So you know you love to design... But do you want to become a professional interior designer? If so, where should you begin? How can you make interior design your career?

This career guide provides a quick and easy reference depicting what most professional designers say about their interior design training and their career. Where should you begin? Where should you study to undergo extensive interior design training? Are there shortcuts? What do well known professional interior designers say about their path to success? What do designers make and what is the career outlook for interior design professionals? (We will continue to update this section to provide additional information.)

Interior Design Career Overview

Attracting creative and detail-minded individuals with a desire to improve the condition of our built environment, interior designers understand how interiors, designed properly and inventively, can influence human interaction, emotional response and improve the quality of our lives. Interior design is essentially the integration of a engineering and art. Interior designers must understand the how the dynamics of building materials, color, fabric, furniture, and spatial communication interact.

Interior designers are not the same as interior decorators. Where interior decorators are involved with the finishing elements of a home or building, interior designers work with architects during the construction phase of a building. Interior Designers need to know about electrical capacity, safety, and blueprints, because they will often visit the job site while it is under construction.

Interior Designer Working Conditions

Most interior designers work in an office setting, but time is also spent elsewhere. Designers must meet with clients, contractors, and shop for design elements. They will visit sites under construction and carry heavy sample books to their meetings. There is pressure to meet deadlines and stay within budget. They often have masses of paperwork ranging from purchase orders to estimates. Designers frequently work overtime to meet deadlines, but most have flexible work hours.

Interior Designing Education:

Interior Design is a vital, challenging career choice. The Interior Designer works closely with a broad range of clients to enhance interior spaces, whether they are cozy family kitchens or bright, spacious offices. The designer may make decisions from the early stages of building construction right down to the accessories and finishing touches. The curriculum encourages the student to experiment with form, space, texture and colour, drawing on holistic and cultural references, technical expertise, intellectual disciplines, creative sensitivity, and environmental and global awareness.

All employers agree that a bachelor's degree, preferably in a FIDER (Foundation for Interior Design Education Research) accredited interior design program, is the best way to demonstrate you are serious about interior designing as a career. A bachelor's degree is also a typical requirement for upper management positions. Most employers expect to see your portfolio and internships are strongly recommended during the final two years years of college. Since licensing is now required in 22 states, students will need to attend a school that includes licensing curriculum. There are also professional organizations -- where membership is not only a recognized mark of achievement, but also an important stepping stone to a successful career. Professional membership usually requires a bachelor's degree and at least two years of experience in the field.

Take the first step: click here to find an interior design school near you.

Interior Designer Salary and Compensation

The average salary in this field is $45,000. But depending on the position, compensations can vary substantially. A designer with a bachelor's degree will usually start at $20,000-$25,000 a year, but may earn as little as $16,000 a year right out of school. But a head designer typically earns a 6-figure salary, depending on the design firm. Salaries for project managers at top design firms average $105,000 a year. The more corporate a company, the more standard the compensation will be, whereas smaller companies provide a greater depth of learning. It is also true that smaller companies are sometimes the most famous and prestigious.

The interior design field is becoming more and more competitive, but is expected to grow in the next few years. Job opportunities are more frequent in prosperous times.

Interior Design Jobs

Examples of careers in Interior Design include:

Commercial Interior Designer
Design Journalist
Environmental Designer
Furniture Designer
Kitchen and Bath Designer
Lighting Consultant
Residential Interior Designer
Retail Store Designer
Set Designer
Showroom Manager
Space Planner