Interior Designer

What is an Interior Designer?

The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in interior designer roles:

• Choose paint colors, flooring types, and flooring styles for spaces to present a desired effect
• Select fixtures such as fans, lighting, faucets, light switches, and electrical outlet covers that match selected designs and decorations
• Utilize computer-aided design software to plan designs and show designs to clients for approval before implementation
• Market services to find new clients, and place bids on open projects to secure new work
• Estimate costs of design materials and decorations, and monitor progress to ensure plans are implemented correctly

A Day in the Life

Interior designers are experts in designing and decorating homes, buildings, and office spaces in a way that creates a desired effect. By combining specific paint colors, flooring types, and fixture selections, interior designers can transform a bland space into something much more. With the right design skills, an interior designer can create doctor’s office waiting rooms that comfort patients, business office spaces that encourage teamwork and collaboration, and homes that sell quickly.

In general, interior designers specialize in decorating specific types of spaces. They may specialize in decorating business offices, medical centers, retail shops, new homes, remodeled homes, restaurants, and many more. By understanding the psychology behind different colors and design choices, they can choose decorations and design elements that create the atmosphere a client desires. They often work with architects and builders at the beginning of a project, adding their recommendations to blueprints.

Most interior designers use specialized computer-aided design (CAD) software to test designs and show designs to clients before purchasing materials or making final decisions. CAD software can be used to illustrate exactly what a space will look like with certain color choices and decorations. Once the interior designer has received approval to move forward, he/she monitors progress to ensure that designs are followed correctly and that all designs and decorations look as imagined once they’re completed.

Typical Work Schedule

Most interior designers work in offices following 40 a regular 40-hour per week schedule. You may need however to work for longer hours to fulfill the deadlines and requirements of the clients which may include working on evenings and weekends when necessary. Additionally, you must dedicate part of your schedule to learn new skills and stay updated regarding the new technologies introduced to the field. You will also need to attend different conferences and galleries to remain knowledgeable regarding the new design trends.

Projected job growth

There are currently around 68,000 interior designers working in the US in more than 12,000 companies. However, the number is expected to decrease in the coming years. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of interior designers is expected to decrease by 5 % from 2019 to 2029 which indicates increasing challenge to find a job vacancy in the field.  Despite the expected demand with new construction projects, the opportunities for self-employed interior designers to renovate existing homes, commercial buildings, and other construction projects, are expected to be limited in the coming years. In addition, better job opportunities are expected to exist in high-income areas due to the fact that wealthier clients will be more inclined to remodeling and renovating their spaces. To ensure the best prospects in this profession in the next decade, you have to keep up with the latest design tools such as three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software as well as the latest trends in interior designs and other related issues.

Typical Employers

Interior designers can work for different employers. They can work for specialized design firms where they can work for individual clients and also may be contracted by architectural and engineering companies. The biggest design firms in the US include CallisonRTKL, Rockwell Group, Champalimaud Design and Hartman Design Group. Designers may also work in furniture factories and stores where they can provide modern designs for the customers. Another field to consider is working in the field of wholesale trade. Some interior designers prefer to be self-employed managing their own projects however working privately is expected to be more competitive in the coming years which requires building your network of clients and connections.