Interior Design 101
Are you interested in interior home design? Do you have a flair for color and style? Can you see fashion trends start before they hit the high street? Do you have a way with innovative fabrics and an eye for business opportunities? If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, then maybe you would make a great interior design professional.
What does an interior designer actually do?
Interior designers undertake many roles within their job. They incorporate color, texture, lighting and furniture for the space in the right way to give a pleasing look, while also ensuring a room fulfills all of its required functions and adheres to current safety practices and standards. All while working within their client’s allocated budget.
Interior designers work in all types of buildings, from luxury high-rise housing complexes to office blocks and individual homes or holiday retreats. They can also work in schools, hospitals, airports, cinemas, hotels, restaurants and shopping centers. Although interior designers usually work with furniture, fixtures and fittings, as well as the overall decor, more and more designers are taking part in hands-on architectural details, including renovation and remodeling ideas, particularly where specialist advice is required during the renovation process on older buildings.
The basic requirements to be an interior designer:
You have to have well developed sewing and measuring skills, as well as a deep knowledge of the color palette, and drawing and architectural skills. More and more nowadays, these skills must not only be with a pen and paper, but also with a computer. Generally, some knowledge of art history is appreciated, especially when working on renovation and restoration projects on older buildings where the client wants to evoke characteristics of the building’s age and style.
Interior Design Education Requirements:
Associate degree or bachelor’s degree is a requirement for working at entry level in many interior design practices. Interior Home Design often includes:
- Spatial planning
- Drawing
- Perspective
- Furniture design
- Color and fabric
- Work Environment
- Architecture
Lessons in psychology and ethics are required, as well as intensive training in computer-aided design (CAD).
Often people can earn a certificate or associate degree as an assistant to an interior designer, while those who earn their bachelor’s degree can usually be eligible for an internship program at a number of interior design practices. Training after formal education usually takes one to three years, and is often provided by a design company, firm or architectural furniture store.
However, there is nothing to stop you putting your Interior Home Design skills to use in your own home, or those of your friends and family!
See Also:
