About interior--designing

1. Interior Designing

2. The Interior makes the homes look good and the Designers make it
still better.
What is Interior design?
Interior design is the process of shaping the experience of interior space,
through the manipulation of spatial volume as well as surface treatment.
Not to be confused with interior decoration, interior design draws on
aspects of environmental psychology, architecture, product design and
furniture design in addition to traditional decoration. An interior designer
is a person who is considered a professional in the field of interior design
or one who designs interiors as part of their job.
Interior design is a creative practice that analyzes programmatic
information, establishes a conceptual direction, refines the design
direction, and produces graphic communication and construction
documents. In some jurisdictions, interior designers must be licensed to
practice.
In general, the interior of something refers to the space or part inside of
it, excluding any kind of wall or boundary around its outside. It has
different, more specific definitions in different contexts.
Interior decoration or décor is the art of decorating a room so that it is

3. attractive, easy to use, and functions well with the existing architecture.
The goal of interior decoration is to provide a certain "feel" for the room;
it encompasses applying wallpaper, painting walls and other surfaces,
choosing furniture and fittings, such as light fixtures, floor plans and
providing other decorations for the area such as paintings, sculptures
and carpets.
Interior decorating is done professionally by certified interior decorators
C.I.D. It is considered a design field. An interior decorator is a very
important job.
There is a distinct difference between interior decorating and interior
design. Interior decorating is generally focused on the interior items of a
space, such as furniture, accessories, finishes, and layout. Interior design,
on the other hand, involves manipulating the architectural integrity of the
interior space.
Interior design concerns itself with more than just the visual or ambient
enhancement of an interior space, it seeks to optimize and harmonize the
uses to which the interior environment will be put.
Many factors come into play in formulating the design solution. There is
the space itself--its dimensions and construction--with its potential and
its limitations. There is how the space will be used--for work or leisure,
entertainment or worship, healing or learning. There is the meaning of
the space, what it signifies--be it power, authority, security, wisdom,
achievement, playfulness or serenity. There are practical considerations,
like ease of access, amount of light, acoustics, seating and places to store
or set things down. There are health and safety considerations, attention
to special needs and more.
For more information, see the definition of interior design developed by
the National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

4. Specialization
Interior designers can specialize in a particular interior design discipline,
such as residential and commercial design, with some developing
expertise within a niche design area such as hospitality, health care and
institutional design. In jurisdictions where the profession is regulated by
the government, designers must meet broad qualifications and show
competency in the entire scope of the profession, not only in a specialty.
Designers may elect to obtain specialist certification offered by private
organizations.
Interior designers who also possess environmental expertise in design
solutions for sustainable construction can receive accreditation in this
area by taking the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
examination.
The specialty areas that involve interior designers are limited only by the
imagination and are continually growing and changing. With the increase
in the aging population, an increased focus has been placed on
developing solutions to improve the living environment of the elderly
population, which takes into account health and accessibility issues that
can affect the design.
Awareness of the ability of interior spaces to create positive changes in
people's lives is increasing, so interior design is also becoming relevant
to this type of advocacy.
Design Career and Job Highlights
One of the chief benefits of being a designer is that a very large number,
almost one third, of all designers are self-employed. That is almost five
times the percentage of self-employed people in other fields. Also, many
people are attracted to designing because of the high level of creativity it
demands. Generally to be a designer you need at least a bachelor’s
degree and a master’s degree will be advantageous. The industry is

5. showing signs of growth, but there is still very high competition for most
projects, as there are many extremely talented and creative designers.
The Design professions, Designers are innately creative people. They then
make use of their creativity, artistry, and knowledge of practical skills to
turn their creative vision into plans for our Websites, clothes,
advertisements, cars, media, and surroundings. Since designers are
needed in so many industries they usually generalize, focusing on one
specialized area like interior design, cars, company logos, newspapers,
clothing, theatre sets, merchandise displays, medical equipment, or many
others.
To be a good designer you have to take three things into account: 1)
What your client needs and has the resources for, 2) The primary function
of the design, and 3) How it will appeal to customers. Often the first step
is solid research of the preferred design characteristics like cost, safety
issues, availability of materials, size, etc.
The next step is to prepare a preliminary outline, such as a sketch,
usually with the aid of a computer. You will then share your creative
vision with the client or a product development team. Next comes a
detailed plan of your design, including very detailed drawings or
blueprints, simulations, or a to-scale model. More and more designers
are using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) to increase efficiency, create a
better model, and because computers make it easier to explore new
possibilities and design permutations. Computers are becoming more
popular because they allow for greater creativity while cutting costs.
Industrial designers create designs and instructions that are readable by

