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An interior/spatial designer is involved in the original design or renovation of internal spaces, including structural alterations and the eventual colour scheme, furniture and furnishings.
Designs and feasibility studies are produced for businesses, hotels and domestic properties, and the designer oversees the project from beginning to end.
Interior/spatial designers work in a range of different settings.
The job combines an understanding of aesthetics with the efficient and functional use of space. Some designers, particularly in the commercial and domestic markets, are concerned solely with the appearance, rather than the structure, of the interior, including furnishings, wallpaper and colour schemes.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work --- Jobs Components/ Activities |
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Global |
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Projects may take place in a range of settings:
- residential developments;
- hotels;
- shop interiors;
- museums and civic buildings;
- office spaces;
- industrial premises;
- private homes;
- listed buildings;
- historically important buildings and structures;
- concert halls;
- ships and aircraft.
Typical work activities include:
- acquiring key information about potential projects, discussing requirements in more detail with clients, and setting project schedules;
- understanding individual clients' needs, generating aesthetic ideas based on these, and establishing final briefs;
- negotiating project fees;
- conducting feasibility studies for projects;
- influencing clients' decisions;
- surveying buildings;
- researching, recording and analysing information;
- considering materials and costs according to set budgets;
- preparing detailed working drawings and designs, plans, models and schemes, often using computer-aided design (CAD) software;
- providing samples for clients;
- placing contracts;
- supervising work at the design stage and on-site;
- working closely with quantity surveyors to establish costs and work schedules, architects to determine the best use of space, manufacturers and construction workers;
- identifying new business and selling your services;
- keeping up to date with new developments in the design industry.
- schedules, architects to determine the best use of space, manufacturers and construction workers;
- identifying new business and selling your services;
- keeping up to date with new developments in the design industry.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work --- Personal Profile |
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Global |
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Key personal Traits for this type fo career: |
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Attention to detail |
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Good hand eye co-ordination |
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Aptitude for order |
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Ability for setting and working to deadlines |
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flexibility in hours of work |
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Ability to work under own steam |
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Ability to work in all weather conditions |
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Physically fit |
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Ascertaining risk |
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Ability to work under pressure |
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- - Entry Qualifications |
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UK |
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Entry to professional interior or spatial design usually requires a relevant degree or HND. In particular, the following subjects may increase your chances:
- interior design;
- 3-D design;
- fashion and textile design;
- graphic design/illustration;
- fine art/visual art;
- landscape architecture;
- architecture.
Entry without a degree or HND is possible for candidates with significant experience and creative flair.
Pre-entry postgraduate qualifications are not needed, but specialist courses do exist and may be helpful. Taking a course in an area such as soft furnishings or upholstery could be useful. In other cases, employers may be attracted to candidates who are experienced in sculpture, fashion design, or other creative fields.
Voluntary or part-time work is usually necessary to gain some prior experience and build work portfolios, and awareness of the field is vital if applications for full-time work are to be successful.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
- creativity and imagination;
- considerable product knowledge, for planning schemes;
- familiarity with computer-aided design (CAD) packages;
- a high level of technical knowledge;
- good technical drawing skills, including perspective drawing and 3-dimensional awareness;
- knowledge of the wider construction and design industries;
- good negotiating and management skills;
- a good understanding of health and safety requirements;
- organisational skills;
- self-discipline;
- flexibility;
- business and marketing skills.
Few graduates/applicants are lucky enough to be offered work from their degree shows. You will need to network and take advantage of opportunities. Make as many contacts as possible during your studies and work experience, as you may need to call on these to kick-start your career. Use Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Wales, the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to identify training courses, designers and studio groups. Joining The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) is a good way to meet and make contact with established designers.
The demand for good interior designers is steadily rising, although competition remains fierce. Selection is often based on a portfolio that showcases the applicant's design talent as well as capacity to get involved in a range of different projects. It is unusual for employers to offer traineeships - speculative approaches are strongly advised. Many designers take other jobs before getting design work.
Few graduates/applicants are lucky enough to be offered work from their degree shows. You will need to network and take advantage of opportunities. Make as many contacts as possible during your studies and work experience, as you may need to call on these to kick-start your career. Use Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Wales, the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to identify training courses, designers and studio groups. Joining The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) is a good way to meet and make contact with established designers.
