ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Urban Diversions Radio brought to you by Urban Diversions Fine Furnishings, Antiques, and Architectural Elements of Traverse City and now here's your host, John Bentley. JOHN: Today on Urban Diversions Radio we have the owner and president of the Inman Company, Shane Inman, of Inman Company Interior & Commercial Design. Welcome to the program, Shane. SHANE: Thank you very much. Glad to be here.
JOHN: Now give us a little over view of the Inman Company. SHANE: Well the Inman Company is an interior designer and development firm. We do residential and commercial design, new construction, and remodels. JOHN: Ok. Now you have a philosophy; what do you consider the Inman philosophy? SHANE: Customer service is our number one. We take customer service to the next level and we also pride ourselves in 100% availability. That means holidays; that means weekends; that means before 8:00 a.m. and after 5 p.m. JOHN: Great so you’re very accessible. That’s a good thing to offer to your clients. Now what about your background in the industry. What is your experience in interior design? SHANE: I graduated from Michigan State University in 1997. So I’ve been practicing since then. I used to work for a Fortune 500 Company in Miami Beach, Florida, for around 5 years. I then went to Africa where I was a goodwill ambassador for the United States Peace Corp, and then I started my business about 4 years ago. So I am also a custom kitchen and bathroom designer. JOHN: Wonderful. Now why did you decide to get into this line of work, Shane? SHANE: Well interior design has always been my passion. Very few people, I believe, actually love what it is that they do. And I find if you could do what you do for free then you are in the right career, and that is exactly where I am. I love to help improve people’s lives, and I feel that the shelter that we live in, our domicile, is very important; it shapes us everyday when we leave and it helps us relax when we come home to it at night. JOHN: Where does it all begin with interior design? Do you start with a blank room and go from there, or do you find that your clients have certain furniture ideas already in place. How do people approach that with you? SHANE: Well the very first thing to understand and how I educate this and how I broach this topic with my clients is there are two different forms that are practiced. And they are not synonymous, but a lot of people think they are. There are interior decorators and there are decorators. A decorator is really one who just beautifies an existing space. They may pick out furniture, they may paint walls, some accessories here and there. An interior designer is graduated from a FIDER accredited university. They also have taken the NCIDQ which is a very extensive examination. They also are licensed in certain states where Michigan is not one where you need a license, and they should have accreditations behind them whether the ASID or IIDA and both of those affiliations do offer memberships for those who have passed the highest certifications for interior design. So with interior design, interior designers usually work from blueprint and they build a house upward and they do that with a builder and an architect or a draft person. Where a decorator is usually brought in after the home is already up and the interior cavities are existing. JOHN: Ok, that clarifies that for our listening audience. Now you had mentioned organizations that last statement, ASID, I believe was one and NCIDQ, could you elaborate. What are those letters mean and what are they talking about. SHANE: Sure. The NCIDQ is the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications. After you receive your degree from a FIDER accredited university and FIDOR accredited is the Foundation For Interior Design Education and Research. So you have to take this exam. The exam is three parts. It’s 8 hours long for 3 days. It’s a 24 hour exam. Very equivalent to the bar exam and in order to pass that you have to do a lot of studying, of course. You have to graduate from a FIDER accredited school. Once you do pass that, you are eligible to get your license in the states that require licensing. Once you do pass that, you are eligible to hold the highest memberships in ASID which is the American Society of Interior Designers which I am a member and IIDA which is the International Interior Design Association. So when you are looking for an interior designer or qualifying an interior designer, it is very important that you find out that they have all of this education. JOHN: Great. Thank you, Shane. Now we are on the phone with the owner and president of the Inman Company Residential & Commercial Design, Shane Inman, and you're listening to Urban Diversions Radio. We're going to take a break right now, but we'll be right back more with Shane in just a moment. ANNOUNCER: Urban Diversions of Traverse City is your source for fine furnishings, antiques, and architectural elements. With 45 years of experience and award winning designs, Urban Diversions creates beautiful limited edition furniture that is made in the U.S. and built to stand the test of time. For more information on Urban Diversions Fine Furnishings please visit them on the web at www.urban-diversion.com or call (231) 946-6600. Urban Diversions Fine Furnishings. ANNOUNCER: VTALK RADIO.
