If you enjoy decorating your dorm, you may enjoy decorating homes as a whole. There are some people out there that are just born to design, and those people are the ones that make the world a beautiful place to live in. Interior designers are becoming more sought after with every year as businesses and individuals alike strive to have the best looking space on the block. If you have a good eye for design and a passion for helping people out, you may do well working as an interior designer. The tips below will help you assess this job closely so you can consider if it is a good career path for you.
Common Job Duties for Interior Designers
The job duties of an interior designer will depend on the clients he or she has to work with. Common responsibilities include:
- Consulting with clients to come up with a design theme
- Creating presentation boards to share a vision with a client
- Shopping for paint, furniture, and accessories to go in a room
- Customizing pieces of furniture to suit a design
- Painting walls to save money on labor
- Updating a client with the status for a project
- Overseeing other workers for a project
- Making sure that the design plans are executed effectively
As an interior designer, you will only spend a small portion of your time coming up with actual designs. The rest of your work will involve making those designs come to life. Some people assume they will just be able to make presentation boards all day long, but that is far from the case. This is the kind of profession that requires leadership skills and effective multi-tasking at all times. If you think you have what it takes to do that, you may look into becoming an interior designer in the future.
Common Pay Rates for Interior Designers
Interior designers have the potential to make a lot of money, depending on the area they work in and the kinds of clients they attract. A designer in a small, middle-of-nowhere town is going to have a harder time making a good living than a designer would in New York City. Let’s take a look at some of the salary charts below to predict what you may make in this career.
Salary by Years of Experience
- Less than 1 year: $25,209 – $50,023 per year
- 1-4 years: $27,306 – $49,632 per year
- 5-9 years: $31,556 – $59,202 per year
- 10-19 years: $30,325 – $70,376 per year
- 20 years or more: $29,517 – $109,145 per year
Salary by Industry
- Architecture: $30,888 – $58,972 per year
- Office Furniture: $29,230 – $50,446 per year
- Architectural and Engineering Services: $33,207 – $56,071 per year
- Furniture, Home Furnishings: $19,164 – $43,492 per year
- Residential Home Construction: $20,256 – $50,259 per year
- Retail: $26,531 – $59,000 per year
Salary by Employer Type
- Company: $29,100 – $57,584 per year
- Private Practice: $28,100 – $55,519 per year
- Self-Employed: $20,226 – $116,923 per year
- Other Organization: $27,250 – $59,500 per year
- State & Local Government: $28,337 – $104,715 per year
- Contract: $9,804 – $97,871 per year
- College or University: $24,511 – $97,871 per year
- Franchise: $29,032 – $43,747 per year
If you have a true passion for interior design, the money won’t matter. Nevertheless, it is nice to figure out whether or not you will be able to make a decent living in this field. Check out the educational requirements for interior designers and see if you can get started soon.