Interior Design vs Interior Decorator Tips

The Difference Between an Interior Decorator and An Interior Designer

You may have occasionally heard the terms for interior decorator and interior designer interchanged. However, there is a difference between the two titles. An interior decorator generally refers to someone who deals with finishes, surfaces, furniture, and wall coverings. An interior decorator may work in a variety of venues from a design showroom to a remodeling retail store. There is no government regulation regarding the work of an interior decorator. An interior designer is a more specialized career field, requiring a certain combined level of education, work experience, and licensing. An interior designer may create spaces for the inside of a commercial office building, design the lighting for a restaurant, or select the furnishings of a home. An interior designer may also deal with issues of safety like accessibility and building codes.

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Interior Decorating Courses

Wondering where you can get some hands on interiors experience by taking interior decorating courses? Look no farther than your local community college or university extension program. A community college or university extension program often has classes catered to the working adult or busy parent. You can choose from interior decorating courses online, in the evening, or on the weekend. Learn about topics like feng shui, home makeovers, lighting for the home, and accessories for residences. Even better, you'll find many of these interior decorating classes won't put a damper in your pocketbook!

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Professional Organization for Interior Decorators

Formed in 1997, Certified Interior Decorators International (C.I.D. at www.cidinternational.org) is a professional organization recognizing interior decorators as a valuable part of the design profession. With the changes in legislation over the years, the requirements to become an interior designer have become more stringent and regulated. This professional organization promotes the recognition of these changes by promoting the acknowledgement of interior decorating as a separate profession and promoting the responsibilities of an interior decorator outside of those normally performed by an interior designer.

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Finding a Job as an Interior Decorator

Finding a job as an interior decorator takes some time and effort, but if you know where to look, you'll be working in the field you've always wanted to in no time. Try these suggestions to help you get a job as an interior decorator.

• Go to one of the major job boards such as Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, or Hotjobs.com and do a search for a job as an interior decorator or a related field.

• Try visiting the Web site of a major home improvement store or remodeling showroom to see what their current hiring needs are. There might be a store or showroom in your area that is hiring someone in their interior decorating department.

• Get enough experience about the interior decorating field to open your own interior decorating business.

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Interior Decorator Career Options

Are you interested in jumping right into the world of interiors, but you're wondering what interior decorating career options are available to you? Most employers will look for someone with at least a few years of interior decorating experience, but you should be able to find some entry level positions in these interior decorator career options:

Custom window treatment design professional – As a custom window treatment design professional, you'll assist clients in the selection of draperies, shutters, and blinds for their home, based on the latest trends and styles. You'll need good communication skills and can earn a base pay with a commission.

Audio Visual Sales Associate – Do you prefer high tech sound systems and home entertainment equipment over fabrics and swatches? Consider becoming an audio visual sales associate. Become an expert on the newest high-tech equipment to bring music, movies, and television programming into the home. You'll need to feel comfortable with sales skills and have a strong interest in electronic products for the home.

Furniture Showroom Consultant – If you can put together a snazzy furniture ensemble in your head while assisting a customer with the decision between the baby blue micro suede sofa fabric or the cowhide vinyl, then consider a career as a furniture showroom consultant. Work with clients as they approach you for advice on what to put in their living room, bedrooms, and dining room.

Home Remodeling Decorator – As a home remodeling decorator, you can work with a range of retail locations within the home remodeling industry. Assist customers with paint selection for their new backyard gazebo, help them select the best window treatment for that new nursery, or explain the difference between bamboo flooring and Pergo.

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Information on Interior Design As a Career

Wondering what skills you need to be a successful interior designer? A career as an interior designer is certainly suited to someone with creative skills. If you can visualize a space and how it might be better, you can be a successful interior designer. If you have a good eye for materials, surfaces, and colors, you can be successful in interior design. However, interior design involves much more than just artistic ability. Not only do you have to be able to design a space, but you have to have excellent problem solving skills to create solutions with limited spatial constraints or budget restrictions. You have to have a sharp business sense and people skills to interact with clients, vendors, and members of your project team.

