialized career field, requiring a certain combined level of education, work experience, and licensing. An interior designer may create spaces for the inside of a commercial office building, design the lighting for a restaurant, or select the furnishings of a home. An interior designer may also deal with issues of safety like accessibility and building codes.

The Interior Design Studio

The interior design studio may be one of the most vigorous courses you will take as part of an interior design program. This class is where you will learn to put your creative talents and ability to visualize spatial relationships to use. In an interior design studio, you will typically receive an interior design project or series of projects from your instructor and then spend the rest of the semester refining your design. For instance, you may have an interior design project requiring you to design the inside space of a museum gallery with special attention to natural lighting requirements. Throughout specific phases of the design process, you can expect to give presentations to your instructor and classmates where you will receive critiques and feedback.

The Perfect Interior Design Candidate - What Employers Want

You have your interior design degree, an internship, a portfolio, and resume all ready to go. All you have to do is ace the next interior design interview and you'll be on your way to a promising career. To boost your chances of landing the job with the slick and innovative design firm you've been eyeing, pay attention to what interior design employers are looking for.

• Employers want an interior design candidate who first and foremost, has a friendly and positive, outgoing personality. Surprised? Part of working as an interior designer means interacting with clients, vendors, and other members of your project team. People skills are an important part of the interior design interview.

• To shine as an interior design candidate, show your potential employers that you have great communication skills. You should be clearly able to present your ideas and projects. As an interior designer, you'll have to communicate your ideas in a way that other people can understand.

• Your technical skills as an interior designer are also important to interior design employers. The firm that hires you wants to know that you have a good sense of design, proportion, color, and the technical know how to make a project come together.

Accreditation and the Online Interior Design Degree

If you are considering getting an online interior design degree and are concerned about accreditation, here is something to keep in mind. To date, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER), the organization which sets the minimum standards for an interior design education, has not accredited any online interior design degree. Keep in mind that accreditation is open to all programs in interior design, online or not. Lack of accreditation by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation does not necessarily mean a program lacks a strong interior design foundation. However, you should keep in mind whether your state requires you attend an accredited interior design program if you plan on getting licensed as an interior designer.

What's Cooking in the Kitchen - Kitchen Designer

Thought about becoming a gourmet chef, but think you'll have much more fun figuring out how to build the kitchen? Consider becoming a kitchen designer. In this specialty field of interior design, you'll be involved in the layout of kitchens from the typical kitchen home to a full sized kitchen of a large residence. Design kitchens for hotels, restaurants, and hospitals. You'll become involved in the selection of appliances, and consider the flooring and counter tops as well. You'll find jobs for this specialty field of interior design in kitchen design firms, home remodeling stores, and kitchen showrooms. The National Kitchen and Bath Association has started an endorsement of educational programs for you to become a kitchen designer. Go to www.nkba.org for more information.

Interior Design Information on Licensing

The road to becoming a licensed interior designer certainly requires time and commitment. Be prepared and make sure you get the necessary interior design information on licensing as soon as possible. To become a licensed interior designer, you must pass a three-part examination held by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). You can take the exam with a combination of the requisite work experience and education. Additional requirements also vary from state to state, so make sure you get interior design information for the state you intend to practice in. For more information on the specific credit requirements of your interior design program and work hours, visit the NCIDQ Web site at www.ncidq.org.

Louisiana State University Alum Gets His Own Design Show

Most graduates of an interior design program don't expect to get famous from their interior design careers. But once in a while, an opportunity opens up and you just have to take it. That's what happened to Louisiana State University graduate Kenneth Brown. Brown, who graduated from the interior design program at Louisiana State University in 1995, started his own design firm, Kenneth Brown Design. One day, Home and Garden Television (HGTV) asked Brown to guest host a few shows. The next thing he knew, he had his own design show. As of 2005, Brown has finished taping his first design show season.

Five Tips to Help You Put Together a Stellar Interior Design Portfolio

When you're getting ready to interview for an interior design job, you need to have a great interior design portfolio. Remember that having a great portfolio to show at your next interview takes time and effort. Keep these tips in mind before you look for your next interior design job:

• Start with the portfolio case. Pick a case that is professional and representative of the industry and market you're interviewing for. If you're sending your resume to a mainstream design firm, go with a basic, nondescript portfolio case. If you're applying to an edgy, trendy retail store, you might get away with a portfolio case with more pizazz.

• Spend some time to research other portfolios to get an idea of layout and design possibilities.

• Pick pieces representative of your best work. Don't put in pieces that you have to apologize for.

• Prioritize the order of your portfolio pieces. Don't simply throw in random examples of your work. Instead, imagine explaining your designs to your potential employer. Pick an exciting piece in the beginning and end of your portfolio.

• Target your portfolio pieces. Make sure that what you put in your interior design portfolio best represents the job you are applying for. Your portfolio doesn't have to be set in stone. You can change some pieces out for new ones, depending on your job interview.