Interior Designers: Making the World Beautiful

Happy holidays everyone! During this Christmas week we are all thinking about spending time with family in festively decorated homes. Some of us choose to decorate our homes ourselves, but for the larger tasks of designing the interiors of our houses, especially during initial construction or move-in, professionals may be better suited for the larger & more complicated task. These talented workers are called Interior Designers & they specialize in making interior spaces functional, safe, & beautiful by determining space requirements & selecting decorative items such as colors, lighting & materials.

Interior designers work closely with architects, structural engineers, mechanical engineers & builders to determine how interior spaces will look, function & be furnished. They must be able to read blueprints & be aware of building codes & inspection regulations. Designers are generally artistically & creatively talented & draw up plans & designs for construction & installation. Some of these plans are hand-drawn, but most are created through the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Many designers specialize in a particular type of building (residential or commercial), a specific room (bathroom or kitchen), or a specific style. Some designers work for home furnishings stores, providing design services to help customers choose materials & furnishings.

Interior designers are a regulated profession in many states, and in these states anyone who desires to be a professional interior designer must become certified. In states where laws restrict the use of the title "interior designer", only those who pass the state-approved exam, most commonly the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam, may call themselves registered interior designers. To sit for the exam, applicants typically must have at least a bachelor's degree in interior design & at least 2 years of experience. If you want to learn more about this creative & interesting profession, check out our handy infographic below for details on salaries, specializations, & future job growth. And be sure to come back to our Facebook & Twitter pages all week for more great interior design content! Happy Holidays everyone!!

Loading...

Image credit: Shutterstock

Keeping the Lights On: Electricians in America

As we rapidly approach the holiday season, millions of American households are being covered with all manner of lights & festive electronic decorations of every kind. We all know the houses in our neighborhood that go all out for the season & probably spend more in a month on electricity than most households do in a year! However, one of the aspects of the holiday fun that most people either ignore or do not know about is the increased risk of fire from all of these holiday-related electric devices & lights. Every year, over 50,000 fires are caused by electrical failures or malfunctions, with 30% of these happening during the holiday season. Dry Christmas trees, too many light strings attached together, overloaded electrical outlets, & lights/devices left plugged in too long are some of the main causes of house fires during the holiday season.

In connection with this focus on safe holiday decorating, we're focusing this week on a profession

that can help ensure your decorations are safe: electricians. Electricians are professionals who install and maintain electrical power, communications, lighting, & control systems in homes, businesses, & factories. They have worked through a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship program that is designed to teach them what they need to know to work on the job in many different capacities. This program includes in each year at least 144 hours of technical training & 2,000 hours of paid on the job training. Most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed. Requirements for licensure vary by state. There are a wide variety of industries & jobs that electricians can work in, but 2 main classes of electrician are inside electricians & residential electricians. Inside electricians maintain and repair large motors, equipment, & control systems in businesses & factories, while residential electricians install wiring & troubleshoot electrical problems in peoples’ homes. To learn more about these dedicated & essential professionals, check out our helpful infographic below. And be sure to keep tuned in to our Facebook & Twitter pages all week for more great electrician & holiday-related content!

Loading...