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.

Also Known As:

Certified Kitchen Designer Color and Materials Designer Commercial Interior Designer Decorating Consultant Designer Interior Decorator Interior Design Consultant Interior Design Coordinator Interior Designer Registered Interior Designer

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Interior Designers in United States

Job Outlook Average

New job opportunities are likely in the future

United States 2034 Projected Employment

89,900

3% Change From 2024

Explore Interior Designers video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Research health and safety code requirements to inform design.
Research health and safety code requirements to inform design.
Inspect construction work on site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
Confer with client to determine factors affecting planning of interior environments, such as budget, architectural preferences, purpose, and function.
Review and detail shop drawings for construction plans.
Estimate material requirements and costs, and present design to client for approval.
Subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, art work, furniture, and related items.
Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
Select or design, and purchase furnishings, art work, and accessories.
Coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
Formulate environmental plan to be practical, esthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity or selling merchandise.
Select or design, and purchase furnishings, art work, and accessories.
Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
Research and explore the use of new materials, technologies, and products to incorporate into designs.
Estimate material requirements and costs, and present design to client for approval.
Plan and design interior environments for boats, planes, buses, trains, and other enclosed spaces.
Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
Render design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.
Design spaces to be environmentally friendly, using sustainable, recycled materials when feasible.
Formulate environmental plan to be practical, esthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity or selling merchandise.

Subject areas you may need to master.

History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.

Average Education Attained

Highest level of education earned by people in this career.

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