If you want to work as a professional interior designer, you must be passionate about the design world. According to the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, an interior designer who does a good job can “boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase a building’s market value.” Interior designers coordinate everything from the right furniture to the right lighting needed for a specific space and tailor it to the needs of the owner.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 26% of interior designers are self-employed. The median salary of an interior designer last year was $42,260, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Interior designers usually earn between $31,830 and $57,230.
Now that you have the basic facts, you may be wondering what an interior designer actually does. Read on to see what these unique designers are responsible for.
The Duties of an Interior Designer
An interior designer needs to check out spacing, textures, and all other significant aspects of planning. They need to make sure the lighting goes with the specific furniture in the space they have been given. Such details are essential to the job of an interior designer. An interior designer may design a variety of work spaces. Interior designers can plan the layout of anything from an airport terminal to a hospital.
Interior designers don’t just pick a color and a sofa. They do much more than that. Interior designers who work with architecture firms need to make sure that they are familiar with buildings’ safety regulations and need to make sure sizes meet building standards. Important aspects such as windows and hallways also need to be considered when interior designers are working for such companies.
Interior designers also need to make sure their spaces are disability-friendly and that they are able to understand blueprints when they are designing. The designer usually has a meeting with the client where they discuss what the client needs done. Afterwards, budgets, spaces, and time frames are looked at.
The designer then needs to make sketches and plan how much the space will cost after it’s been revamped. Then the client and the interior designer meet again and discuss where to go from there. After all the plans are set, the interior designer will go into details and get to work. Interior designers usually work with contractors and architectural firms.
The Future of Interior Design Jobs
Interior designers, who usually have bachelor’s degrees, appear to have a great future ahead. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, interior designer jobs are supposed “to grow 19% from 2006 to 2016.” The demand for interior designers will grow at a “faster than average” rate.
