Interior Design & Decorating
Certificate INTD05
Arts, Design & Creativity
Learning Method: Correspondence with online support

Career opportunities include: Interior Designer, Interior Decorator, Colour Consultant, Events Designer. Further study can lead to Interior Architect.

Industries include: private individuals and all businesses.

Interior Designers

An interior designer can be described as a person who creates a functional and quality interior environment. This person can identify, research and creatively address issues to provide a healthy, safe and comfortable physical environment. An interior designer has an understanding of people’s behaviour and applies this to create functional spaces within the structures.

Interior designers are responsible for a wide variety of tasks including:

• organising a space for efficiency and to suit its function
• talking to clients and architects to work out client needs and intentions
• developing designs that are appropriate, functional and aesthetically pleasing
• preparing working drawings and specifications for interior construction, materials, finishes, space planning, lighting and furnishings
• estimating costs of materials, labour and time, and giving estimates to clients for approval
• making sure that designs meet building and safety codes
• organising supplies and instructing tradespeople, and inspecting the work.
  

An interior designer is also responsible selecting and specifying fixtures, lighting, furnishings, products, materials and colours. They can design homes, offices, shops, exhibitions, commercial display stands or stage, film and television production sets.

Interior designers may work alone as consultants or with a design group. They visit clients in their homes and offices, and can work days, evenings or on weekends depending on the nature of their role. They usually work for clients on an agreed fee basis.

Interior Decorators

If you thought that an interior decorator was the same thing as an interior designer you would be mistaken.

Interior decorators are primarily concerned with surface decoration: paint and colour schemes, fabric, furnishings, lighting and other materials. Decoration is often characterised as the furnishing or adorning of a space with appropriate—often fashionable or attractive—objects.

Of course, interior designers can also do these things because they learn how to, but they are usually occupied with more design-related issues and don’t have time for the adornments. For instance, on a project a designer might be busy considering the safety and flammability aspects of a carpet, along with the client’s budget. Then once the carpet is chosen the decorator might be responsible for liaising with the client on the style, colour, texture and pattern of the carpet.

Designing and Decorating

On large projects and within design teams you will find the roles of the interior designer and the interior decorator quite defined. However, with the smaller budgets of many home owners, businesses and retail outlets imposing cost constraints, overlaps in the job roles become quite commonplace. So, at the end of the day, it is definitely an advantage for:

• an interior designer to have the decorative eye and creative touch of the decorator; and
• for an interior decorator to have some design knowledge and skills to underpin their role.