Interior Design Today - Episode 017

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 17th episode, Mary talks about the benefits of having a global team of designers who are able to work together. Mary was recently interviewed for a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer about this very topic. They asked Mary if this was common, and she said "Definitely!" Our field has become so complex that no one person can know everything. Each of us have particular specialties. When doing a project, we're looking to produce it at the very highest level which often means we won't have all of the required talent on staff. Yes, we do have people on staff who are very good at supporting us, but when we're looking for the real experts, we have to go outside and find people that are truly knowledgeable in that particular discipline. We are so fortunate with today's technology that we can interact with people anywhere in the world. I'm finding that my consultants are often a continent away, not just downstairs or in the next building. Often they are in another country, state, or an entirely different part of the world. I just think this is the most wonderful thing about modern day design.  We can now do the very best work and have the very best team to produce a job very efficiently and very economically. When you give someone who is truly knowledgeable a project, they produce it very rapidly with very low cost. If you ask someone who is maybe not an expert, they make the project  a very involved and complex thing. At the end, you often don't have the very best result. Our clients today want something better, something better than they can do themselves. Often clients come to me and say, "I've been doing my own work for many years. I've been very happy with it, but now I want something that is better than I can do." With that type of request, it means that I must give them something that is truly excellent. With their background, they have learned a lot about the field, and they want something that is of great quality. When you're doing a project, who is going to work with you? It will be interesting to see the team that creates your project, and, from where they come. This global policy of working today is most exciting. I'm delighted at what I've learned from these many specialists. Years ago, I was very interested in lighting, and I would do the things that I knew on a project. At that time, Jim Knuckles was one of the world's outstanding lighting specialists. Unfortunately, we have lost him long ago. I would take the project in and sit down with him, because he was in New York, it was easy for me to do that. He would help me with the complex parts of the project and review what I had done in order to spot different areas where there might be some improvement. At the time, this worked logistically because he was only a few hundred miles away. Now, with Skype and other methods, I am able to do this same kind of thing with every type of specialist. We are able to see the finest details from around the world. As you look at your next interest in design, consider the team that your designer will put together to give you that level of excellence. We can have the best today, and it can come from any part of the world. Fortunately, it is easy to make happen and very affordable. Enjoy the opportunities... Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.