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Become a Visual Merchandiser

One career option for those of you who are interested in an interior decorator career is to become a visual merchandiser. As a visual merchandiser, you can create the concepts and implementation of displays for clothing stores, furniture stores, and other retail locations. In this exciting career field, you will create the store's brand image, attract more customer traffic, and guide the experience of the shopper as they browse through displays, racks and aisles. In order to become a visual merchandiser, you need creative skills, ability to conceptualize, and technical expertise in lighting, props, and set building. Having experience with retail sales and consumer buying trends would be helpful as well. This interior decorator career option has potential for salary growth over the years. Salaries start at $15,000 to $25,000 a year and go up with experience to over $60,000 per year.

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The Difference Between an Interior Decorator and An Interior Designer

You may have occasionally heard the terms for interior decorator and interior designer interchanged. However, there is a difference between the two titles. An interior decorator generally refers to someone who deals with finishes, surfaces, furniture, and wall coverings. An interior decorator may work in a variety of venues from a design showroom to a remodeling retail store. There is no government regulation regarding the work of an interior decorator. An interior designer is a more specialized career field, requiring a certain combined level of education, work experience, and licensing. An interior designer may create spaces for the inside of a commercial office building, design the lighting for a restaurant, or select the furnishings of a home. An interior designer may also deal with issues of safety like accessibility and building codes.

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An Interior Decorating Education

Getting an interior decorating education is not the same as getting an interior design education. To date, there are no official governing bodies regulating interior decorating. However, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation does give guideline requirements for interior design degree programs. You can find courses and programs for an interior decorating among art schools, community colleges, and correspondence programs. Although you do not need an interior decorating education to get a job in interior decorating, coursework and schooling would certainly be helpful. As an interior decorator, you'll likely deal more with the furnishings, fabrics, and surfaces that can be applied to a residence or commercial building as opposed to designing the spaces within them.

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An Interior Design Franchise

Have you always envisioned running your own interior decorator business? Perhaps you can coordinate custom silk drapes, designer bedding, and a matching area rug without batting an eye, but are hesitant on dealing with the business aspects. If so, consider purchasing an interior design franchise. You will gain the benefit of training, company support services, and a built-in business and marketing plan to work from. In addition, you run your own interior decorator business with an established brand name. If you are a self-motivated, goal oriented individual with a passion for design, an interior design franchise may be the next career move for you.

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The Difference Between an Interior Decorator and An Interior Designer

You may have occasionally heard the terms for interior decorator and interior designer interchanged. However, there is a difference between the two titles. An interior decorator generally refers to someone who deals with finishes, surfaces, furniture, and wall coverings. An interior decorator may work in a variety of venues from a design showroom to a remodeling retail store. There is no government regulation regarding the work of an interior decorator. An interior designer is a more specialized career field, requiring a certain combined level of education, work experience, and licensing. An interior designer may create spaces for the inside of a commercial office building, design the lighting for a restaurant, or select the furnishings of a home. An interior designer may also deal with issues of safety like accessibility and building codes.

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Furnishing Sales as an Interior Decorator Career

Maybe you can envision yourself in a furniture retail store or a showroom. You would love to be surrounded by fabric swatches, carpet samples, and furniture and lighting styles ranging from modern to traditional. If this is the case, consider furniture sales as an option for an interior decorator career. To work in furniture sales, you'll need good communication skills and have a flair for color and design. Many places will pay base salary and commission based on the amount of sales you conduct. This interior decorator career opportunity is perfect for those with an outgoing personality and eye for coordinating interior pieces.

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Flooring Estimator as an Interior Decorator Career

If explaining the finer points of beech wood vinyl flooring and wool blend cut pile carpet sounds intriguing to you, consider becoming a flooring estimator as an interior decorator career. You can choose from a variety of job possibilities as a flooring estimator in the construction industry, home remodeling centers, decorating services, and flooring shops. In this interior decorator career option, you'll price the finished product for the client, including labor and installation. You will have extensive knowledge of your product in order to make recommendations. You will also read floor plans and conduct measurement take-offs.

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