6. machines and that give directions to automated production tools using
CAD’s sister tool, CAID (Computer-Aided Industrial Design).
Many designers are also involved in the business aspects of their job, not
jut the creative. They often have assistants to supervise. Also, many
designers own their own business and so they have to be involved in
client development, networking, finding and renting space, ordering
materials, reviewing industry publications, and many other administrative
responsibilities. Furthermore, as technology in computers and
communication advances, designers need to continually work to stay
up-to-date and competitive. This is especially true for those designers
involved in industrial or graphic design. Computers have allowed for
great advancements in the design industry. Advanced communications
networks have increased the opportunities that were previously limited by
geography. Designers can form international firms or taskforces and can
work for clients all over the world. The Internet has increased the
availability of information, making research easier and better, and
designers have a much larger pool of supplies. This makes the logistics
of being a self-employed designer much easier, as well.
Types of Designers
There are many types of designers who work in a wide range of industries.
Some designers generalize and work in many different fields, while others
concentrate on one specialty.
Commercial/Industrial Design
This area helps develop manufactured products, such has automobiles,
airplanes, computers, kitchen appliances, medical equipment, automobile
interiors, office materials, etc. In addition to their creativity and artistry, a
successful commercial designer has to be able to assess the needs of
user and have a working knowledge of marketing and means of
production. All of these skills are necessary to create an effective,

7. appealing product. Commercial and industrial designers tend to
specialize in an area like home appliances or recreational equipment.
Fashion Design
This deals with designing apparel. Many are self-employed in the form of
clothing labels, and many work for personal clients. Others work for
particular boutiques or department stores. These fashion designers are
very creative and innovative, while others stick to established trends for
high-demand items. However, these small, self-employed designers are
in the minority. The majority of fashion designers work for big clothing
manufactures, making clothing and accessories for the mass market.
Floral Design
This is a very diverse area, with many working in large shops and others
working for themselves in very small, specialized shops. All floral
designers, however, are involved in arranging all types of flowers into
designs. They make arrangements based on the customer’s order for all
occasions, from wedding bouquets to holiday wreaths, from tabletop
gardens to large terrariums. Aside from the artistic side of floral design,
designers also have to be competent in assessing the customer’s needs,
the type of occasion, the availability and cost of flowers according to
season, materials of imitation flowers, and issues of time and delivery to
make sure the flowers look their best. Also, in small flower shops many
designers also have to do their own accounting and arrange supply and
delivery, which requires business know-how. Many floral designers also
grow their own flowers, which expands their responsibilities even further.
Graphic Design
This is an extremely large area of design. Basically, graphic designers
resolve communication problems using visual solutions. By studying
culture, context, and social issues they develop designs that will
effectively communicate to meet the needs of their customer. They use a
number of media, from print to computers to film, and so many graphic
designers specialize in one area. Some have expertise in visual layout for

