As a working designer, part of the job description is to be insanely informed on what is available. This, in and of itself, is a full time job but many wasted hours online and you can get half way there. If it exists, it is on the internet. The other half is fueled by curiosity, a genuine love of design and a great pair of walking shoes.
I have clients who school me all the time on design which I actually love. When an obscure designer name is dropped or a new (sometimes made up) style is mentioned, I always take notes and nod like I am in on the secret. I do. And then I research and research some more so I can contribute the next time I see the client. It completely works and pushes me creatively.
Staying Current
I still keep a style file – on Houzz as well as in hard copy. Love me some ELLE Décor, Architectural Digest, Dwell and House and Home. Not green at all but I recycle when I am done so feel like maybe I am net/net. This keeps me regularly connected to what is out there and how others are interpreting design. And the sources provided both in mags and online are fantastic making it easier to track pieces down.
Online Rules
The internet helps me widdle down the options. Instead of spending hours pounding the pavement – something I still do on occasion – I can search and source from home and then make two stops instead of eight. But there is very little you can truly and confidently buy online, sight unseen, that will not disappoint you. Design is tactile – you need to feel it. You do.
Knowing What You Love
Knowing it all is impossible but knowing what you love is easy. I intimately know the retailers and suppliers who sell the products I come back to over and over again. And I frequent them often enough to recognize what is new and have even built relationships with some that they let me know when there is something new.
But with knowing what you love, you need to know what you don’t and why. I have been challenged before by clients – you know who you are – on WHY I don’t like something or why said something won’t work. My argument needs to be rooted in fact – scale, proportion, finish, quality. THIS comes with experience and sort of knowing it all.