A Complete Guide to an Interior Design Profession and Education

Interior Design is a field involving the application of multiple skills. Interior design can also offer exciting career opportunities for qualified professionals. Interior designers may work for individual owners, or large corporations. The need for interior design is ongoing.

What is Interior Design?

Interior Design is predominantly concerned with the decoration, color, and materials use in the creation of living and working spaces. This is different from contractors who are generally concerned with implementing ideas from a functional standpoint. An interior designer is a knowledgeable professional in the art of decorating a room, the needs and best practices for specific types of living spaces and workspaces, and is also knowledgeable of the materials that aid in that. Often Interior Designers work in conjunction with the contractors who implement designs.

• What does an Interior Designer Do? – Questions & Answers
• What is Interior Design? – Information & Licensing Requirements
• Interior Design – What it is and what it isn’t
• Universal Design – Homebuilding Topics
• How Ergonomics Affects Design – A critical analysis of Ergonomics

Interior Design Career Outlook

The average Salary for interior design varies from around 31,000 to 58,000 annually. Interior Designers work in many places from retail to commercial building. A retail Interior Designer may also engage in sales of furniture, or decorations. A commercial Interior Designer would be familiar with blue prints and work with architects to include design elements into the plans for buildings.

• Interior Design Profession – Average Salary & Typical Responsibilities
• Interior Design As A Profession – A Career Overview
• Interior Design – Career Overview

Professional Organizations & Associations

There are certain organizations, and associations dedicated to Interior Design Professionals, and the Interior Design Industry. These include the Interior Design Society, The International Interior Design Association, and others. The following are organizations and associations for interior design professionals.

• ILDA – The International Interior Design Association
• Interior Design Organizations – An Overview
• Organizations or Interior Designers – From Stephen F Austin University
• ASID – The American Society of Interior Designers
• CID – Certified Interior Designers International
• Interior Designers of Canada – A Canada Wide Organization for Interior Design Professionals
• Flooring Interior Design Resource - Flooring Interior Design Resource

Education & Accredited Programs

Interior Design is a very multifaceted occupation, requiring some skill in a variety of fields. Having the right education is important both to providing acceptable results as well as being recognized as a professional. There are accredited programs that provide the unique skill set needed by the interior design professional.

• Regulatory Agencies – Agencies Overseeing Interior Design Licensing
• Interior Designer – Licensing Guidelines
• IDEC – The Interior Designers Education Council
• Accredited Programs – From the Council for Interior Design Accreditation
• National Council for Interior Design Qualification – Working to Qualify Interior Design Professionals
• Interior Design – Degree Requirements