8. magazines or computers, others create promotional displays, others
design the credits for movies, and others design logos, others design
signs for the government. There are many areas of specialization.
Computers are instrumental in almost all areas of graphic design,
however, especially in the ever-growing technological industry: designing
Web pages and multimedia projects.
Interior Design
The perennial goal of interior designers is to combine from and function.
They improve the quality of interior spaces by increasing efficiency,
safety, and beauty. Interior designers can work on all types of projects,
like residential homes, shopping malls, retail stores, hospitals, hotels,
theaters, or restaurants. With such a wide range of work, most interior
designers specialize, for example one designer might focus on
businesses while another might focus on residences. Many specialize in
even more specific areas, like airplane interiors or kitchens. A successful
designer has to take many things into account, like the customer’s
preferences, cost of materials, and functional efficiency. Also, there are
many federal and local guidelines and building codes. Plus, if designing a
public space, it is necessary to ensure that everything is accessible to the
disabled and elderly. Keeping all those in mind, a designer then
configures the interior structure, such as molding, windows, and built-in
fixtures; furnishings, such as furniture and floor coverings; lighting that
is economical and pleasing; and accents like rugs and wall-hangings.
They coordinate colors, styles, and materials to create a visually pleasing
and comfortable space. Computers are extremely useful to interior
designers as they allow for exact and accurate models and also allow for
easy adjustments to the whims of customers.
Visual Merchandise Design
Also called window-dressing, visual merchandize design is the art of
merchandise display. Many designers work for large businesses,
arranging merchandise in retail stores or designing window displays.
Working for the interior of retail stores involves dressing mannequins,

9. creating table displays, arranging props and accents, and organizing
clothing placement by color group or style. To make promotions and
styles uniform and to maintain the “look” of a store, most large retail
chains employ designers at the corporate level in a central design
department. The designs are distributed to individual stores, and
individual managers or regional designers adapt the designs to meet
individual needs.
Set Design
This area of design makes sets and exhibits for movie and television
studios, theatre productions, or special exhibitions in museums or
trade-shows. Designers who work with television or theatre need to study
scripts and consult with writers and directors to ensure that their design
is in line with their artistic vision. They also need to research make sure
their design is historically accurate in architectural details and fashion.
They then provide the models for the actual construction, making sure
that it is feasible and functional. Designers of special exhibitions need to
confer with museum curators or trade-show sponsors to make use of the
available space, create an effective theme, and control flow of human
traffic. Also, if working for a museum a designer may have to consult an
art specialist to ensure preservation and security of museum objects.
Working Conditions
Designers face many pressures in their work. They are creative people by
nature and so they often don’t have traditional office environments. They
may work in their own home or in that of their client. They often travel to
the location of their work, whether it is a showroom, a client’s house, or
an office under construction. Many designers do not have fixed incomes
but are paid by project, which creates pressures to finish a job quickly
and get new clients. Further frustrations are caused when designs are
rejected or don’t turn out as planned, and sometimes creativity just
doesn’t seem to come.

10. Designers may work at many different places under many different
conditions. Manufactures, large design firms, or corporations usually
make for a very stable working environment in terms of regular and
reasonable hours in a comfortable office setting. Designers who work
freelance or who work at small firms usually work according to whatever
individual contract they have at the time, making adjustments to their
client’s need, which makes for a less stable environment. They may have
uneven working hours, with varying workloads and more evening and
weekend hours. Designers who are self-employed or who work as
consultants often work longer hours in a smaller and simpler offices.
Hours and conditions depend not only on the type of firm, but also on
the type of designer. Industrial and graphic designers and interior
designers generally work quite regular hours, but may have to work extra
hours or weekends to meet the demands of a particular project. Set and
exhibit designers, however, often have much more uneven schedules,
working long hours under pressure and having to make quick
adjustments. Fashion designers often operate the same way, having to
work very long hours in preparation for a fashion show, or traveling to
the site of a show. Floral designers mostly work regular hours in small,
agreeable working conditions but large events like wedding may require
some extra hours. Merchandise designers may work regular hours in a
corporate job, but those who work in actual retail stores often have
irregular hours as they do most of their work when customers are out of
the store. Also many designers, especially those in interior, merchandise,
and fashion design, have to deal with equipment transportation, sample
books, heavy displays, supervising construction, and many other
responsibilities.
Becoming a Designer
Though different types of designers require different personalities and
skill sets, creativity is common to all designers. It is necessary for

