Interior designers are problem solvers with both a technical and creative flair. They work with clients to create home and business design solutions that are both functional and attractive. They combine practical skills and aesthetic vision to develop cohesive designs that impact the human experience. No longer seen as a luxury, businesses are realizing the power that interior design can have on the buyer's journey.
The traditional path to becoming an interior designer is comprised of formal education, work experience, and passing examinations. However, there is more than one way to learn how to become an interior designer. You can also embark on a self-directed course of study, independently covering similar material as courses taken in schools of interior design.
1. Get to Know the Profession
If you think you may want to become an interior designer, you’ve likely done at least a little interior design work or have watched someone else do it. Before you sign up for design school though, get to know the profession a little better. Shadow an interior designer to see what their day-to-day work is like, and interview notable designers in your area to get a feel for what they like – and don’t like – about their job.
Understanding the Difference Between Interior Designing and Interior Decorating
Many people assume that "interior designer" and "interior decorator" mean the same thing. While these professions are indeed similar, they do differ in some key ways.
Interior design is:
The science and art of understanding human behavior to create spaces in a building that are functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Interior decorating is:
Furnishing a space with attractive furniture and fashionable decor.
The primary difference between the two professions is that an interior designer can decorate a space, but an interior decorator lacks the foundational knowledge needed for effective design. Designing an interior space requires specific methods to identify the client's needs and available resources, research and analyze current trends, and integrate this knowledge into the creative design process. Designers create spaces within a structure that embody technical accuracy, creativity, functionality, and environmental sustainability.
Interior designers must:
Be registered or licensed and document their formal training and education. Some states require that interior designers who practice earn the NCIDQ Certification to demonstrate their qualifications and experience in interior design.
Interior decorators:
Need no formal training and licensure is not required.
2. Choose a Path - Do I Need to Attend Interior Design School?
Whether or not you need to obtain formal education to become an interior designer depends largely on what type of designer you'd like to be and in which state you want to work. Interior design is an exceptionally diverse field, so not every job requires a degree. However, some states do require licensure via passing an exam before you can use the interior designer title. Other states mandate that no interior design work can be done without a license. Check your state's laws on interior design and plan ahead for regulations that may steer your career path.
What Type of Job Do You Want?
If you'd like to get a job designing interiors for commercial establishments, or you'd like to have a role on the construction end of various projects, it's likely necessary for you to obtain a formal degree. Being accepted into an established interior design firm is extremely difficult without a degree; most firms require at least a bachelor's degree and licensure. If you want to eventually lead an interior design firm or start your own company, it's generally expected that you would have a master's degree in design.
If you'd like to work in the interior design industry but don't necessarily want to become an interior designer or own your own design firm, you may not need to pursue a degree. You can follow your own independent study path to learn the same core principles taught in school and use your experience and skills to get an interior design job.
3. Earn an Interior Design Degree
For many individuals interested in pursuing a career in interior design, the path begins with formal education. The educational program you choose can have a significant impact on the career opportunities that are available to you. Formal education is becoming increasingly important in the field of interior design, and well-known firms want to work with designers who have their bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
The Importance of Attending an Accredited Interior Design School
Hundreds of colleges and specialty schools offer interior design programs, making it difficult for students to identify the best option for them. Many students prioritize cost and convenience when it comes to selecting a design school, however, the most important factor is accreditation. Accreditation ensures that interior design schools use the same criteria for admissions and placement and are able to provide similar educational results.
Accredited interior design programs are eligible for benefits such as federal grants and student loans, or assistance with tuition from employers. If you wish to transfer design programs, you can do so more easily from one accredited school to another – if your current educational institution isn’t accredited, your earned credits may not transfer to the new school.
What You Will Learn in School
When attending interior design school, your curriculum will consist of a wide variety of courses designed to help you become a well-rounded interior designer. Depending on the educational institution you choose to complete your course of study at, your classes may include:
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4. Develop Skills Interior Designers Need
It's important for an interior designer to fully understand the needs of their clients to create functional and aesthetically pleasing design solutions. Often, this causes designers to gravitate towards a market sector or design specialties, such as restaurants or hotels. The success of your interior design career depends largely on how well you can satisfy the needs of your clients. To do so, you must possess the following critical skill sets:
Creative and Technical
An interior designer must have the ability to visualize the client's goals and transform them into an attractive and functional interior environment. The design should not only look appealing, it should also cater to the behavior of occupants of the space, adhere to building codes and regulations, and protect the safety and health of those occupants.
