Interior design is one of the most misunderstood professions yet impossible to avoid in contemporary society. For example, all stores, offices, and houses involve some type of interior design. Even if you are someone who stays at home all day, you are still engaging with some idea of interior design. Though interior design is one of the most essential trades out there, it often goes underappreciated due to how subtle it can be.

If you are someone who wants to learn more about interior design, it is important to understand that you are likely engaging with interior design on a daily basis. This is because any type of design that happens inside of a building is considered interior design. This can take the form of desks, chairs, or even specific room layouts. Because interior design can manifest in a variety of ways, it is important to educate yourself on the practice and become familiar with how the industry works.

1. In 2018, approximately 75,400 people were employed as interior designers. (Site: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

In the United States, being an interior designer is a coveted career. However, the market doesn’t have spaces for everyone, making it necessary for certain designers to distinguish themselves to have a successful business. This is also why there were only 75,400 interior designers in the United States in 2018.

2. In Alaska, there are only 30 registered interior designers. (Site: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Although interior design is a popular industry, the number of designers in any given state will depend greatly on the local market. For example, there are only 30 registered interior designers in Alaska, but this doesn’t mean that there is necessarily a shortage. Instead, the interior design market in Alaska requires only 30 designers to ensure that all the businesses can flourish. On the other hand, states like New York and California have thousands of interior designers.

3. The 2019 projected revenue for the interior design industry is $16 billion. (Site: IBISWorld)

In the United States, few industries are as popular as the interior design industry. With Internet trends allowing styles to go viral overnight, the industry has become more popular than ever before. In fact, since 2014, the industry’s profit grew by 8.3%. This is likely due to the increase in residential construction that subsequently affects the commercial market. Though trends will come and go, there is always a new sensation around the corner.

4. For companies with fewer than 15 or fewer employees, OSHA requires one toilet, and the number of toilets increases as the number of employees do. (Site: SHRM)

The most wonderful part about legal regulations is that they allow office spaces to be equally friendly and accessible for all individuals. If employees are working in subpar conditions, it can also affect the productivity and efficiency of the company. For example, workplaces that do not have clean bathrooms can often intimidate employees into not wanting to work there, making them uncomfortable enough to prefer to stay at home.

This is why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires a certain number of toilets to be provided at a given company depending on the number of employees present:

• Two toilets for 16 to 35 employees
• Three toilets for 36 to 55 employees
• Four toilets for 56 to 80 employees
• Five toilets for 81 to 110 employees
• One additional toilet for every 40 employees over 150 (For example, a company with 400 employees would need to provide 13 toilets)

5. For the past 10 years, Benjamin Moore’s White Dove OC-17 has been the most popular white paint color. (Source: Architectural Digest)

When choosing the right paint color for a room, it’s important to make sure that the colors you choose reflect some type of natural design. By working with colors that adhere to elements in nature, you can create a sense of serenity in your color palette. If you’re looking for a place to begin, Benjamin Moore’s White Dove OC-17 is a great color to begin with. After all, it has been the most popular interior design color for ten years.

6. To comply with ADA regulations, the standard commercial hallway is 36 inches wide. (Site: Legal Beagle)

Since it was first implemented in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made the world a more accessible place for many people. By setting specific precedents that companies and designers should follow, the ADA gave disabled individuals legal protection when navigating public spaces.

One of the ADA effects on interior design is the regulation regarding the width of standard commercial hallways. To accommodate wheelchairs and other types of mobility devices, all hallways are required to be a minimum of 36 inches wide. This might seem like an incredibly large width, but it is the bare minimum for certain accessibility devices.

If you work with interior design, you should read the ADA regulations to make sure that your space is accessible. If you ignore the regulations, your company could face significant legal trouble.

7. The most popular style of carpet is twisted pile carpet. (Site: DoItYourself)

If you are indecisive about carpets, this might seem a completely trivial aspect of the design to be concerned about, but it can greatly affect how comfortable a room feels. In terms of carpets that provide both comfort and aesthetic versatility, there are no styles better than twisted pile carpets.

