Contract - July/August 2011 - (Page 24)

industry news Mixed Numbers in Interior Design Billings and Inquiries Index (continued from page 22) end of 2011. In June, 13 percent thought conditions would become worse, compared to 7 percent in the first quarter. “There are lots of indexes with benchmarks related to the industry that include statistics for home builders, engineers, and architects, but they’re not centered around the interior design professional,” says ASID President Michael Thomas, FASID, CAPS. “Interior designers simply didn’t have a place to go to find data to compare against their own business models.” The final report for the first quarter, which ended in March, showed improvement across regions and multiple sectors with the Northeast index at 65.2, the Midwest at 55.3, the South at 57.8, the West at 57.1. The first-quarter report by sector showed residential at 57.1, commercial at 55.9, and institutional at 55.4. In addition, the firstquarter report showed increases in reported purchases of fabric, paint, and finishes. Indicators for the industry According to Michael Berens, ASID’s director of research and knowledge resources, ASID expects the results of the Interior Design Billings and Inquiries Index to be useful not only for ASID’s members but also for the industry in general. “We’d always assumed that interior design was a lagging indicator for architecture,” says Berens. “But based on survey results, it’s interesting to note that interior designers really are a profession unto themselves.” One indicator that distinguishes the interior design profession from architecture, says Berens, is the demand for remodeling, conservation and preservation services, which has increased in recent months. “Compared to other industry indexes, the results of the surveys show that our members are not as dependent on new construction as an architect or builder would be,” Berens explains. ASID Small Business Council members are Marcello A. Luzi, ASID; Connie LeFevre, ASID; BJ Miller, ASID; Judy Pickett, FASID; and Brenda S. Strunk, ASID. For more information on the council, contact Michael Berens at ASID, mberens@asid.org. Go to www.asid.org/idindex for more information on the index. —Jean Nayar Security Enclosure Projects include multi-story wire mesh draperies for hotels,auditoriums, and casinos; curved dividers for visual merchandising; window treatments for private homes; safety & blast mitigation screening; sculptural forms for urban gardens; decorative interior/exterior wall coverings; solar shading for buildings and parking garages;aviary screening for animal habitats, and see-through appealing barriers for commercial security. Whatever the application, let us help you realize your creative vision. Woven Wire Fabric Select No. 27 at ContractDesign.com/readerservice http://www.cascadecoil.com http://www.asid.org/idindex http://www.cascadecoil.com http://www.ContractDesign.com/readerservice

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - July/August 2011

Contract - July/August 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Focus: Change it Up
Product Focus: Angling for Attention
Product Focus: (Good) Writing on the Wall
Product Focus: Come Together
Best of NeoCon® 2011
Making a Marc
Becoming Kate
Ray of Light
True Blue
Nature Speaks
A New Home
Bloomie's New Edition
Shring to Fitness
Practice: Smaller, Sustainable Retail
Trends: Retail Retrofit
Designers Select: Fabrics
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - July/August 2011