The demand for good interior designers is steadily rising, although competition remains fierce. Selection is often based on a portfolio that showcases the applicant's design talent as well as capacity to get involved in a range of different projects.
It is unusual for employers to offer traineeships - speculative approaches are strongly advised. Many designers take other jobs before getting design work.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- Training |
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UK |
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Many artists and designers recognise the need to enhance or consolidate existing skills and learn new ones. Developing in this way enables them to open up new areas of expertise or produce better quality work within their own specialisation. Training is widely considered to be a good way of developing your career.
Short courses are run by some colleges of further education and in the private sector - check availability in your local area. Relevant professional bodies may also publicise useful opportunities.
All large consultancies offer on-the-job training and some may also offer a variety of courses on topics such as:
- improving computer skills;
- enhancing negotiation, selling and marketing skills;
- production techniques;
- photography;
- desktop publishing.
Continuing professional development (CPD) courses may cover product innovations and developments, which provide essential up-to-date knowledge of the industry.
Further study also provides the opportunity to experiment, diversify or obtain the specialist knowledge required to progress. Postgraduate degrees and diplomas are available in specialised areas of interior design and related subjects.
Designers interested in running their own practice often benefit from some training in managing small businesses.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- - Career Progression |
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UK |
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Typically, interior designers spend the first five to ten years of their career developing and building on existing skills and knowledge and gaining further experience. From here, there is no definite or structured career path and the extent and speed of career progression depends upon the setting (there are fewer opportunities for promotion in small consultancies and practices) and the initiative and skill of the individual, although luck can also play a part if you happen to be in the right place at the right time.
Newly qualified designers tend to work alongside more experienced colleagues. Shadowing someone senior in the industry and assisting with, and being allocated, small-scale jobs can lead to more responsibility, depending on your performance, aptitude and dedication.
Specialisations and further professional qualifications can enhance your chances of promotion and a move from the public to the private sector is possible, just as is setting up your own business or becoming a partner in a consultancy.
Building portfolio of the projects and designs that you have worked on is absolutely essential and becomes even more so if you are self-employed. Building your own website where you can feature completed projects is becoming more necessary, particularly if you are running your own business.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- - Salary/Wages Structure |
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UK |
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- Range of typical starting salaries: £16,000 - £22,000 (salary data collected Dec 06).
- Range of typical salaries at senior level/with experience (e.g. after 10-15 years in the role): £28,000 - £60,000+ (salary data collected Dec 06).
- Salaries vary widely and depend to a large extent upon location, reputation and contacts. It is sometimes possible to command high earnings, particularly when there is involvement with high-profile 'prestige' projects.
- Freelance designers charge anything from £30 per hour upwards (salary data collected Dec 06).
- Working hours typically include regular extra hours but not shifts.
- Evening and weekend work should be expected. Since the designer's role is often integral to a larger construction and development process, flexibility with working hours is an accepted norm.
- Most interior/spatial designers work in studios, which in most cases are attractive, comfortable and well-equipped. Self-employed designers often work from home or from a rented studio.
- Smart dress is usually the norm but there is an acceptance of individuality in appearance and behaviour. On-site work requires appropriate dress, which may include a hard hat and overalls.
- Working to completion dates and budgets may be stressful. Some designers develop their reputation by the precision of their time and budget planning.
- Part-time work is possible.
- Self-employment and freelance work are commonly possible. Building a reputation first, leads to greater success.
- This is largely a male-orientated profession although equal numbers of men and women enter degree courses.
- Jobs are available in most parts of the UK, and tend to 'follow' concentrations of activity in the broader construction industry. There is a predominance of specialist consultancies in the South East.
- Travel within a working day is frequent as is absence from home at night - many designers visit exhibitions and trade fairs to keep up with the latest trends. There are occasional opportunities for overseas work or travel.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- - Typical Employers |
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UK |
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Interior and spatial designers typically work for architectural practices or design consultancies (interior or multidisciplinary). Many are also self-employed, although it is uncommon to set up your own business without first getting experience and building up a reputation and list of contacts.
Potential clients may be in the public sector, or in private industry and commerce, and include:
- companies in the hotel and leisure industries;
- local government bodies;
- retailers;
- theatre, TV and film companies.
Interior designers may also be employed by the rail and air industries. Increasingly, however, more opportunities exist working for domestic customers in the expanding field of house interiors. This may include the restoration and/or maintenance of historically important buildings.