Not only do twisted pile carpets come in a wide variety of different shapes and designs, but they are also very comfortable. Twisted pile carpets are soft enough to accommodate any type of foot shape, so you don’t have to be worried about having the right carpets out for specific occasions. These carpets are also a great and affordable way to add elegance to any room.

8. Blue is used in many business designs because it is the primary color to promote productivity. (Source: Entrepreneur)

Did you know that certain colors can impact your productivity? Recent studies have discovered that certain wall shades can influence confidence, with bland colors inducing feelings of depression and sadness in certain individuals.

If you want to create an environment that inherently encourages people to be productive, you should focus on incorporating lighter colors such as green or blue. These colors are effective because they are two of the most common colors in nature, allowing them to induce comforting feelings in stressful situations. If you are not as interested in blue or green, there are also other colors that you can use to produce your company’s productivity. For example, yellow is often geared towards creativity by providing people with the right optimism to help them conquer their workplace. On the other hand, red can help evoke emotion and passion.

9. Incorporating natural elements in an office’s design improves work productivity by 15%. (Site: Forbes)

In optimizing a company’s productivity, business owners must make sure that they are properly caring for their employees. Without happy and healthy employees, businesses risk having unexpected circumstances and emergencies get in the way of the products they are creating. For this reason, we recommend that all businesses focus on how they can use interior design to create an environment that promotes concentration and productivity.

One of the things that often allows people to feel concentrated is the introduction of natural elements. For example, if your office is typically working during the day, you should investigate incorporating windows and natural light into your setup. By providing employees with natural elements, you can increase their satisfaction by 15%.

10. “Victorian style” was the style that was researched the most online. (Site: Joybird)

For many, the Internet seems endless. By using search engines and other types of research tools, anyone can simply type in an interest and be bombarded with as much information as they’d like. Many individuals also use the Internet to research interior design styles, but certain aesthetics are trendier than others. For example, the Victorian style is the most popular interior decorating style to research.

Researchers don’t know exactly why this is, but many accredit the success of shows such as The Crown and Downton Abbey as to why people have become interested in Victorian architecture. Many buildings in the United States also retain the Victorian influence of their colonial roots, making it beneficial for designers to familiarize themselves with the specific practice and aesthetic.

11. For a normal work area whether in an open or closed area, the nominal illumination level in lumens/square meter (lux) is 500. (Source: US General Services Administration)

One of the most overlooked aspects of interior design is the importance of lighting. For example, did you know that there is almost an unlimited amount of different shades of white? Of course, the color white is a definite value of its own, but the actual colors that are sold to us as white vary significantly.

Lighting can influence the accessibility of a space, so those designing for specific circumstances should be aware of which types of lighting fit certain scenarios. If you are only designing a home environment to relax in, having a sufficient amount of lighting might not be particularly essential. On the other hand, if you are designing for an office space, you must provide a sufficient amount of light so that workers can focus. For a normal type of work area, you should be focusing on providing 500 Lumens per square meter.

12. America’s first interior decorator was Elsie de Wolfe. (Source: Vouge)

Did you know that the first interior decorator in the country was born in 1865? Though the concept of creating interior designs has historically been a popular activity, the actual practice of interior design is a phenomenon of the last 150 years. Elsie de Wolfe set a precedent for interior design, having a distinct style that was focused on creating space and disavowing the flashier Victorian design of the time. She helped design the Colony Club, one of the most notable elite clubs for women, and Elsie de Wolfe’s unique approach to interior design helped her get many professional opportunities.

Summary

At the end of the day, interior design is about being creative in a controlled environment. Though many people feel that creativity should not be contained, experts have shown that limits can have profound effects on productive creativity. Interior designers use the limitations of a space to stimulate their talents, utilizing constraints as springboards to great ideas. For this reason, interior design is not only an incredibly utilitarian profession but also a creative one.

The history of interior design is unique and essential to understand for anyone looking to appreciate the world around them with a greater level of nuance. By learning facts about the field of design, you can discover more beauty in the world around you.