Introduction - Have you ever seen a beautiful house or office building and wondered who did the work? Have you ever wished that you could do some of the work that you’ve seen elsewhere? Many people wonder what it would be like to be an Interior Designer, but they rarely ever go beyond thinking about it.

If you really want to know if Interior Design is right for, this book will be your comprehensive guide to the ins and outs of the business. In this book, you will learn what it takes to be an Interior Designer, what it costs to get certified, you will get all the techniques on how to get started, and much, much more.

01. What does it take? - When trying to decide if Interior Design is right for you, it helps to know what that really means. Interior Design is not simply the profession that “makes rooms and places pretty”; it takes a little bit more than that. You need to know how to do some of the technical aspects of design also. Some of these technical things include:

Designing and reading blueprints: This is particularly for the projects that require a great change in the area’s structure like wall removal etc. This is also required in order to make additional rooms, build gazebos, and adding extra rooms.

02. Creative - Creativity is a subtle, but important quality to have when considering interior design as a profession. Much of your advancement will depend on your ability to be original in your creative efforts to design any space. Clients will always want to keep a designer that can offer them something that nobody else has.

You will also need to be able to turn whatever items that they already have into works of art. Sometimes clients do not want to change everything, or buy new furnishings and draperies; they simply want to make whatever they do have look and feel different. Creative thinking is the only thing that is going to help here.

03. Organized - Believe it or not, Interior Designers have to be extremely well organized to be able to handle all of the little details that go into doing a good job. You have to be able to keep track of your entire inventory, while keeping on top of other things also like, materials, tracking orders, employees, and making sure that you stay on or below the budget that your client set out for you.

• It is no easy feat to try and keep track of all the things that have to be done; especially when you’ve got people constantly surrounding you. You must monitor what everyone is doing and still manage to keep up on what you should be doing.

04. Problem Solving - The ability to problem solve is a necessity for an Interior Designer. As an Interior Designer, you will encounter glitches, and it is a must that you can deal with them. Many times, these glitches will need to be solved on the spot.
  
Your organizational skills will come in handy when you need to solve a problem as well. An organized workplace will help you to have an organized mind. Thoughts have a way of being cluttered when your work space is likewise.

05. Multitask - Most jobs require a good ability to multitask. None of these jobs requires it as much as Interior Design does. The reason for this is because Interior Designers are often doing more than one thing at a time. You can be giving instructions to your contractors, working with your assistant on the fabrics, all while explaining it your client. This can cause a little bit of stress, but if you are good at multitasking, it is not so bad.

If you are not particular good at multitasking, you need not worry. Some people have just never been put to the test as far as that’s concerned.

06. Personable - The ability to meet and associate yourself with people is a good and necessary skill when seeking to be an interior designer. Much of your job will require you to meet and convince people that you are the best person to design their space. A friendly, outgoing, and professional attitude is the easiest way to accomplish that.

• You must be able to speak to people at their level. Speaking above them is going to confuse your client; while speaking below them is insulting.

07. Versatile - The ability to be versatile and change with the times is a definite must. As Interior Designers are expected to be ahead of the pack when it comes to the newest trends and fads, your ability to change your current way of thinking will be critical to your success.

Most people hire Interior Designers so that they can keep up and stay modern. If the designer is only capable of sticking to the basics and originals, it will be a disastrous career as a designer.

08. Business Sense - As an Interior Designer, you will need to have a head for business. You will need to have the ability to estimate and put a value to your work. To do that correctly, you will have to calculate the cost of all materials, extra employee labor, furniture costs, paints etc. The ability to negotiate is going to be a priceless skill that you must have or be willing to learn.

• Negotiation is the key to almost all of your dealings as an interior designer. You will be negotiating with your clients, either to get them, or on budget requirements.

09. Types of Designers - Interior Designers rarely work in every field. It is common for them to pick areas to specialize in. By choosing a specialty, you can further enhance your skills and abilities in that mode of design. It will certainly make for a better portfolio, and will allow you the time to become an expert designer in that field. Here are some of the specialty fields that you can go into.

  Sometimes designers choose to specialize in residential areas, and sometimes they choose to specialize in commercial properties.

10. Residential - These designers do most of their work in people’s homes. They design various rooms inside and around the home. There is a lot of freedom in this type of field because clients generally let their designers have free reign to let their creativity create a beautiful space for them. You can do inside work, patios, guest houses, and even garages.

  Many Interior Designers prefer this type of work because it is less stressful, and the deadlines are usually a little bit more relaxed.

11. Commercial - Designers that specialize in commercial property and work do projects for businesses. The type of business varies greatly. You can do work for banks, hotels, restaurants, law firms; you name it. Any business that you can dream of is open to this specialty.
 
Good people skills and negotiation techniques are a vital aspect of this specialty as well. After all, you are dealing with business people. They respond well to a good business person. You could be required to design an office space, a hallway, lobby, and possibly and entire interior building. The possibilities are endless here.

12. Specialty - Choosing a specialty really depends on you. You really just need to ask yourself a few simple questions to really know which field might give you the most enjoyment.

13. Important to me - If you are very much inclined toward the creative aspect of interior design, you may prefer to be a residential designer. As stated above, you will likely have more freedom in doing homes than you would in designing professional structure. Many of the sub branches of specialty are better suited, but not restricted to residential designers. Much of your specialty will depend on your better interest.

