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What's Happening?

Notes from Natasha

As we all work to recover from extended downtime in a struggling economy, financial experts suggest you use spare time increasing your credentials and sharpening your skills. Take advantage of this opportunity to stand out amongst your competition.

DSA can help you move to the front of the pack by arming you with the knowledge we teach in our Residential Interior Designer Exam (R.I.D.E.). This qualifying examination is available to residential interior designers looking to advance their education, career and professional status in the interior design industry. Click here for more info about the R.I.D.E Certification Program.

If you are driven to succeed and dedicated to your profession, successful completion of the R.I.D.E. will enhance your status among residential interior design peers more

Establishing the Freedom Movement

Patti Morrow

Not a week goes by that I don’t receive multiple inquiries as to why I became involved in fighting the interior design cartel and how the interior design Freedom Movement started. I’m not an attorney, not a lobbyist, never wanted to be a political activist. I’m just an interior designer who couldn’t bear to see the entire interior design industry destroyed. Yes, interior design is more than decoration, but it’s also more than just being able to read codes. All designers want their clients to be safe in their spaces, but our opponents’ drive to deny the aesthetic aspects of the profession smacks of lack of confidence in their ability, vision, and creativity.

I now find myself in a totally unforeseen career — educating, organizing and mobilizing grassroots and traveling the country with pink slingshot and pink boxing gloves in tow. more

Member Spotlight

Instead of our regular feature, spotlighting one of our own, this month’s Member Spotlight sends kudos to all of our enlisted men and women, both stateside and abroad. If you are able, consider participating in programs organized by AnySoldier.com. Here is their story:

It was March 26th, 2003. Army Sergeant Brian Horn, one of 1,000 soldiers, parachuted into enemy territory in Northern Iraq. Five months later, Brian Horn was able to call his parents. Marty and Sue Horn had been sending their son an average of six care packages per week. So when Brian asked his parents to send more, they thought he was kidding. But Brian wanted them for soldiers that weren’t receiving anything.

Both Marty and Sue Horn had spent their careers in the military, so they immediately understood what Brian was saying. Millions of these men and women serving overseas never receive any mail. Besides often lacking basic necessities, these men and women have to cope with the harsh conditions of serving overseas without signs of support from friends and family back home. more

Tips from Studio WebWare

Last month we shared with you some information about Studio WebWare and all the benefits their Studio Designer software program offers to interior designers. This month we’ll address the ease with which designers can use the program on the go via Blackberry, iPhone and Droid.

Studio WebWare has a number of applications to make your life simpler. One of the most popular features offered is an interface from manufacturers’ websites to Studio Design.

Designers using Studio WebWare can browse websites of manufacturers offering fabrics, furniture, or other products and select the items they want to transfer information for to Studio WebWare, said Lance Haeberle. more

Comfort or Quantity

By Mary Dennis
www.gracefullifestyles.com

I was recently asked to Feng Shui design a sales center in Las Vegas. It is a prominent location where over 100 clients pass thru daily, seven days a week. The reception area housed 40 seats all lined up against the walls. One specific detail I was to change was the chairs. The requirement was to purchase smaller ones, so as to get more seating into the space.

Ah, the challenge rose deep within me and I could not help but think of the first rule of thumb for any Graceful Lifestyles Designer - No harm to the public!

I had recently read a report from the Center for Disease Control stating that one-third of the American public was overweight. Obese adults sit sideways, producing feelings of being uncomfortable, wanting to get out of a space or being constricted in a tight spot.

Are these the kind of feelings that would encourage comfort, I asked myself? more

Anything Exciting?

Member Services

Note: We apologize! Karen Gleason’s column was inadvertently left out of June’s newsletter. Sorry!

Natasha and I had a really good time in Atlanta at Visions 10. The R.I.D.E. certification is such a good program that it was not hard to convey all the good information to new students and designers. I enjoyed meeting everyone and making new contacts.

Summer is here and to some that means time to kick back and relax, but not for DSA! We are ramping up our launch to chapter groups, R.I.D.E. is having a successful kick-off and we are in the process of making more benefits available to our members.

If you are interested in being a Chapter leader, please contact me at karen.gleason@dsasociety.org. We still have an available region and need someone who is excited about DSA to lead the charge.

We are now taking payments for membership and/or certification for new members and renewals. Please contact Cindy at 229.888.2459 or Karen at karen.gleason@dsasociety.org for more information. more

Make YOUR life easier! - Tips from Studio WebWare

Last month we shared with you some information about Studio WebWare and all the benefits their Studio Designer software program offers to interior designers. This month we'll address the ease with which designers can use the program on the go via Blackberry, iPhone and Droid.

While designers can access their entire Studio Designer application from any computer, they can also log in via cell phone to the mobile portion of the application, said Lance Haeberle of Studio WebWare. more

Busy in 2009? Or Not?
Gail Goby ASID, DSA

Starting in 2007, the market for interior designers turned into quicksand. The credit markets tightened, and projects that typically went to designers were brought in-house both residentially and commercially.

HGTV and the Internet created more competitors in the middle of the market from the consumers themselves, and frankly, for most designers, those weren’t and aren’t your best clients anyway.

High-end projects stayed fairly steady until the economic debacle of October 2008, and then many of the projects slowed, stopped or didn’t start at all. Especially in markets tied to the financial markets like New York, the wealthiest clients lost their jobs and their sense of security if they were in jobs associated with money and wealth. The commercial market was devastated by the credit crisis, and according to economists, the concerns aren’t behind us yet. more

Learn about Green Building on Webinars

If you are new to “green building” and want to learn a little on the cheap, there are many options. United States Green Building Council (USGBC) offers a variety of webinars that you can view from your home or office. Some are live and must be watched on a specific time and date, but many are available on demand. While prices can range up to $100, many are free as the USGBC wants people to learn about their mission. You do not have to be a USGBC member to participate in the webinars.

Here are a few that are currently being offered:

Daylighting: Connecting to the Outdoors
Solid State Lighting
Low-Emitting Materials
Water Efficient Plumbing
Windows for Sustainable Design
Indoor Environmental Quality
Regional & Renewable Materials in LEED
Lighting Basics for Energy Efficient Applications

There are also webinars aimed at the various Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems. These include homes, retail and the upcoming healthcare rating system. more