Perhaps you are just about to graduate from high school and are looking into career pathways associated with your passions that maximize your natural abilities and are wondering about interior design.
Conversely, maybe you have been working in an entirely different industry for many years and are now looking to turn your hobby of interior design into a viable career.
Regardless of your motivations, you have come to the right place, as here are some common roles and responsibilities of a professional interior designer. Continue reading to learn more.
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What Does an Interior Designer Do?
The role of an interior designer is multi-faceted and, contrary to popular belief, a large part of the role involves liaising and consulting with other professionals as part of each contract.
The primary duties of an interior designer are as follows:
- The curation of fixtures, fittings, and furniture.
- The provision of advice regarding layout restrictions and other potential pitfalls.
- The generation of 3D interior design drawings, mood boards, and visualization plans.
- The point of contact between architects, construction contractors, and engineers.
- The generation of product schedules and projected timelines.
Interior Designers for Trade Purposes
If you are seriously considering investing your time, money, and energy into training to become a professional interior designer, it is more than likely that you are envisioning working with individual and private homeowners.
However, many businesses across the entire spectrum of industries often employ the services of interior designers on commercial, trade, business, and prestigious and established interior designers, such as Ligne Roset Bromley, regularly design innovative, functional, and aesthetically striking offices and other workplaces.
Interior Designers & Interior Decorators: The Differences
For the most part, even though many people associate interior decorating and interior design to be the same, the truth is that the terms are far from interchangeable.
An interior designer usually works in close quarters with other design professionals, such as architects and contractors, who all come together to create an interior living space, which is as beautiful as it is functional and, of course, entirely safe.
Conversely, interior decorators focus much more solely on the beautifying of interior living spaces, usually in private homes and work with furniture, light fixtures and fittings, textures, colors, and styles to make their vision come to light.
Interior decorators often work together with upholsterers, furniture makers, and other experts in home décor and design, as well as regularly ‘checking in’ with their clients throughout the process. Often, a person who feels as if they would like to become an interior designer is imagining the role of an interior decorator instead.
How to Become a Qualified Interior Designer
As a general rule, the vast majority of companies and private clients are unlikely to seriously consider you for a large interior design project unless you have successfully acquired a bachelor’s degree in interior design.
Alternatively, providing you can show experience in the field, a bachelor’s degree in a related subject, such as CAD (computer-aided design) could also be considered.