Interior Designer Job Description
Let’s try to clarify, with this article, who an INTERIOR DESIGNER is and what he does.
The interior designer is the professional who “dresses” the rooms, choosing and positioning the furnishings and decorations with attention to aesthetics, style, and functionality. The goal is to create a harmonious environment, which reflects the tastes and personality of the landlord.
I will help you understand the value of the work of this professional figure. You will learn about the advantages and help that an interior designer can give to you as the end customer.
After many years, the figure of the interior designer is finally emerging and gaining credibility and interest from the customer who has to furnish or renovate the house.
This is also thanks to the trade magazines and … lately, to the TV where you can see broadcasts dealing with the theme of the home and furniture.
As I said, furnishing your home or doing a renovation is not a simple job and to be taken lightly.
There are many technical, organizational, and aesthetic aspects to take into consideration so “inventing” interior designers is NOT recommended, NO to DIY !.
Better to get help from a professional interior decorator who will allow you to save a lot of time and money, avoiding unnecessary mistakes.
In renovating the house, for example, every mistake, the result of DIY, you pay a high price with the practically certain risk of compromising the final result.
Having an interior designer follow and advise you to furnish or renovate your home is not to be considered an additional cost, but an important help to optimize time and budget, stress, anger, and thoughts that you would not be able to manage correctly, compromising your serenity and the result. desired to end.
In this figure, you will find a single reference that can manage all aspects of the work.
So NO STRESS but just a pleasant experience that will lead you to happily live in your new home.
If you are a busy person who does not have a lot of time to devote to your home or who is unable to organize their ideas on how to use space, then the interior decorator is right for you.
It is NOT enough to have the good taste to be an interior designer.
It is not even correct to identify the interior designer in the furniture seller, these are two very different figures in terms of skills, knowledge, and experience (we will see these differences in a future article).
Well after this premise let’s get to the heart of the topic.
We now know what are the skills, knowledge, duties, and services offered by a professional interior designer.
The work of an interior designer could be summed up in this sentence:
“To create a synthesis of the skillful combination of several elements: colors, volumes, materials, surfaces, and lights.”
What does an interior designer do and what does the job consist of?
It is that professional figure who was trained by studying at Institutes of Art or Design or Universities and who after years of practice in the field has acquired 360 ° knowledge on the work of furniture and interior renovation (residential, commercial …).
He works to furnish, renovate, and decorate the interior spaces of the house to make them functional, welcoming, and pleasant. He evaluates how spaces can be used efficiently, optimally, and safely. The interior designer is the professional who helps and guides you to find the best furnishing solutions for your needs, your desires, and your taste. He manages to make the most of every space in an apartment, creates environments and styles, chooses materials and colors in harmony with each other, and studies the arrangement of the furniture to create comfortable and welcoming environments.
The work usually begins with a site visit, to see the spaces to be furnished or renovated with a restyling and take the measurements. The initial inspection, however, serves above all to understand the tastes and needs of the customer, his or her lifestyle, and her wishes.
Management, organization, and decision-making capacity are three other important aspects since the Interior Designer often works with other professionals (craftsmen, technicians, builders) and must be sure that the projects are completed on time, respect the budgets and the aesthetic and qualitative characteristics.
We then move on to the creative phase of the work, the actual furnishing project: the interior designer processes the client’s requests and creates personalized furnishing and decoration proposals: in classic, urban, shabby-chic, country, vintage styles…
He exposes his choices to the customer, also thanks to mood boards, presentation tables, and renderings that allow you to have an overview of how the furnished environment will be.
The interior designer does not only take care of the furniture in the strict sense, but also of all the details that combine to complete the environment, give it life, and impress style and personality. For example, it offers advice on the choice of lighting, furnishing accessories, materials and finishes, decorations, upholstery and wall coverings (decorative paints, wallpaper, wood, stone, panels of different materials …), curtains, carpets, and accessories.
Furthermore, when we talk about interior design, we are not referring only to domestic environments and home furnishing (living room and living area, kitchen, bedrooms … or an entire apartment). The work possibilities are much wider and include the design of the furniture for commercial spaces such as points of sale, bars, clubs and hotels, showrooms, and exhibition spaces.
In designing, the interior designer can make the most of every space to create bright, comfortable, welcoming, pleasant places where you feel good, thanks to the skillful combination of furniture, fabrics, and colors in harmony with each other.