11. designers to seek for beauty and balance and have a sense of the
aesthetic. Also, since they spend so much time dealing with customers
and complex projects, they have to have good communication skills and
analytical thinking that leads to problem-solving. And even though
computers have had such an impact on designing, most designers,
especially those in fashion, have some kind of artistic training that enable
them to make sketches and plans.
The amount of schooling needed depends on the type of design. However,
it is important to keep in mind that schooling isn’t always the deciding
factor in getting a job. A sampling of a designer’s work in the form of a
portfolio is usually the most important.
Fashion designers generally have an associate’s degree or bachelor’s
degree from a reputable fashion design college. It is also imperative that
a potential fashion designer be conversant in patterns, accessories,
trends, fabrics, and the fashion industry as a whole. Set and exhibit
designers usually have 4-year degrees as well, and often a Masters in
Fine Arts as well. An important credential for set designers is
membership in the United Scenic Artists, Local 829.
For floral designers, many people enter the profession by gaining
on-the-job experience rather than formal schooling. Professionals look
for trainees, generally people with at least a high school degree who are
eager to learn and very artistic. However, formal schooling is beneficial,
especially for people who want to own their own businesses or hold a
management position. Many vocational schools offer short (less than a
year) courses in floral design. Community colleges and universities often
offer associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in horticulture, floral design,
ornamental horticulture. Also, to become an accredited floral designer, a
potential designer needs to pass an examination given by the American
Institute of Floral Designers.
Two- and three-year programs at professional schools are also offered
for many other types of design. Degrees from such programs usually
qualify graduates to become assistants to designers. Four-year programs

12. at colleges and universities supply graduates with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Degree. These degrees involve a more rigorous and varied curriculum,
involving mechanical drawing, sketching, art history, design principles,
and other skills applicable to the various areas of design. Most designers,
especially those who want to work independently, are recommended to
find programs that have a strong liberal arts core that will teach business
management, marketing, psychology, and art. Also, architectural skills
can be very helpful to designers, especially those in interior design. The
National Association of Schools of Art and Design offer many design
degrees in areas like art, interior design, industrial design, graphic design,
and fashion design. They accredit over 200 schools, many of which
require at least a year of studying basic design and art before admitting
students to the bachelor’s degree program. Admission to the program
may also require a portfolio of samples and sketches.
Another professional organization for designers is the Foundation for
Interior Design Education Research. They also offer bachelor’s degrees in
the areas of architecture, art, and home economics in over 120 schools
and programs. Though most designers have some formal schooling,
fledgling designers receive a lot of hands-on experience in the first few
years of their career. This experience is very important for them to gain
promotions to positions of more responsibility like chief designer or
department head. They may even establish their own firm. Many
designers, after a few years of experience, work in academia as
professors at design schools or universities. Many of these continue to be
involved in “fieldwork”, however, as consultants or freelance designers.
Industry and Job Outlook
As they economy expands, more people are demanding the skills of
designers, and analysts anticipate growth for the industry. Competition
for positions, however, will continue to be fierce, as there are many gifted

13. and competent people who want to be designers. Ingenuity, persistence,
and more formal schooling will set apart those who will succeed.
Graphic design has the highest projected growth rate. As more
businesses look to the Interned Web for information and as the
entertainment market (including television, video games, movies, and
advertisements) expands, there is more and more call for graphic
designers.
There is also increasing demand for interior designers, especially for
offices, retail stores, homes, and establishments specializing in care for
the elderly. Floral design has a relatively high turnover rate due to a lack
of advancement opportunities, which leads to new jobs.
The area of industrial design will continue to grow rapidly as the
importance of safety and quality of products grows. As customers want
everything to be cheaper, more comfortable, easier to use, and as
technology becomes more important in every field, industrial design is a
very important industry. A few areas of design, however, do not show this
rapid growth. New jobs for merchandise displayers will come from the
natural turnover caused by workers who retire or move to different
professions. The industry of clothing manufacturing is slowing, which
means that growth in fashion design is also slowing. And the area of
exhibit and set designing is very small, so even though there is a lot of
growth there will not be a lot of job openings.
Earnings
The range of income for industrial and commercial designers was
$25,000 to $85,000, with the average being about $60,000 in
architecture, engineering, and other associated industries.

