January 1, 2011
2011 Top 100 Giants
It's hard to tell what brings on more fatigue, the economy or the media reports on it. With so much static, can we tell if we're better off than before? Or worse? In a word: Yes. The 2010 trends for the firms on Interior Design's top 100 Giants list were a classic mixed bag. At the bottom of that bag, however, there could be a prize. Read on.
Design fees remained flat at $2.2 billion, but total square footage exploded 22 percent, to 677 million. This cuts to the heart of the biggest challenge the Giants face: convincing clients to pay an appropriate price for work. Everyone loves a bargain, and tight times give more confidence to those with dollars to spend. As a result, the 2011 fee forecast inched down to $2.1 billion- although it's worth noting that the Giants beat their previous forecast by $190 million.