To do this, creativity is not enough. It is necessary to have a sense of space, light, and colors, as well as technical preparation and knowledge of what the market offers, both regards the world of furniture (artisanal and industrial production of furniture, catalogs and price lists, trends …) both as regards coatings, materials, finishes, lighting.
Finally, the interior designer must have practical sense and be skilled in following the realization of the project: he places orders for furniture and furnishing accessories, manages contacts with suppliers, and coordinates carpenters, upholsterers, installers, furniture assemblers, and other craftsmen. . All in compliance with the timing and budget defined by the clients.
What are the job opportunities for an interior designer?
An interior designer can work for furniture companies, furniture factories, furniture shops, furniture showrooms, and kitchens. There are employment opportunities both in large furniture chains and in companies that produce handcrafted furniture, luxury, and design furnishings.
or as an independent freelancer, also offering customers consulting services as an online interior designer.
Duties and Duties of the Interior Designer
The main tasks of the interior designer are:
- Analyze customer needs and requests regarding furniture
- Designing furnishing solutions
- Create mood boards of materials and furnishings
- Present a furnishing proposal aligned with expectations
- Provide advice, advice, and suggestions on the choice of furnishings, fabrics, and accessories
- Estimate materials and costs and develop a personalized quote
- Acquire the customer’s order and manage contacts with suppliers
- Supervise the development of the project in compliance with costs and deadlines
- Manage any requests for changes to the furniture project
- How to become an interior designer? Training and Requirements
To become an interior designer, there are numerous dedicated professional training courses, and also online interior designer courses.
Among the typical study subjects of a course in interior design are freehand drawing and computerized technical drawing with AutoCAD, graphics, history of art and design, types of furniture, standard measures and optimization of living spaces, color theory, the study of lighting, the study of materials for coverings, floors, and finishes.
The courses usually also include the development of different types of furniture projects, putting into practice what has been learned, acquiring confidence in the choice of decorations, upholstery, and fabrics, and developing one’s style.
To start working, an internship period, for example at a furniture company, is very useful, during which you learn the trade in the field and prepare to become a self-employed professional.
The training of the interior designer, however, can never be said to be complete: the styles and trends of living change, and those who deal with furniture must update themselves accordingly.
Skills of an Interior Designer
The skills of an interior designer:
- Knowledge of the proposals offered by the furniture and interior decoration market
- Familiarity with catalogs and technical price-lists
- Knowledge of the main graphic design programs and specific software for furniture
- Ability to combine and mix furnishings, colors, lights, materials, and accessories in a harmonious and coherent whole
- Aesthetic sensibility for shapes and colors
- Attention to detail and attention to detail
- Ability to listen and interpret customer needs, desires, and tastes
- Communication and relational skills
- Organizational and time management skills
- Dynamism and flexibility
- Job Opportunities and Career of the Interior Designer
Becoming an interior designer opens the door to various employment and career possibilities.
You can work as a seller of furniture and kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms for furniture shops and furniture factories, directly managing the customer from the initial consultancy for the design of the furnishings to the sale of the furniture.
Another possibility is to start a career as a freelancer and offer consultancy for furniture and interior decoration projects, also in collaboration with Interior Designers and craftsmen such as carpenters and upholsterers.
To establish yourself, it is very useful to specialize in a market niche.
You can become a Home Stylist, the expert in “dressing” and enhancing the home environment with furniture, furnishing accessories, and many small details (from carpets to curtains, from cushions to paintings).
Or you can specialize in the design of the furnishing of shops and exhibition spaces, in the creation of suggestive environments and atmospheres in hotels, restaurants, and bars, or photographic sets, film, and television sets (as a stage decorator).
Good Reasons to Work As an Interior Decorator
The interior decorator profession focuses on creativity, style, aesthetic sense, and passion for furnishing.
It is perfect for those looking for a very varied job. We always face different projects and the interior decorator must try each time to propose beautiful and functional furnishing solutions, which fully meet the expectations of customers – from the lover to the classic to those in search of a touch of originality.
Furthermore, helping people to create “their dream home” or to revolutionize and give new life to an environment thanks to furniture and home decor is certainly a source of great personal satisfaction.
The employment opportunities for interior designers are diverse, with good earning opportunities, especially for those who know how to be a good seller and who can advertise their services and professionalism in the best possible way.
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