IDS Education Opportunities

Lots of great information is available to IDS members in the coming weeks. Visit our website for a full course schedule and course descriptions.

“ECO Design Essentials – IDS Exclusive”

Presented by Jeff Hiller, Sustainable Furnishings Council
May 20, 2010 – 12 pm EDT

FREE!! “The New CQRID Exam – ‘I can do that!’”

Presented by Marcella Davis-Burks and Linda Stackenwalt,
 IDS Professionals and Founders of Design Techniques & Solutions
June 9, 2010 – 1 pm EDT
June 17, 2010 – 1 pm EDT

“Marketing Your Design Services: Simple Ways to Use the Internet to Get More Clients in a New Economy”

Presented by Nika Stewart, The Designers’ Success Coach
June 23, 2010 – 12 pm EDT

IDS 2010 Educational Tour to Paris!

Sept. 1 – 8, 2010
Please contact Abbie Emms at aemms@interiordesignsociety.org or call 888.884.4469 x224 if you have any questions.

HGTV Needs You!

Share your work at HGTV.com! Professional designers and decorators can become part of this community by submitting a minimum of five high-resolution photos with accompanying captions of their favorite or best makeovers to DP@hgtv.com. Contact information and website should be included with each submission.

For details on HGTV’s “Designers’ Portfolio” visit the website: http://HGTV.com/designersportfolio

High Point Seminars

Going to High Point? Make plans now to attend IDS business-building seminars. All seminars are FREE and located in the IDS Seminar Room at 164 S Main St, High Point, NC 27260 – 8th Floor (Radio Building). Seating is limited. Click here to register for a seminar today.

If you have any questions or need help with your registration, please contact Abbie Emms at (888) 884-4469 x 224 or email her at aemms@interiordesignsociety.org.

Monday, April 19, 2010
9 am – 9:50 am
“2010 Fabric Trends: It’s All About the Fabric!”

Be “in the know” on the latest and greatest fabric trends! Lindsay Heery, Creative Director of Greenhouse Fabrics, will introduce you to the hottest fabric trends in 2010. Exciting forecasts include colors to patterns to construction, including sustainable fabrics. This hands-on seminar will include fabric samples. Greenhouse Fabrics attends trade fairs across the world to learn about upcoming colors, patterns, and construction.

10 am – 10:50 am:
“Did YOUR Business Make Money in 2009?”
Success doesn’t just happen; you have to make it happen! Most entrepreneurs use the SOP (Seat of Pants) approach, instead of taking control and designing a success strategy that is easy to implement and actually makes a difference. Join JoAnne Lenart-Weary, President of One Day Decorating and The Decorating and Staging Academy, as she empowers you with tools that will take your business to a new high in 2010.

11 am – 11:50 am:
“It’s All About Attitude!”
Improving your attitude could be the single-most important thing you do for your business. Happy, organized people are optimistic and creative. Frustrated, stressed people have a poor attitude and generally have little or no patience with people and worst of all creativity can be stifled. In this seminar presented by Debbie Green, you will learn that a change in
attitude doesn’t just happen by chance. Debbie is a nationally recognized speaker and founder of Minutes Matter, developer of Studio, a graphic design software program.

1 pm – 1:50 pm
“Today’s Red Hot Issue: Interior Design Regulation”
Join Patti Morrow for an in-depth look at the regulation controversy, legislative trends and the Pro Freedom movement, which she founded. Separate misinformation from the truth. The Executive Director of the Interior Design Protection Council and Principal of Juxtapose Design, Concord, NH, Patti is author of Getting Grassroots Galvanized. Since 2006, she has assisted in defeating nearly 100 interior design bills.

2 pm – 2:50 pm
“The “NEW” CQRID Exam – Focus on Barrier-Free Design”
Having the right credentials is critical to your success. Being a CQRID Certified Professional Interior Designer is the answer. Marcella Davis-Burks, IDS Professional and CQRID Certified, will cover information on barrier free design from the CQRID Study Guide and Residential Design Training Program.

3 pm – 3:50 pm
“NO Pencil, NO Computer…NO Problem!”
A top-notch sketch is a valuable selling tool, but the talent and time to create hand-drawn renderings is not something everyone has. E-Z Decorator System’s inventor Cheryl Howard will be on hand to talk about how her product solves this problem. You will see how to put together perspective drawings and furniture layouts in minutes without the use of a pencil or computer.

Legislative Update: Minnesota

We are extremely pleased to report that the Minnesota Interior Designer Licensing Act did not receive a vote at the recent hearing. The act was tabled by the Chair without further action.  While no vote was taken on the bill, it was clear that the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection has concerns about the impact of the bill on the many designers in the state who would no longer be able to practice their profession if the bill were to pass.  Accordingly, the Chair exercised her prerogative to end the hearing without a vote and encouraged the Sponsor to see if a compromise could be worked out to protect the interests of all parties.  No further action on the bill is anticipated at this time.

Our thanks to all of the members of IDS and the broader design community who wrote and called the legislators to voice their opposition to the bill, and especially to those who took the time out of their schedules to attend the hearing.  The opponents of the legislation far outnumbered the supporters of the bill, and we’re sure that their presence was felt by the Committee members.  In fact, more than one legislator commented on the large number of letters and phone calls they received on the bill!

A special note of thanks to the students of the NKBA accredited programs who came to the hearing and sat together to show their opposition to a bill that would have demeaned their education and prevented them from becoming “licensed”.  Also, thanks to Galen Jergenson who testified on the impact of the bill on the two-year schools and effectively answered the legislators’ questions.  Also, thanks to Patti Morrow of the IDPC who testified on behalf of the 500 members of her organization in Minnesota, AIA who opposed the bill, and the American Lighting Association who also had a member testify against the legislation.

Although the efforts on the part of the interior design lobby will certainly not end with this setback, and we are positive that they will be back again next legislative term even stronger then before, for now the bill appears to be dead and you may continue offering design services to your clients, competing on projects based solely upon your skills and abilities.

IDS and Serta Team Up on New Launch

Join the Interior Design Society and Serta during the High Point Market for a reception celebrating the introduction of the exclusive IDS Designers Reserve Collection by Serta. The event takes place Sunday, April 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. on the fourth floor of The Radio Building, 164 South Main St. Appetizers and cocktails will be served. Here is a way to expand your services–and your profits! Please be sure to attend this exciting launch.