by Brianna Crandall — June 1, 2011—The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) announced May 23 the findings of its first quarterly performance index for 2011. The ASID Interior Design Billings and Inquiries Index is based on data compiled from a monthly survey that provides a tailored perspective on billings and business conditions in the interior design industry.
The index is intended to differentiate interior design performance measurements from those that are used in the construction and architecture industries. It also monitors key indicators such as product selection. Scores above 50 indicate an increase in billings, and scores below 50 indicate a decline.
Key index highlights include:
- Both the Billing and Inquiry indexes have been above 50 for the past four consecutive months, signaling moderate industry growth.
- Improvement in the interior design industry is broad-based across regions and multiple sectors:
Regional Indexes: Northeast 65.2, Midwest 55.3, South 57.8, West 57.1
Sector Index Means: Residential 57.1, Commercial 55.9, Institutional 55.4- Slightly larger increases in residential billings are mirrored by reported increases in fabric, paint and finishes for renovation projects.
- Improvement in the interior design industry is broad-based across regions and multiple sectors:
“Interior designers have good reason to be optimistic,” said ASID economic advisor Dr. Jack Kleinhenz, PhD. “The renewed health of the US economy is becoming evident in interior design. Both billings and inquiries have shown modest improvement across the board in the first quarter. Looking forward, we can expect that level of growth to continue, with possible seasonal boosts in some sectors.”
