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Interior designers or decorators enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces. Their main concerns are with how different colors, textures, furniture, lighting and space work together to meet the needs of a building’s occupants.
Designers plan interior spaces of almost every type of building:
- offices
- airport terminals
- theaters
- shopping malls
- restaurants
- hotels
- schools
- hospitals
- private residences
Good design can boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase a building’s market value. Traditionally, most interior designers focused on decorating—choosing a style and color palette and then selecting appropriate furniture, floor and window coverings, artwork, and lighting. However, an increasing number of designers are becoming involved in architectural detailing, such as crown molding and built-in bookshelves, and in planning layouts of buildings undergoing renovation, including helping to determine the location of windows, stairways, escalators, and walkways.
Interior designers must be able to read blueprints, understand building and fire codes, and know how to make space accessible to people who are disabled. Designers frequently collaborate with architects, electricians, and building contractors to ensure that designs are safe and meet construction requirements.
How long will it take?
Post-secondary education, especially a bachelor’s degree, is recommended for entry-level positions in interior design. Amarillo College offers an associate’s degree in two years or a certificate program that takes just 27 semester hours.
How much will you earn?
Median annual earnings in 2006 were $42,260.
Where can you work?
About a quarter of all interior designers are self-employed. Others work in architectural and landscape companies, furniture and home furnishing stores and construction companies.
AC can help you get there!
