Dec 12,2016
Do you always receive praise for
your taste of interior design? Do you love decorating the rooms and organizing
the furniture? If you answered yes to these questions, then maybe a career in
interior design is right for you.
1.What is the difference
between interior decorators and interior designers?
Literally anyone can become an
interior decorator. Someone who loves playing with colors, fabrics and textiles
can become a decorator simply by printing business cards and promoting them to
customers. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but education is also
important.
On the other hand, an interior
designer must have an accredited education. An associate or bachelor's degree
is a requirement to work in the field of interior design. Do you want to follow
an education, or go immediately to the world of decoration? Read on to see if
the interior design might be right for you.
2. You need to be a people person
Ask interior designers to share
their experiences, and they will surely tell some horror stories from past
clients. People are stingy, especially when it comes to their homes. While some
clients have clear goals in mind, others may think that they know what they
want only to find that they hate the end product and are dissatisfied with
their work.
A successful interior designer is
a people pleaser and a mitigator (and sometimes a mind reader) - someone who
can drive customers towards a favorable outcome while making them feel that
they are in complete control of the design options. Interior designers are
constantly balancing their design decisions and the desires of their customers.
It's not a cakewalk, to say the least.
3. You need to develop a portfolio
An image says a thousand words,
and this is definitely true when it comes to the portfolio of an interior
designer. You can talk all day about colors and textiles, but unless you have
an exceptional portfolio that shows your designs and projects, your successes
will be few and far between.
If you just leave school and are
new to the job market, you may need to offer your services for free or at a
reduced price. This is probably the best way to get a portfolio started; It is
also a great way to meet local merchants and suppliers and develop a
relationship for future projects.
Everyone starts at the bottom.
With some effort, experience and proper marketing, you can become a successful
force in the field of interior design.
4. Interior design is not all fabric and fun
While fabrics, furniture and color can play an important role in interior design, there are plenty of other tasks that are required of interior designers - many of which may seem less fun and more like work. Interior designers should be educated in the history of design, structural integrity of buildings, building codes, ergonomics, spatial concepts, ethics, psychology, computer aided drawing (CAD) and much more.
5. It's not about your style, it's about them
While designers can offer their
customers a wide range of design styles to choose from, it is important to
remember that it is up to customers to choose which style suits them best.
Just because the designers are
educated and have good taste does not make their choices superior to their
customers. The job of the interior designer is to offer a variety of styles and
direct the client toward choosing the right design while allowing the client to
feel in charge.
For example, you can work as an
interior designer for years and never design a home that suits your personal
tastes. It's all about the style of the customers - and you should put your own
aside.
After reading all the pros and
cons of becoming an interior designer, do you think it is one that you would
like to pursue? If you are considering interior design as a career, then
remember all 10 of the things mentioned above. The field can be competitive,
but with a bit of hard work and a stellar portfolio, you can become a
successful interior designer.