14. The range for fashion designers was $22,000-110,000, with the average
being about $50,000. The majority of designers earned between $35,000
and $75,000. The range for floral designers was $13,000-30,000. The
average was about $20,000. Median earnings were slightly higher for
grocery stores than florists. The range for graphic designers was
$20,000-65,000. The average was about $36,000, with the majority
earning between $28,000 and $49,000. Earnings were slightly higher for
those in advertising and specialized design services than those of
printing and media publishing services. Annual earnings were shown to
have a direct correlation to the level of responsibility by the American
Institution of Graphic Arts. At the top of the chain are graphic designers
who have their own firm or a partnership in a firm. They earned around
$90,000. Under them are the creative chiefs of design departments in big
corporations or design firms who earned about $85,000. Next are
freelance designers who work independently, who earned about $55,000.
Senior designers or supervisors earned about $50,000, while the
staff-level designers below them earned about $40,000.
The range for interior designers was $21,000-70,000. The median was
$39,000 with the majority earning between $29,000 and $53,000.
Earnings were very slightly higher for architectural and specialized
services, and slightly lower for furniture stores.
The range for merchandise displayers was $15,000-40,000. The medial
was $23,000 and the majority of professionals made between $18,000
and $29,000. The range for set and exhibit designers was

15. $18,000-63,000. The median was $34,000 and the majority earned
between $25,00 and $46,000.
DESIGN SPECIALTIES
Designers often specialize in one or more specific types of interior
design. Some designers specialize in only residential or commercial (or,
contract) projects, but many designers do both residential and
commercial projects of various kinds.
Residential
Residential interior design focuses on the design, professional design
team coordination, planning, budgeting, specifying/purchasing and
furnishings installation of private homes, including the specialty areas of
the kitchen, bath, home theater, home office, and custom product design.
Interior projects include new construction, renovation, historic renovation
and model homes, with expertise in universal and sustainable design.
Commercial/Contract
Commercial, sometimes also referred to as contract, design focuses on
the design, professional design team coordination, planning, budgeting,
specifying/purchasing and furnishings installation of interior
environments used for commercial, government or educational purposes.
Many designers specialize in one or more of the following areas of
commercial design.
Entertainment
Entertainment design brings together the use of interiors, lighting, sound
and other technologies for movies, television, videos, dramatic and
musical theater, clubs, concerts, theme parks and industrial projects.
Facilities Management
A facilities manager develops schedules for building upkeep and

16. maintenance, addressing safety and health issues and lighting and
acoustics needs. A facilities manager also plans and coordinates office
moves or expansions, and serves as project manager during construction
or renovation.
Government/Institutional
A government designer is familiar with the very specific needs and
requirements associated with working with government agencies, such as
military bases, federal buildings or government offices. An institutional
designer focuses on projects such as child care, educational, religious,
correctional and recreational facilities, fire and police stations, courts,
embassies, libraries, auditoriums, museums and transportation terminals.
Health Care
Health care designers create environments for hospitals; clinics;
examination rooms; surgical suites; mobile units; hospice care homes;
nursing, assisted living or long term care facilities; or any other health
care environment.
Hospitality/Restaurant
Hospitality design focuses on environments that entertain or host the
public, including nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, hotels, city and
country clubs, golf facilities, cruise ships and conference facilities.
Office
Office design focuses on the public and private areas utilized by
corporate and professional service firms.

17. Retail/Store Planning
Retail design and store planning concentrate on retail venues, including
boutiques, department stores, outlets, showrooms, food retailing centers
and shopping malls.
APPROACHES
The following are not design specialties but rather approaches to design
that cut across design specialties.
Sustainable Design
Also referred to as "green" design or "eco-design," sustainable design is
concerned with the environmental/ecological, economic, ethical and
social aspects and impacts of design.
Universal Design
An extension of "barrier-free" design, universal design employs products
and solutions originally developed for individuals with disabilities to
increase ease of use, access, safety and comfort for all users.

