Exciting Career Options in Interior Design

Today, there are a number of unique schools of thought in commercial, residential, and industrial design. One interior designer might concentrate on providing comforting, healing paint colors for use in a health care facility. Another designer rides the current trend of introducing ancient Eastern design principles into a high-end home or condominium. A third might direct the arrangement of machinery in a production facility to ensure that workers are protected from toxic levels of noise or pollutants.

Interior Design: Specialities, Famous Designers, and Design Capitals

In addition to residential and commercial interior design, related specialties include historical restorations of Colonial, Victorian, Craftsman, Gothic, Italian, French, or Modern homes, bed and breakfast inns, hotels, office buildings, and more. You may even decide to employ feng shui, the 3,000-year-old Chinese practice of balancing the interior features of a space to enhance emotional and physical health.

Interior designers take jobs all around the country, however the more-famous designers are located in Milan, Rome, Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. Famous interior designers of the last century include Nina Campbell, Rachel Ashwell, Mauro Lipparini, and Ron Arad.

Training as an Interior Designer

If you are interested in joining this diverse and growing career field, then you may want to consider pursuing training at an interior design school. Interior design schools offer a wide array of skill building opportunities in a variety of specialties.

For example, you might complete your career training with foundation skills in both commercial interior design and residential interior design, moving intuitively into a specialized niche in the industry after working a few years. You might design extensively for restaurants and the hospitality industry. Or you may choose to work with high-end clients in designing interiors of vacation homes, airplanes, or yachts.

Coursework can include illustration, drawing, computer-assisted design software, perspective, aesthetics, business ethics, and more. Core skills for the trade are in:

• Project Management, proposals, business communication
• Customer and client relations
• Building codes and requirements
• History of interior design and architecture
• Interior design materials (fabrics, stones, wood, textiles, colors, tiles, window treatments, ornamental horticulture, and more)
• Design software.

Interior designers typically apprentice with design or architectural firms for several years, gaining invaluable experience and working toward their certifications with The National Council for Interior Design Qualification or The National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Interior Design Jobs and Career Pathways

More recently, interior designers are returning to school for classes in environmental or green design, learning about interior furnishings and elements that have a small carbon footprint or help conserve the use of home heating and air conditioning.

After you complete interior design school, you can also consider taking jobs in the entertainment or supply industries. For example, you could work as a set designer for broadcast and film, or work in showrooms, home furnishings, or building supply stores as specialist in furniture, lighting, accessories, carpeting, or wall/window treatments.

In addition to diverse career opportunities, interior design remains a growing industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2008, the median salary for interior designers was $44,950, with top salaries reaching over $80,000 per year.

If you are a working professional looking to join the interior design field, you may want to pursue an education through online schools that offer interior design degree programs. Online education programs allow you to study at your own pace, on your own time, allowing you to complete professional development as you continue in your current career field.