Hello world, welcome to my blog. ☻
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Karisa Vargas, I’m an Interior Architect and designer living in Santo Domingo but working worldwide. I’ve lived in New York City, Boston, and Chicago. I’ve been meaning to start a blog for some time and also share the nitty-gritty behind a creative lifestyle. In this first blog post, I will share the signs and reasons I became an Interior Architect and why you should too.
Let’s get to it, people!
“Architecture is about trying to make the world a little more like our dreams.” – Bjarke Ingels
1. You love learning
Architects and Interior designers require to be proficient in both hard skills, such as technical design, and soft skills, such as communication. Some talents are gained in school, while others are learned on-the-job training.
Becoming an Architect or Interior Designer requires a commitment to learning. The process involves three steps: education, experience, and examination. Your school should be accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Afterward, you are required to take an exam to become licensed and work as an independent architect. Interior designers are recommended to take the NCIDQ Examination in every regulated state jurisdiction. It is the only examination recognized by the USA, and designers certified through the NCIDQ Exam gain wide industry visibility and recognition.
There is a lot that goes into being an architect; in fact, we tend to wear many different hats, so to speak. Usually, we possess a variety of qualities. Architects need to have a strong understanding of all building disciplines, including structural, electrical, and mechanical. All in all, you must be able to determine the necessary calculations to make buildings work, understand the properties of the materials you are working with, and create safe and sound structures from start to finish.
“The best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them”
David Hicks
2. You Are a Problem Solver
If you enjoy figuring out how things work and brainstorming problems, you’ll love coming up with solutions to clients’ design needs and dilemmas. Designing a building or trying to meet your client’s needs, all things considered, you will encounter challenges. For example, these may involve design or structural issues. Architects’ ability to solve these problems with ingenious solutions is necessary and allows them to move forward in their careers.
Interior architecture and design jobs often include resolving a variety of spatial challenges. A skilled interior architect/designer understands how to operate within a budget and on a tight schedule. As a matter of fact, as architects, we are skilled in making quick changes and responding to our client’s needs.
3. You Are a Creative Thinker
One of the most important qualities of being an architect is creativity. If you are one of those people who was always labeled as creative, or you always had to have a creative outlook, it goes without saying that a creative profession fits you. While staying within the confines of safety regulations, you want to design buildings and spaces that are awe-inspiring. The only way to do this is through creative thinking. We must use a combination of the left and right sides of our brains to harness both logical thinking and creative thinking. If you love to draw, sketch, imagine and create, and you are also a whiz with function, then it is highly likely that architecture is the right career path for you.
You have a keen sense of color and design
Comparatively, a significant part of architecture and interior design involves using colors and styles effectively. You may have a talent for finding patterns and forms that your client appreciates, furniture designs that solve problems, or colors, forms, and ideas that create a certain type of environment in space. These characteristics can truly signify that a career in interior design may be the best for you.
4. Shaping Lives and The Future
As architects and designers, we enjoy having a clear intention of design that shapes the inhabitants’ lives in projects. By all means, you should understand that any design at any scale will shape the world. We forget that a slight difference in our environment could change how we interact within a given space.
“Buildings are deeply emotive structures that form our psyche. People think they’re just things they maneuver through, but the makeup of a person is influenced by the nature of spaces.”
– David Adjaye
Buildings have a life span. Whether it’s temporary or long-lasting, architects not only shape the lives of people but the future as well. Good design can create beautiful things. What I mean is that a project could revitalize a decaying local economy, bring together the community, or get worldwide attention. The list of possibilities can go on, but whatever the reason, it uniquely changes the region’s future. So, if you want to impact an environment long after you leave, architecture could be the right fit for you!
“This is a classic negotiation technique. It’s a gentle, soft indication of your disapproval and a great way to keep negotiating. Count to 10. By then, the other person usually will start talking and may very well make a higher offer.”
– Bill Coleman
5. You Have Killer Negotiation Skills
Finally, architects and designers must possess a high level of social skills. You need to have the ability to communicate well with your clients, engineers, interior designers, and staff. In addition, you must be able to share (and sometimes convince others of) your ideas and visions for a particular design.
Having excellent communication and negotiation skills will allow you to present your projects professionally. You also will need to be able to give presentations comfortably. This is how you will pitch your ideas to clients and bid on prospective jobs.
Successful negotiation technique does take a bit of practice, but once you’ve started to build up your confidence and are more skilled at arguing your case, it quickly becomes easier.
The most important thing is always to remember that you are the one in control and make sure that your client also has that impression. If you start to come across as desperate for work, unconfident in your abilities, or unsure of your rates, you will lose that control.
How do you negotiate your rates with clients? Is negotiation something you find difficult as a freelance architect? Let us know any other tips you may have in the comments.
Enjoy this article? Check out our post Ultimate Must Haves For Architecture & Interior Design Students