The NY Times published a great article, Renovating An Industry, about how the recession is giving interior design a makeover since traditional design services are in a state of change... A service once reserved for those with a fat wallet, now one with a small budget can opt for a more affordable option which seems to be catching on -- "e-decorating". You may or may not ever meet your designer face-to-face but via email, snail mail and a few phone calls one can receive decorating services including paint selection, floor plan ideas, furniture suggestions and more. Betsy Burnham, an interior designer based in L.A. is mentioned in the article (images shown here are from her design studio) as she launched an e-decorating service called Instant/Space. She is one of many who are credited as pioneering this innovative idea.

Seems like interior designers are getting it -- they are listening to their clients and noticing the trends which I think can be credited largely to the internet and blogs, in particular as bloggers have been talking about the value of e-decorating services for several years now and how we wish this idea would take root and become a trend. And it seems the right people are listening.

In fact, Vanessa De Vargas, Interior Designer/Founder of Turquoise in L.A. who has been offering e-decorating for a few years now, was on the phone with me back in '07 talking about this idea and how it has the potential to stick. And then she launched her own e-decor services using mostly her blog and the web to locate potential clients. Only thing is, she had little marketing to do, clients came to her as they were already fans of her blog and articles published on design megablog, Apartment Therapy in which she contributes as an editor.

Ms. Vargas and other designers like her who have acted on their creative business ideas are thriving when others in the same profession are struggling to staying afloat. It's not a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures either -- more like desperate times are causing a great sifting where the strong, passionate and determined are more likely to find creative solutions to keep their clients happy and coming back.

Do you see a value in e-decorating? Have you ever tried it? What is your impression of this trend - will it stick or fade once the economy bounces back? How do you think this hurts/helps designers who aren't hopping on the e-decorating wagon?

(images: betsy burnham/ny times via max humphrey)