Designers use a systematic approach to achieve interior design solutions that influence the experience inhabitants have within the space. They apply concepts of color theory, two and three-dimensional design techniques, and the addition of sensory elements to balance the visual and visceral experience of a room.
Professional Communication
An interior designer must be extremely comfortable with meeting new people and collaborating with a wide variety of different personalities. It's critical that designers have exceptional verbal, visual, and written communication skills to work with collaborators and clients.
As an interior designer, you can expect to work closely with architects, construction contractors, and other related service providers who will be collaborating with you on the overall project. Understanding their role and how it impacts your own during a design project is critical to bringing a project to successful completion.
Project Management
An interior designer should have superior project and time management skills. Since you'll likely be working on more than one project simultaneously under strict deadlines, it's crucial that you develop the ability to multitask well and stay organized.
At the same time, you'll need to actively be marketing yourself and your services to procure new clients. This often involves developing design proposals and making presentations to potential clients, all while juggling the tasks for your current clients.
5. Earn NCIDQ Certification
The NCIDQ certification is the most commonly used licensing exam for interior designers and is administered by the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ). In the U.S. and Candata, the NCIDQ is the only nationally recognized competency assessment, and 27 states require the certification for the practice of interior design. This certification allows interior designers to validate their skills and experience to both clients and employers.
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered eligible to take the NCIDQ certification, you must have an Interior Design degree from an accredited CIDA or Non-CIDA school. If you have an associate degree or an architecture degree, you are also eligible to sit for the exam.
You must also have a documented number of hours of work experience. For CIDA and Non-CIDA degrees, up to 1,760 can be earned before you finish school, but 1,760 must be completed after your education for a total of 3,520 hours of work experience. For interior designers who have a 60-hour associates degree and individuals who have an architecture degree, 5,280 hours of work experience must be completed to sit for the NCIDQ exam. For a 40-hour associates degree, you need 7,040 of qualified work experience.
What Is on the Exam?
The NCIDQ exam consists of three parts – the IDFX, the IDPX, and the practicum exam.
Topics covered on the exam include:
- Construction Standards
- Design Application
- Project Coordination
- Building Systems and Codes
- Contract Administration
- Project Coordination
- Professional Practice
Interior Design Fundamentals Exam (IDFX)
This is the initial part of the NCIDQ and is available to individuals who have finished interior design school but may not have met all work experience requirements. There are 125 multiple questions; 100 of them are traditionally scored, and 25 are experimental questions that are unscored. These are often used as “test questions” that may be used for next year’s exam.
The exam takes approximately three hours to complete and is scored between 200-800. A score of 500 or greater is required to pass. The cost of the IDFX test is $295 plus up to $225 in fees.
Interior Design Professional Exam (IDPX)
This is the second exam of the NCIDQ and is only available to designers who have completed both their education and their required work experience. It consists of 175 multiple choice questions, 150 that are scored and 25 unscored. The exam duration is about 4 hours and scoring is the same as the IDFX. The cost of the exam is $350.
The Practicum Exam
The practicum exam is the final exam of the NCIDQ. Candidates who have completed both education and work experience requirements are eligible to take this portion of the exam. The exam has 120 questions, all of which are scored. Each is worth 1 point and no partial credit is given. The exam costs $450 and up to $225 in fees.
6. Alternatives to an Interior Design Degree – Independent Study
If you want to learn how to become an interior designer but the traditional path of design school isn't for you, you can undergo independent study. You may have certain limitations in some states as to where you can work without licensure, and licensure requires education. However, there are many interior design career opportunities available for self-taught designers, provided that they have the same robust skills that a design school graduate does.
Here are the basic concepts you'll need to study:
Principles of Interior Design
Read books and study other materials that cover the basics of interior design, including the principles of color, light, scale, and space. Learn how to design a space from concept to completion.
Drawing and Perspective
As an interior designer, you'll need to create sketches of your ideas to show to clients. Learning how to draw well is essential, as is learning how to use perspective. These skills allow you to sketch a room with proportionate furniture with accurate angles and placement to give a feel for your design vision.