14. Specialize - Once you have decided on what type of specialty you would prefer, you have to know what it takes to make that happen. Since creativity and interest are not the only requirements you will need to be an Interior Designer, you will also need to know what is needed in order to specialize.

  Education is the biggest and most useful tool when you choose to specialize.

15. Right for me? - There are many pros and cons to being an interior designer. To best understand whether or not you might be interested in being an interior designer you may want to explore these items listed below, and learn all that there is to know.

16. What do I need? - The first thing that you are going to need if you want to be an interior designer is the passion for it. You must ask yourself is whether or not designing homes and/or properties is something that you could feel passionate about. To find out ask, yourself these questions.

• Do you constantly rearrange the furniture in your own home? 
• Do you often have ideas about friends and families homes, and what would make them look better?

17. University - For a formal education in interior design, it is best to go to an accredited College or University. You must ask about this because some schools are not accredited and you will walk away from that school with a piece of paper that says that you took the course, but you will still not have the proper credentials. Therefore, you will not be a licensed designer. Here is a list of some of the courses you can expect to take if you choose to get certified as a designer.

18. Trade Schools - There are many trade schools out there that offer Interior Design as a course. Some of these schools are accredited and can give you the certification that you need. (Know that your credentials will not be as high or recognizable as those from a College or University) These schools do offer many of the same courses but they are condensed, and blended together to suit a shorter course duration.

19. Design Programs - Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of going to a school for Interior Design. Some may prefer to learn how to do it from the comfort of their own home. This method is not recommended if you are trying to become certified, but if you just want to get the basic knowledge that you are required to know, this method is fine.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of courses for interior design that are offered online. Finding one that has the right information you will want to learn will require some research on your part, but it’s not that difficult. Course prices for internet schools of design can start as low as $19.00 and go as high as $500.00.

20. Self Teaching - Teaching yourself to learn any field takes a lot of discipline and a great deal of interest. You have to be a motivated person and have the ability to focus solely on your task, but it can be done. There are many Interior Designers that are working without any formal education. They are simply going on intuition and talent. It is rare to learn all of the things that you need to know by teaching yourself, but it a possibility.

21. Necessity - Business cards are must haves. You should carry at least 20 of them daily.

• Carry your portfolio with you in your car. It makes for easy references in a pinch. (You never where your next client will turn up)
• Most recent issues of Design Magazines make for quick inspiration. (Not a bad way to pass time either)
• Measuring tape
• Paint and color swatches
• Wallpaper, and carpet sample books. Keep them in your car.
• A copy of your certifiable credentials (if applicable)

22. What can I Expect? - There is literally no limit to how much money you can earn as an Interior Designer. Of course a lot of that depends on what type of position you plan to have in the field as well. An assistant interior designer can start at $20.00 an hour, a certified interior designer can start anywhere from $50,000-$60,000 annually, and a partner can make as much as $200,000 annually.

     These are really general estimates, but they are as was listed in 2003 in Decorator’s Home Journal.

23. Getting Started - When you are just getting started in any business, you can expect to have to do a lot of leg work to get a clientele base. This is not easy, and requires a great deal of people skills from you. You will have to go out there and meet every person that you can think of.

You should expect to encounter a lot of rejection from consumers, as well as competition from other designers. Many times, a potential client will want to place your work and estimates against others.

24. Business - Starting any business is never simple, but it doesn’t have to be as complicated as many people think. A lot of what is needed is actually fun. You have to understand that much of starting any business requires you to be a salesman. You have to build yourself and your company up.

     You must get a business number and registration. You can check your government listings for the correct number. You must also check with your local accountant to see what needs to be done about taxes etc.

25. Portfolio - Ask Friend or family to let you design a room in their house, and take pictures of your work for the portfolio.

• Get your friends and family to write letters of recommendation for you or list themselves as references.
• A leather binder, or photo album can be used to hold all of this information until you have better resources.
• If you have them, copies of your credentials should be placed at the front of your portfolio to assure your future clients that you are qualified.

26. You need - Color swatches for paints and fabrics ( you can get many of them for free from local paint stores if you ask)

• Fabric samples are a necessity (you can get them for free from your local furniture store)
• Interior design magazines for client perusal (it helps them get an idea of what they like)
• Furniture catalogues (free from furniture dealers and retailers)
• Fine arts catalogue, get them from art galleries
• Kitchen and bathroom catalogues. Basically get catalogues from everybody that deals with furniture, art, and lighting stores

27. Tips on Pricing - Every Interior Designer has to learn how to price their services. You have to do this so that you can give proper estimates to your clients. This will be invaluable to you as a service provider.

     Many people find this to be a very difficult process because they don’t want to over price their clients, nor do they want to lose money on the deal. This can be very frustrating and stressful. However, if you know how to break down the costs it gets a lot easier, and helps you break it down to the client so that they are comfortable.

28. Finding Work - Not everyone that is interested in interior design will want to run their own business. Some would prefer to express their creativity while working for someone else. There are many places that you could work and still be an interior designer. I’ve made a list of places and jobs that you could do if starting your own business is just not right for you right now.

• Architectural Firm, you can read and create blueprints, draw up sample pieces, and create models.
• Design center Showroom: In this job, you get to design and arrange the items on the showroom floor. This is often in furniture stores, department store windows etc. it can be a lot of fun.

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