18. Eligibility for admission of Interior Decorators
DIPLOMA IN INTERIOR DESIGN
Duration: 2 Years
Eligibility: 10th Pass (with minimum of 50% marks)
Awarding Body: SNDT University - Mumbai
CERTIFICATE COURSE IN INTERIOR DESIGN
Duration: 1 Year
Eligibility: 10 + 2
Awarding Body: State Board of Technical Education and Training
- Andhra Pradesh
DIPLOMA IN INTERIOR DESIGN
Duration: 1 Year
Eligibility: Anyone with creativity and flair
Awarding Body: HAMSTECH Institute of Fashion & Interior Design

19. What do you need to become an Interior Designer?
Ideally, in today's marketplace, you need flexibility when it comes to
visualising how to plan the redesign of any project. If you
stick too rigidly with time honoured traditions and refuse
to budge, you will find that what you can offer and
provide to your customers becomes very limited. You
also need to be very knowledgeable about products,
suppliers, customers and how fast the marketplace
moves.
In recent years, the design marketplace has become
furiously competitive. There are so many would be
designers, home design magazines, TV programmes, DIY stores, design
courses, etc, etc that unfortunately when there is such a glut of available
products, ideas and information, it narrows the options of unique and
innovative ideas because nothing is new.
If you are going to choose a career in design, you need to enter into it
with a large degree of flexible thinking and some projection of what you
think you can offer a highly competitive market, that it hasn't got already.
How do you choose the right learning course?
The interior design industry is simply based on current fashion trends so
it won't last as it is defined in the short term. Short courses that offer you
'professional qualifications and your own interior design business in
weeks' are very misleading and are not advised simply because you
cannot possibly hope to learn all that you need to know in such a short
time. I am still learning after 15 years! The learning is ongoing and if you
are doing it properly, you continue to learn over years not weeks or even

20. months because there is always something new to learn especially as the
subject relates so much to history and where design originated from.
However, short practical courses where you can add to your skills by
learning how to make soft furnishings, stencilling, painted furniture,
painted fabrics or decorative paint effects are always worthwhile.
Courses that offer qualifications also need careful consideration too and
are not necessarily the best. Currently, qualifications to become a
designer or run a business as a designer are not necessary or required
especially if you have a raw talent and passion for creative design. If you
are already good at it, then a qualification won't make any difference to
your ability as it's already there.
Qualifications suggest that a high standard of learning and workmanship
are offered and guaranteed but is it really possible to guarantee
someone's work based on what they have studied on a distance learning
course or short practical course. The answer is no, so don't be fooled or
mislead by the words 'qualification'. They really don't mean that much.
Whichever country you live in, before you enrol on your chosen course,
try to research the market a little first to find out what kind of problems,
if any, the industry is experiencing. Knowledge is power and it will be of
huge benefit to you if you know how the market works before you start
up in business.
Degree courses are much longer term and better for the more serious
career minded but you need to think about how you are going to fit into
the marketplace after you have done your degree. You also need to weigh
up very carefully, how many work options a degree course will offer you
after you have graduated. The UK textile industry has been in decline for
years and is still in chaos. You need to know what you could offer and
expect from working in this industry if you studied a degree in textile
design for example. Ideally you would be told the current economic

21. problems and begin your degree on the principle of bringing in new ideas
to boost the flagging textile industry.
There are thousands of highly creative people working successfully within
the industry without degrees or any other form of training. They are
naturally artistically talented and creative and have gone on to live their
dream. I believe the secret of their success is because they've got a
unique product or idea, have found a niche and captured their market.
This is exactly the same as I have done and I did not take a degree to
achieve it.
If you are embarking on a learning course with the idea of starting a
business, you need that course to contain detailed training about running
a business (See our distance learning course). Without this basic insight
into how a business operates, you are effectively wasting your time and
money because unless you know how to set up in business, work out
costs, plan advertising and promotional materials, study market highs
and lows and find customers and trade suppliers, you will not be very
successful.
It's all very well becoming an interior designer but turning knowledge into
profit requires business learning.
When you request details of any learning course, do
make sure that the prospectus answers all your
questions about what you can expect to gain from
enrolling and what opportunities such a course can lead
to in the long term. Make sure all of this is in writing and
find out what kind of ongoing support you can expect
when the course ends.
You do have to be realistic in the sense that any course
can only teach you the academics, it cannot turn you into

