COD Library - Research Guides

Interior Design Websites

When looking for information about interior design topics on the web, it is important to separate truly instructive pages from those that are produced by manufacturers who are simply describing their products. Note that manufacturers' pages are great for learning about applications. The tools below will help you begin your search.

Suggested Sites:
The following websites offer general information on a variety of Interior Design topics. When searching the web yourself, use a good search engine such as those suggested below.
ASID This organization site is a one-stop shop for general information about the business of interior design
Valuation.com Information on the interior design industry.
Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology provides information on topics related to sustainable living and design, green products and practices, environmental planning and case studies.
Green Seal is a database of Green Seal-certified products.
Healthy House Institute contains articles and information on healthier building materials and ventilation as well as links to other sites.
Material Safety Data Sheets and Where to Find Them on the Internet provides an up-to-date list of Internet sites from government agencies, chemical manufacturers and suppliers, and many other searchable sites.For more information on Product Safety, see this Resource Guide.
U. S. Department of Energy Center for Sustainability is a networking hub for government and private-sector sustainability issues.

Web
Searching:

Use the web searching tools below to locate websites on Interior design topics. Be sure to follow the tips.

Use Google to find general information on a variety of topics. Google ranks "hits" by the amount of times other sites link to them (by Popularity), which can be a pretty good indicator if a site is good. However, new sites or those that are really specialized may not be very "popular" although they offer great information. Be sure to always check two or three search engines when looking for information on the web.

Tips on Google searching:
Use obvious keywords. For instance, if you are looking for information on kitchen and bath design use a search such as: "interior design" and "kitchen and bath"

The web sites in the Open Directory Project are selected and arranged by humans rather than by a computer software program. It is the largest directory of this kind on the Internet. Some categories that include Manufacturing information are Arts>Design>Interior Design or Business>Construction and Maintenance>Design>Interior Designers

Updated: July 29, 2007