Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
Interior Designers
Interior Designers plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings. Design interior environments or create physical layouts that are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purposes. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
Table of contents
What they do
Interior Designers plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings. Design interior environments or create physical layouts that are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purposes. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
- Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
- Inspect construction work on-site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
- Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Interior Designers use computer-aided drafting (cad) and related software to produce construction documents. They coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
A typical day for an Interior Designer will also include:
- Advise client on interior design factors such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
- Subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, artwork, furniture, and related items.
- Plan and design interior environments for boats, planes, buses, trains, and other enclosed spaces.
- Formulate an environmental plan to be practical, esthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity or selling merchandise.
- Design spaces to be environmentally friendly, using sustainable, recycled materials when feasible.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Interior Designers also select or design, and purchase furnishings, artworks, and accessories. They may also review and detail shop drawings for construction plans.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Interior Designers advise clients on interior design factors such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination. They might also render design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.
In addition, they estimate material requirements and costs, and present the design to the client for approval.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them research and explore the use of new materials, technologies, and products to incorporate into designs.
To some Interior Designers, it is also their responsibility to inspect construction work on-site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
72% said they were satisfied with their job and 54% said they found their job meaningful.
Being an interior designer is a creative, collaborative, and social job. We get to work with many different types of clients on all kinds of projects, which makes for a really interesting career because there is so much variety in who we are interacting with and what we are doing in our day-to-day. At Mancini, … Read More
Being an interior designer is a demanding job that requires you to multitask. You need to be able to have a creative vision for a space and the organization to follow through with bringing that vision to life. Being an interior designer is about more than just making a room pretty. You need to think … Read More
I have a passion for all things design so for me, it’s like playing all day – I can’t get enough. I meet and help a lot of people utilizing creative ideas that transform their homes and lifestyle. Similar to creating a work of art, design is a journey of artistic exploration that unfolds to … Read More
Pros
Suitable for people who like to work with designs.
Suitable for people who value achievements and are results-oriented.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
Good salary (earns more than 50% of the careers out there).
Cons
Not suitable for people who like to follow routines.
It is hard to get into this career. A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Interior Designers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $33,020 to $43,570 per year or $16 to $21 per hour.
Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
---|---|---|
Highest (Top 10%) | $97,920 | $47 |
Senior (Top 25%) | $74,720 | $36 |
Median | $57,060 | $27 |
Junior (Bottom 25%) | $43,570 | $21 |
No experience (Bottom 10%) | $33,020 | $16 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Interior Designers based on their average annual salary.
Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
---|---|---|
Federal Executive Branch | $85300 | $41.01 |
Management of Companies and Enterprises | $71310 | $34.28 |
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $68000 | $32.69 |
State Government | $67910 | $32.65 |
Building Equipment Contractors | $67670 | $32.54 |
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $67390 | $32.40 |
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $67160 | $32.29 |
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses | $67140 | $32.28 |
Employment Services | $66650 | $32.05 |
Warehousing and Storage | $65850 | $31.66 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Interior Designers work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Interior Designers including the average salary in that industry.
Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
---|---|---|---|
Specialized Design Services | 20880 | $59840 | $28.77 |
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 14950 | $68000 | $32.69 |
Furniture Stores | 3800 | $52820 | $25.39 |
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods | 3650 | $61170 | $29.41 |
Residential Building Construction | 2990 | $56240 | $27.04 |
Building Material and Supplies Dealers | 2510 | $54070 | $25.99 |
Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1750 | $71310 | $34.28 |
Home Furnishings Stores | 1730 | $53280 | $25.62 |
Building Finishing Contractors | 780 | $54430 | $26.17 |
Real Estate | 680 | $59110 | $28.42 |
What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
How often do you use email in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Group discussions
How often do you have group discussions in this job?
Public speaking
How often does this job require you to do public speaking?
Level of competition
How much competitive pressure is in this job?
What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant majors
Interior Design
Design for Human Health
Textile Science
Facilities Planning and Management
Healthcare Environment Design/Architecture
Interior Architecture
Relevant work experience
How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?
On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like working with forms, designs, and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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