Nelson College
Interior Designer Kaitātai o-Roto
Interior designers plan, design, decorate and furnish spaces in residential, commercial, retail and leisure environments.
Interior designers may do some or all of the following:
- discuss design ideas and provide advice to clients
- analyse clients' requirements
- plan and design building interiors, rooms, shops, and residential and leisure spaces
- plan interior infrastructure such as lighting, air-conditioning and communication cabling
- prepare drawings, samples and decorating instructions
- advise on hiring tradespeople
- design furniture or fittings
- buy and arrange furniture and fittings
- work with architects and other contractors.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for interior designers includes:
- any work related to rebuilding or refitting building interiors
- industrial design or other design work
- architecture or architectural draughting work.
Personal Qualities
Interior designers need to be:
- imaginative and creative
- accurate, with an eye for detail
- good communicators
- persuasive and able to negotiate
- able to relate to a wide range of people
- able to inspire confidence in their clients
- able to accept criticism.
Skills
Interior designers need to have knowledge of:
- past and present styles of architecture, design and decorating
- interior materials such as paint, fabrics and glass
- building regulations
- how to analyse a client's requirements and create a design to fit
- design, drawing and presentation skills.
Conditions
Interior designers:
- usually work regular business hours, but may need to work evenings and weekends to meet deadlines
- work in design studios and on-site at private, public and commercial properties.
Subject Recommendations
NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. Useful subjects include history of art, design and visual communication (graphics), maths, physics, and painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking combined.
Interior Designers can earn around $55K-$95K per year.
Pay for interior designers varies depending on experience and where they work.
- Interior designers with up to seven years' experience usually earn between $55,000 and $95,000 a year.
- Senior interior designers with more than seven years' experience can earn between $90,000 and $120,000.
Source: Hays, 'Hays Salary Guide FY 23-24', 2023.
Interior designers may progress to set up their own interior design business, or move into management roles.
Interior designers may specialise in:
- commercial or residential work
- colour consulting
- feng shui design
- kitchens
- lighting
- room styling
- home staging for real estate sales.
Years Of Training
3 years of training usually required.There are no specific requirements to become an interior designer. However, employers usually prefer you to have a Bachelor's degree in interior architecture, interior design, industrial design or spatial design.
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