What does an Interior Designer do?
The interior design industry has a range of specialized fields and niches that go beyond simple design tasks of enhancing the quality and functionality of interior spaces.
As the industry keeps evolving, interior designers are redefining their roles in the profession, with many of them reassessing what it means to be a professional interior designer.
What exactly is the job of interior designers?
An interior designer’s job is basically to create interiors that are not only aesthetically pleasing with the use of decorative furnishings, colour schemes, lighting, and materials, but also to ensure that spaces are versatile, functional, efficiently laid out, and safe to live within.
Professional designers are also expected to be skilful in technical drawing and space planning and must be able to read blueprints, be aware of building codes, universally accessible standards, and inspection regulations.
Knowing how to use design software (CAD) is always an added advantage.
However, there is an ocean of career opportunities in the industry and a designer can become a specialist in a specific field and provide professional interior advice in any of these fields and there are many obvious reasons why choosing a special niche is preferred to becoming a Jack-of-all-trades.
The demand for professional interior design advice by homeowners, architects, the real estate industry, retailers, hotels, home improvement stores, restaurants, etc... has never waned and this demand is expected to continue to spur job growth for interior designers each year.
As a designer gains more experience and understanding of the business aspect of the trade, including managing clients and work teams, drawing up work schedules, projection plans, and relevant financial reports, he or she may decide to branch out into only one facet of the profession that is of more interest, and, provide interior design services for such.
Specialization differentiates professional interior designers from creative interior decorators or design enthusiasts. Specialized career niches in the interior design industry include the following services, in no particular order:
Residential interior design services
Commercial interior designing
Retail Design
Interior design consultancy services
Lighting design
Space planning consultant
Exhibit design
Sustainable design
Set Design.