Retail outlets selling soft furnishings, wallpapers, paints, etc., employ in-house designers/customer advisers with creative flair, although the route into these positions is often via the sales floor and not through formal qualifications in interior design.
Vacancy Sources
- Campaign;
- Design Week;
- Crafts;
- Architects' Journal;
- Architectural Review;
- Drapers;
- Creative Review;
- The Guardian.
Useful directories include:
- The Pocket Design Directory;
- Directory of Design Consultants.
Design directories will help you to identify design companies to target with a speculative CV or personal call. Recruitment agencies sometimes handle vacancies.
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- - - Recommended Reading - Publications |
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UK |
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Directory of Design Consultants
AGCAS
- Fashion and Textile Sector, AGCAS Sector Briefing, Biennial
- Handling Discrimination, AGCAS Information Booklet, Biennial
- Options with Fine Art, AGCAS Options Series, Biennial
- Options with Graphic Design, AGCAS Options Series, Biennial
Other
- Architects' Journal, EMAP, Weekly
- Architectural Review, EMAP, Monthly
- Campaign, Haymarket Publishing Ltd, Weekly
- Crafts, Crafts Council, Bi-monthly
- The Creative Handbook, Reed Business Information, published annually
- Creative Review, Centaur Media plc, Monthly
- Design Week, Centaur Media plc, Weekly
- Directory of Designers, The Design Council, published annually
- Drapers, EMAP Retail, Weekly
- The Guardian, Guardian Newspapers Ltd, Daily
- Interior Design Handbook, CMP United Business Media, 22nd edition
- The Pocket Design Directory, Janvier Publishing Ltd, 2002
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work -- -- Industry Organisations |
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UK |
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Key Professional Bodies: |
Addresses
Arts Council England
14 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 3NQ
Tel: 0845 300 6200
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
77 Malone Road, Belfast BT9 6AQ
Tel: 028 9038 5200
www.artscouncil-ni.org
Arts Council of Wales
9 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3NX
Tel: 02920 376 500
www.artswales.org.uk
Association of Illustrators (AOI)
2nd Floor Back Building, 150 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AR
Tel: 020 7613 4328
www.theaoi.com
The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD)
1 Cedar Court, Royal Oak Yard, Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3GA
Tel: 020 7357 8088
www.csd.org.uk
Crafts Council
44a Pentonville Road, Islington, London N1 9BY
Tel: 020 7278 7700
www.craftscouncil.org.uk
Design Nation
41 Commercial Rd, London E1 1LA
Tel: 020 7320 2895
www.designnation.co.uk
The British Interior Design Association (BIDA)
3/18 Chelsea Harbour Design Centre, Lots Road, London SW10 0XE
www.bida.org
Scottish Arts Council (SAC)
12 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7DD
Tel: 0131 226 6051
www.scottisharts.org.uk |
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| Interior [ Spatial] Designer Work --- - Case Study |
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Mrs Xxxx - Interior Designer
I have always had an eye for the design and a feel for the general layout of a room. As my children were growing up, I made a little name for myself amongst my friends and my peers as being able to offer advice on designs and colours for interior decoration in their home. Bit by bit, I managed to build up contacts in the fabric and paint industries, and I knew where to look for special pieces of furniture. When my children finally left home, I decided I wanted to go back to work, and to re-train as an interior designer. I studied for a Diploma in Interior Design and Decoration at the KLC School of Design.
It was hard going back to school after so many years of being a house-wife, but I found the institution really supportive. I also learnt a lot about the interior decoration aspect of interior design. My fellow students were great as well and many of them took time out to help me understand the more modern business methods! In fact, this is what I enjoyed most about the course; being able to understand the 'creative brief' and relating this to a budget!
When I finished the course I was, in a sense, better off than many of my colleagues. I already had an excellent business support structure built up through my friends. At the beginning, I did not have the financial pressures on me that a younger graduate may have and I was happy obtaining private clients through word of mouth, rather than proactive marketing.
Now, I have to make much more of an effort and I attend trade shows and gallery openings where I can pick up new contacts and look for new clients. Most of my clients tend to be domestic house owners looking to re-do their living space. I can relate to many of the briefs, which definitely helps to build an understanding of what the client wants.
The thing that I enjoy most about my work is being invited to walk into a space, seeing the potential then matching that potential to a brief and a budget. The best feeling in the world is to see that space transformed and see how that benefits a person and their family.
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