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Salary
In May 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor reported median annual earnings for interior designers were $40,670, while the middle 50 percent earned between $30,890 and $53,790, and the lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,440. The highest 10 percent earned more than $71,220. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of interior designers were as follows in May 2004:
Architectural, engineering, and related services $44,740
Specialized design services $42,000
Furniture stores $37,750
Interior designers salaries depend on the specialty, the type of employer, the number of years of experience, and the reputation of the designer. Designers in large specialized design and architectural firms tend to earn higher and more stable salaries, while interior designers working in retail stores usually earn a commission, which can be irregular.
Hours worked per week
Interior designers employed by large corporations or design firms generally work regular hours, while designers working in smaller design consulting firms or those who freelance generally work on a contract, or job, basis. Often they must adjust their workday to suit their clients’ schedules and deadlines, meeting with the clients during evening or weekend hours if necessary. Consultants and self-employed designers tend to work longer hours.
Education required
A bachelor’s degree is highly recommended for entry-level positions in interior design; in addition, 24 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico register or license interior designers. After formal training, graduates usually enter a 1-year to 3-year apprenticeship to gain experience before taking a national licensing exam or joining a professional association. Designers in those States that do not require the exam may opt to take it as proof of their qualifications.
Training programs are available from professional design schools or from colleges and universities and usually take 2 to 4 years to complete. Graduates of 2-year and 3-year programs are awarded certificates or associate’s degrees in interior design and normally qualify as assistants to interior designers upon graduation. Candidates with bachelor’s degrees usually qualify for entry into a formal design apprenticeship program - basic coursework includes computer-aided design (CAD), drawing, perspective, spatial planning, color and fabrics, furniture design, architecture, ergonomics, ethics, and psychology. eLearningYellowPages.com directory lists many excellent design programs, both online degree programs and career diploma programs.
Employers increasingly prefer interior designers who are familiar with CAD software. Interior designers also increasingly need to know the basics of architecture and engineering in order to ensure that their designs meet building safety codes. Designers must also be creative, imaginative, and persistent and must be able to communicate their ideas in writing, visually, and verbally.
Growth Prospects
Employment in the interior design sector is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Economic expansion, growing homeowner wealth, and an increased interest in interior design will increase demand for designers; however, interior designers are expected to face stiff competition for available positions because many talented individuals are attracted to this profession. Individuals with little or no formal training in interior design, as well as those lacking creativity and perseverance, will find it very difficult to establish and maintain a career in this occupation.
Interior Designer Responsibilities
Interior designers enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces, and are concerned with how different colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and space work together to meet the needs of a building’s occupants. Designers help in planning the interior spaces of almost all buildings—offices, airport terminals, theaters, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, and private residences, and help to improve these spaces in order to boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase the building’s market value.
Typically, interior designers focus on decorating: choosing a style and color palette and then selecting appropriate furniture, floor and window coverings, artwork, and lighting; however, today an increasing number of designers are becoming more involved in designing architectural detailing, such as crown molding and built-in bookshelves, or planning layouts of buildings undergoing renovation, including helping to determine the location of windows, stairways, escalators, and walkways. Designers must be able to read blueprints, understand building and fire codes, and know how to make the space accessible to the disabled; they frequently collaborate with architects, electricians, and building contractors to ensure that their designs are safe and meet construction requirements.
Some designers work as in-store designers for furniture or home and garden stores offering their design services in addition to selling the store’s merchandise. These in-store designers provide services similar to those offered by other interior designers, such as selecting a style and color scheme that fits the client’s needs or finding suitable accessories and lighting; however, in-store designers rarely visit their clients’ spaces and are limited in using only a particular store’s products.
Although most interior designers do many kinds of projects, most specialize in one area of interior design such as residential or commercial buildings, while others specialize in a certain design element or type of client, such as health care facilities. The most common specialties of this kind are lighting, kitchen and bath, and closet designs; however, designers can specialize in almost any area of design, including acoustics and noise abatement, security, electronics and home theaters, home spas, and indoor gardens.
*Source: US Dept. of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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