America’s Career Infonet and the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (2008-2009 edition) give detailed information about the skills, abilities, work activities and recommended education for interior designers.
According to America’s Career Infonet, job openings for interior designers across the nation are expected to increase a whopping 24 percent in Texas through the year 2016.
Interior designers averaged an hourly rate of $18.36 in Texas in 2007, or a median annual salary of $38,200, with the top 90 percent making $64,400 per year. Salaries vary widely depending on the size and scope of the business, as well as your accumulated experience and qualifications. Find out more about Careers in Interior Design.
Interior designers plan the spaces of almost every type of building, including:
- Airport terminals
- Corporate spaces
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Private residences
- Public buildings
- Restaurants
- Schools
- Shopping malls
- Theaters
|
Drawing upon architecture, product design and aesthetics, interior designers must understand how to work with architectural detailing, floor plans, construction codes and remodeling and renovation.
There is a wide range of disciplines within the career of interior design, including:
- Ability to promote your ideas
- Business discipline
- Computer technology
- Craft skills
- Presentation skills
- Sense of aesthetics
- Social skills
|
In general, an interior designer:
- Analyzes the client’s needs, goals and living and safety requirements;
- Integrates findings with knowledge of interior design;
- Formulates preliminary design concepts that are functional and aesthetic;
- Develops and presents final design recommendations by presentation;
- Prepares working drawings and specifications for interior construction, materials, finishes, space planning, furnishings, fixtures and equipment;
- Collaborates with other licensed practitioners in the technical areas of mechanical, electrical and load-bearing design as required for regulatory approval;
- Prepares and administers bids and contract documents as the client’s agent; and
- Reviews and evaluates design solutions during implementation and upon completion.
|
Working Conditions
There are a wide range of working conditions depending on the size and scope of the company. Large corporations often hire interior designers for regular day-to-day working hours, while designers for smaller firms usually work on a contract or per-job basis. Self-employed designers, representing about a quarter of all working professionals, must not only do the work but also generate the business by locating jobs and clients.
Interior designers must meet deadlines, stay on budget and deal effectively with a wide range of personalities and client demands. Work tends to involve a fair amount of travel to visit different locations, studios or clients’ homes and offices.