ANNOUNCER: We now return you to Urban Diversions Radio with your host, John Bentley. JOHN: Welcome back to Urban Diversions Radio. We are in the phone with the owner and president of the Inman Company Residential & Commercial Design, Shane Inman. Welcome back to the program, Shane. SHANE: Thank you. Glad to be here. JOHN: Now we've been talking about your particular business and the difference between a decorator and an interior designer. Let’s talk about the actual time that people are doing it. Is there a certain time, or is there a season that people tend to do interior design. SHANE: Well I can only speak for myself personally and my company personally. I find I’m a lot busier in the winter months. I find that people are locked inside of their homes and now they’re forced to look at what they have and what they have to work with, and they start dreaming about what it is that they want and need. Whereas the summer months most people are outdoors more. They are more active. They don’t spend a lot of time inside. So I would have to say for my company, I’m a lot busier in the winter time. JOHN: Now I imagine that with the winter season in the north, we’re in the Michigan area, do you find the trend is that you’re collaborating with the people that are actually doing the construction at this time of year as well? SHANE: Yes, collaboration is a huge part in either new construction or remodeling. So I collaborate with architects, interior designers, manufacturers, suppliers, warehouses. Yes, lots of collaborating. I would have to say even before my company is professionally attained for the project, there is a lot of collaboration that is involved. JOHN: What about industry trends? Do you see anything happening this year that is a little bit different from previous seasons? SHANE: Well definitely the biggest trend, and I would have to say it’s not even a trend anymore, but it is green design. That is pretty much where everybody is going. I don’t even think you have to try to go there anymore. Basically everything you purchase now has some form of green element in it automatically. It’s just a matter of time before everything is green, but I would have to say that because of the state of the economy remodeling is becoming larger than new construction at this point. So another trend that seems to be going is that all homeowners are very interested in a potential resale value of their home. So I would have to say the interior décor, if you will, is becoming more timeless and classic than a huge expression of your individual style. JOHN: Do you see that kind of reflection in the furniture business then? SHANE: Yes, I do. Furniture is absolutely something different, because furniture is something that you can take with you, and you do not have to leave in your home. Other markets down south in multi-million dollar homes there is a big chance, probably 75%, that the person who is interested in purchasing your property will want to buy all of your interior finishes, but that’s really not what happens here in the Midwest. But, yes and no, you can really change a room, you can really change the way your whole interior of your home looks by furniture. So just like when you’re staging your home for resale, it’s very important that you have the right pieces in so you don’t send the wrong message. JOHN: Now you are based in the Traverse City area. Can you tell me some of the cities and communities surrounding the Grand Traverse area that you do business in, or do you find that you do a lot of business down state? SHANE: Currently, I have had one project in the metropolitan area of Detroit, but right now I’m working pretty much here in Grand Traverse County and all of the surrounding regions, Old Mission Peninsula, Peninsula Drive, Lake Leelanau, several homes on Lake Michigan. So, yeah, pretty much everywhere. JOHN: Now do you find that you do more residential as opposed to commercial, or vise versa? SHANE: I would have to say they’re equal parts. Individuals or companies that are interested in my company doing commercial work for them, they’re looking to be outside of the box. I am not a designer that comes in and does systems furniture and gives you what the business next door has. I’m constantly trying to use new materials, push the envelope, new paint colors. I’m all about creating an environment that is unique and different that as well goes along with the company that I’m working for; their branding, their logo, their marketing. It’s all one package, and I call that development. JOHN: Now do you find that your affiliation with Urban Diversions gives you that kind of out of the box thinking when it comes to furniture? SHANE: Absolutely. Not only do they have great looking furniture, but the quality is great and when you buy furniture that is heirloom quality, you really need the engineering aspect of it. JOHN: Now we’ve been in the studio with Shane Inman of the Inman Company Residential & Commercial Design. Shane, before we let you go, I’d like to get you’re website and contact information for our listening audience. SHANE: Sure. My business is The Inman Company and you can view my full website at www.theinmancompany.com or you can call me directly at (231) 392-5548. JOHN: Shane, thank you for joining us on Urban Diversions Radio today.
SHANE: Thank you very much. JOHN: We've been in the studio with owner and president of The Inman Company, and his name is Shane Inman, and you've been listening to Urban Diversions Radio. Thanks for tuning in. Everyone have a great afternoon. ANNOUNCER: You have been listening to Urban Diversions Radio at www.urban-diversions.com. Urban Diversions radio is powered by VTalk Radio and Vertio.net. Talk radio for the 21st century. Return |
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