22. a successful business person or celebrated designer overnight. This is
only achievable after several years of becoming established and having
many happy customers.
If the market is saturated, does that mean that I won't find
work as an Interior Designer?
No, there is always work and opportunity and again it comes back to
being flexible. With all the TV programmes and home design magazines,
people are far more confident at rolling up their sleeves and having a go
at redesigning and decorating themselves.
The problem is that the camera lens does not pick up on key important
considerations such as room preparation, size and perspective of room,
amount of natural light and period and style of house. Without
considering these vital factors, many people get it terribly wrong and
then consult the interior designer or house doctor for advice on putting it
right.
'The other problem with so many TV lifestyle programmes on renovating,
DIY and interior design is that they are very misleading and mostly they
are now purely for entertainment value. This means you cannot take them
too seriously. The expenditure involved in some of the projects shown on
TV must run into thousands of dollars plus behind the scenes there are
teams of handymen and decorators all working together to get the job
done within the time scale. In real life, this just doesn't happen. Budgets
must be very carefully worked out to the last cent and a lot of time and
discussion is involved as well as periodic re-evaluation of the work as it
progresses.
Don't believe all you see on the television, it simply doesn't work like that.
In the UK, and as a direct result of these programmes being watched by
such a large audience, DIY accidents have rapidly increased resulting in

23. death and serious injury to many people who thought the job looked so
easy that they could do it without seeking the help of a
professional. It is a very serious issue and part of being a
designer requires that you recognise work that you can
successfully undertake while other work be left to those
who are professionally qualified and insured to carry out
such work.
Many people enrol on design courses but lose interest
and enthusiasm for putting into practice the ideas and
training that they have learned.
Some people find that they are just not cut out to run a business whilst
others prefer the stability of a regular paid job.
Then, as with every profession, there are the bad and the good designers.
The bad ones obviously don't last long while the good ones carry on to
reap the rewards of their profession.
So, although the market is highly competitive and saturated, providing
you are prepared to be flexible and diverse, there is room for everybody.
What does the term "Interior Designer" mean?
Broadly, it means offering advice and suggestions for colour schemes,
room planning, soft furnishing styles, fabrics, sourcing products,
decorative design ideas and altering the layout of any room in the home
as well as carrying out any practical interior decoration such as paint
effects, stencilling, re upholstering furniture or giving a face lift to tired
looking furniture. You can offer one, some or all of these services and
still refer to yourself as an interior designer or popular in America is the
term, house doctor.

24. For myself personally, interior design is about well thought out colour
schemes, room planning, period home style, painted walls, hand painted
furniture, hand drawn stencil designs and my own painted fabrics and
soft furnishing ideas. I don't like wallpaper or printed fabrics so I don't
include these as part of my service to customers.
I have therefore built a speciality interior design business, found a niche
and have an endless supply of customers (and students)!
Do I need to be creative and artistic to become an Interior
Designer?
Yes, you do need a certain amount of creative flair and artistic licence.
Many people are drawn to the ideal of becoming an interior designer
because of it's glamour image . As I spend a lot of time holding a
paintbrush and wearing an apron, I have yet to discover how anyone finds
the profession to be glamorous!
What other practical skills do I need to become an Interior
Designer?
On a good learning course you will learn the importance of developing a
trained eye for visual detail, how to spot potential, develop creative flair,
work with practical problems and build up a library of resources as well
as learn about colour, lighting and space and how to use it. All these
skills can be easily taught and easily learned plus you can always receive
help from our end if you are stuck with a particular problem.
The other most important skills I believe are vital are large amounts of
motivation, enthusiasm, commitment and passion for the subject you are
learning about.

25. If you are going to be offering a service and working with the public, you
also need good people and communication skills.