Making a House a Home!

Alternative Careers | October 22, 2010 | Share

Interior designing is not a career you can just jump into after you have tried your hand at a few other things in the market and decided that you have a creative bent of mind and maybe you should try designing the homes of people for a living. Becoming an interior designer takes skill and a lot of theoretical and practical learning. If you want to be a designer that is well conversant with all the aspects of interior design then you have to study, pick a course that is well reputed and spend a few years honing your skills.

Interior designing is a fast changing profession. There was a time when only large corporate offices, restaurant and hotels hired the services of an interior designer to doll up their space. However today the opportunities are tremendous and interior designers can brand out to becoming visual merchandisers and independent designers for a variety of different kinds of projects. Since the times have changed and everyone wants to create a difference right from where they live to way they work, they are not shying away from employing the services of an expert.

If you want to be a interior designer that is well respected in the field you should pay attention to the following tips:

Skill: You are nothing without your work. So the first step towards becoming an interior designer is learning everything you need to know about the profession. You can start by focussing on current trends, inspiration from ancient trends, technological advancements and knowledge about materials. You have to be familiar with all aspects of the buildings you may need to work with, from offices to restaurants to hotels to homes. Depending on the niche you pick your focus should be on learning everything you can about that particular surrounding.

Contractors: The contractors are going to be your best friends and therefore from the very beginning of your career you have to choose contractors you can trust, those who will use only the best quality materials and will not cheat you. You have to build a relationship with them that can last for life. When you have a good set of contractors by your side, you can be sure that your clients will be happy.

Portfolio and marketing: If you are going to branch out independently you have to have a portfolio. If you do not have any clients under your belt yet, you should do up your home and add it in along with other projects you may have done in school. You also need to market yourself constantly. Today with a number of social networking sites available you can easily build contacts and communicate the presence of your services. networking is key in this profession.

Career Opportunities: Depending on the skills you have inculcated through school you can either look at acquiring a position at an interior design firm, in the art direction team of film production house or you could even branch out independently and provide interior designing services yourself.

The world is changing and it is becoming very environmentally conscious and that’s why interior designer who can take care of aspects that protect the environment are preferred. A new breed of designers known at interior redesigners are also taking the market by storm as they help homeowners save money by stylizing already existing furniture.

Yash Agarwal