Computer-Aided Design
While learning to be adept at creating sketches of your design ideas manually is important, so is learning today's tools of the interior design trade, including computer-aided design (CAD). CAD allows you to render your design ideas in 2D or 3D models with color, texture, and other fine details. With augmented reality technology, you can photograph a space, upload the image to a CAD program, and design within the actual space and its constraints.
Architecture and Design History
To ensure you have a good foundational background in design and architecture, it's important that you study the history of interior design and decorative arts and architecture. Study both contemporary architecture and design and that of ancient civilizations who still influence design concepts today. Gain a basic understanding of furniture styles, classical design forms, decorations through the ages, and the use of motifs.
Interior Lighting
Lighting is one of the most important concepts in interior design, so it's a good idea to comprehensively study this area. You should understand different types of light, how light bends and reflects, and how to use it to draw attention to the most important parts of your design. You should also learn how to use light functionally -- not only should lighting complement your design aesthetics, it should also complement the behaviors of the people who use that space.
Use of Color
Color evokes strong emotions and can be used in interior designs to create spaces that serve different purposes. For example, yellow is typically associated with food or eating and is often used in restaurants and kitchens. Blue is calming, and red is energizing. Study the psychology of color to learn the wheel and how complementary and contrasting colors can be used within a design to add further functionality to the space you're creating. Nick Kolenda wrote an anormous guide around color psychology.
Local Laws and Codes
If you're embarking on a course of independent study to learn how to be an interior designer, you may not need to be ultra-savvy when it comes to building codes and local laws. However, you should still have a basic understanding of electricity and wiring, building and plumbing codes, load-bearing walls, and how they relate to or impact the design process or your end design.
7. Create a Compelling Interior Design Portfolio
Whether you go to a traditional interior design school or complete a course of independent study, one of the most important assets for your career is your portfolio. An interior design portfolio is a collection of photographs, sketches, and fabric swatches that showcase your best work. Your portfolio not only gives clients a feel for your design skills, but it can also illustrate your professionalism.
Early in your career, you'll include all your work in your portfolio. As you complete more projects, you'll want to choose your best work from a wide variety of different project types to showcase your adaptability. Make sure to photograph every project you do with a high-quality camera. Before-and-after shots are ideal.
Ask satisfied clients to write a short testimonial about their experience working with you or to give a recommendation. If you don’t have paid clients yet, offer to do some interior design work for friends and family to add a few starting projects to your portfolio.
Putting Your Portfolio Online
You'll want to have both a hard copy of your interior design portfolio and an online one. You can use a free templated website to display digital images and set up tends to be quick and easy for these types of sites. You can scan your sketches and upload them as well.
As your career grows, your online portfolio will too. After your first several projects, invest a little money into having a web designer create a customized portfolio website for you that you can update easily as you get new work.
8. Start Your Own Interior Design Business
For the most creative control over your career and the interior design projects you do, you should consider starting your own business. This can be difficult but extraordinarily rewarding for design entrepreneurs who have something new to bring to the interior design market. Here are some steps to take as you start your own interior design business.
Identify Your Target Audience
Identifying your target audience is the first step to taking on the types of interior design projects that you want. It's important to understand who your ideal client is, what motivates them, and what their goals are for their spaces. Don't make the mistake of thinking you want to create designs for everyone -- home in on an audience and focus on being competitive in that area. Know what your clients expect from an interior designer and aim to deliver.
Develop Solutions to Design and Functionality Problems
To start a business, you must first be able to offer a solution to a problem. This is where getting to know your ideal clients and what their pain points are is crucial. You should understand what problems they face within their interior spaces and what might drive them to reach out for the help of an interior designer. Then, create solutions for those problems. Offer your clients functional and aesthetically pleasing interior designs that cater to their specific needs and are tailored to solve a problem they've been having.
Set Your Rates
When you first start your own interior design business, it can be difficult to know what to charge clients. Naturally, you'll make less than your target hourly rate in the beginning, and when you build experience, you can raise your rates accordingly.
Put some time into researching what interior designers in your area charge. These are your competitors, and you'll want your prices to be in line with theirs, adjusting for things like experience and firm size. As you work on projects, keep a detailed log of how much time each step of the design process takes from start to finish. This can help you determine how much you want to charge hourly, or per project. Remember to account for your overhead costs and add a little extra as a buffer.
