The Interior Design Career Lane

by Kris Mccreerys McCreery's Home Furnishings

What are you in for when you sign up for an interior design career? Interior design is a fusion of architecture, art and engineering. But this is not a career that is centered on mere furniture or fabric choice. An interior designer needs to be able to read blueprints, comprehend electric codes and be able to speak with confidence to contractors.

A designer is the one that’s responsible in preparing interior construction designs that will suit the client’s budget and preference. Modern designers now use computer in planning the layout as well as architectural details. They also coordinate designs by picking furniture, color palettes, floor and window treatments.

There are many work environments for an interior designer. He can work in both the residential and commercial settings; many experienced professionals have specializations for certain settings such as restaurants, night clubs, even historic renovations. As a designer, you often need to join forces with electricians, architects and contractors.

Education Is A Requirement

College-level education is needful in order to begin working as an interior designer. Only very few clients want to trust a designer that does not have any kind of formal training.

If you want to begin right, a Bachelor’s degree is advisable. Right after graduation, an aspiring designer can begin his apprenticeship so that he can gain needful experience. Taking the national licensing examination or becoming a member of a professional association will greatly add to a designer’s trustworthiness.

More than 20 states now require interior designers to undergo the licensing procedure. The NCIDQ or National Council for Interior Design Qualification is the organization that is responsible for administering the licensing exam.

An applicant must have no lower than six years of experience and education in interior design. When you pass this exam, you will be given a Certified, Licensed or Registered Interior Designer title. Of course, as you progress in your interior design career, it is needful to have continuous education. It is also vital that you maintain your license by renewing as necessary.

Sectors for You to Join

As soon as you obtain your license, you can choose the sector that you will join. The residential sector is focused on home designing. This is a popular career option among designers because home design is what everyone thinks about the moment interior design is mentioned. Designers under this sector can be commissioned to stylize living rooms, master bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and other rooms of a house.

Home staging is quite new with only a few designers doing it at the moment. In this sector, a home is staged through redesigning, and all this is done so that the house can become presentable to potential buyers.

The corporate sector is all about the design of banks, offices and other places for business. This is a challenging sector to delve in since you have to make a room look formal enough but not too much else it takes the comfort out of the picture. This might also require that you have a thorough knowledge of electronic appliances and telecommunications.

The healthcare sector is all about the design of nursing centers, clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices, surgery rooms, laboratories, outpatient departments, and other healthcare facilities. A designer in this sector must have a specialization certificate and should have ample knowledge of the industry that he is designing for.

The hospitality sector, on the other hand, focuses on designing restaurants, hotels, cafes, banquet halls, convention centers and health clubs. You need to be highly creative to become a designer in this sector. There are a lot of factors to look into such as comfort, aesthetics, and functionality.

There are many ways that you can earn a living when you embrace an interior design career. It is up to you to choose the path that you would tread.