Create a Client Contract
For every client you work for, it's important that you both sign a contract or letter of agreement. The contract should outline the expectations of both parties, particularly what services you will be providing and how much your client will be paying for them. It should also include the scope of your design project, expected time of completion, and other important details that need to be hammered out prior to getting started. A contract protects you and your client from potential problems during the design process.
9. Establish Your Brand
Branding is important for every business owner. As a solo interior designer, your brand is you. Create a logo featuring your name and have professional headshots taken that you can use on business cards and other marketing materials. Not only are your clients purchasing your interior design services, they're also paying for a great experience. Make sure this comes across in your branding.
Your brand should be professional, captivating, and unique. It should grab the attention of potential clients in your target market and quickly communicate your core message.
Build a Functional Website
If you're starting your own interior design business, you'll need more than just an online portfolio. Build a user-friendly website that discusses your services, features client testimonials, and functions as a primary point of contact for potential clients interested in your designs. You'll have a space on your site to showcase your best designs, but clients should be able to interact more with your website as an entrepreneur than a simple online portfolio.
Create a Dedicated Workspace
Another important aspect of starting an interior design business is deciding where you will work. You'll need to design your own space that functions well for the projects you'll be working on. Make a dedicated area for your computer, as well as space for storage, and a craft table for sketching and working with fabrics. Make sure you have enough space to move about and that your lighting is top-notch. Depending on your available resources and career goals, you can purchase or rent office space, or create a home office.
Market Your Brand
Unfortunately, most of your ideal clients aren't going to find you on their own. You'll need to market your brand in a variety of ways to make sure your business is highly visible within your community. The most effective forms of brand marketing for interior designers include:
- Optimizing your website for highly searched keywords in the interior design industry
- Gaining traction on social media by engaging with potential clients in your market
- Strategically publishing paid Google ads (PPC) and social ads
- Attending networking events in your area, such as tradeshows
- Joining well-known interior design associations
Marketing is an ongoing process for your interior design business. While creating business cards and a few social media accounts is a great start, you'll need to be strategic about how you continue to market your brand over time.
Build Relationships with Contractors and Suppliers
In your line of work as an interior designer, you'll come into regular contact with suppliers and contractors. Set a goal to develop strong professional relationships with the firms and individuals you work with, so you can have reliable connections that will deliver what you need, when you need it.
Professional relationships you'll want to facilitate include those with general contractors, appliance distributors, textile suppliers, and cabinet and countertop suppliers. The more connections you can make within your industry, the easier your work will be.
10. Pursue Additional Certifications
Stopping at your formal or independent education as an interior designer will limit your career in today's playing field. Continuing education and pursuing additional certifications is an important part of showing clients that you're committed to staying abreast of the most current interior design trends and offering top-notch service. Additional certifications to consider include:
Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist
This certification is for interior designers who want to work specifically within the aging-in-place sector. A growing number of seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age, requiring residential remodeling services to create functional spaces for their changing needs. Certified Aging-In-Place Specialists will help design remodeled spaces for wheelchair accessibility, low vision, and more.
Certified Healthcare Interior Designer
A Certified Healthcare Interior Designer focuses specifically on creating aesthetic and functional spaces within the healthcare industry. Common design projects include waiting rooms in hospitals, exam rooms in doctor’s offices, laboratory facilities, and other medical establishments.
Evidence-Based Design Accreditation
Evidence-based design is an interior design theory used in a wide variety of applications, including but not limited to schools and healthcare facilities. It focuses on using established evidence to design interior spaces to achieve a specific outcome. For example, evidence-based design in a school classroom might suggest that putting the white board in a certain area of the room facilitates improved attention spans among students.
LEED Professional Credential
Environmentally friendly and sustainable construction and design is growing in popularity. A LEED credential shows clients and interior design firms that you’re committed to the green building sector and sustainable design. As the building industry continues to prioritize ecologically sound construction and design practices, this certification is essential for interior designers who want to stay on the cutting edge of the industry to have.
WELL Accredited Professional
The International WELL Building Institute is a leader in the worldwide movement to use design and building skills to create change within communities that help people thrive. A WELL Accredited Professional is able to understand how everything within a building, including its design, can affect human comfort, enhance health and wellness, and influence choices.
Ready to Become an Interior Designer?
Interior design can be an exceptionally rewarding career for individuals that are both creative and technical minded. Whether you pursue a degree at a traditional interior design school or embark on independent study, learning how to become an interior designer is a step towards fulfilling future doing what you love.
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