CAREERS IN INTERIOR DESIGN

While there are many different careers in interior design and several exciting and rewarding career paths that an interior designer can chose to follow, quite often an interior designer will decide to specialize in more than one area of practice. Interior designers enjoy using their creativity, knowledge, and research skills, as well as their desire to be socially accountable, globally aware, and responsible to the environment, by designing a wide range of interior spaces including those found in hotels, restaurants, hospitals, nightclubs, stores, medical offices, showrooms, museums, shopping centers, health clubs, spas, libraries, and homes. The range of career options an interior designer might choose – and some of the types of projects involved in each area of practice – are listed below and expanded in our comprehensive booklet, Career Opportunities in Interior Design.

Finding a good interior design school is an extremely important task; a task that, if approached wisely and thoughtfully, can lead you to a choice among many rewarding careers in interior design. Developing the wide range of skills and abilities that today's interior design firms are seeking can only be met in a school that aspires to excellence in teaching and instruction; a school that understands the rigors of a changing industry and, from this knowledge, offers students the highest standards of academic quality in interior design education.

CONTRACT DESIGN

Interior designers specializing in contract work design the interiors of large corporate complexes; interior environments that must work effectively to meet the needs of a diverse clientele. Interior designers who elect to work in contract design typically find themselves involved in the design of one or more of the following types of projects:

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN

At one time considered the most common area of interior design practice, residential interior design has proven itself to be one of the most lucrative. Like all other aspects of interior design practice, residential design requires an understanding of human behavior and, especially, the ability to communicate with people on a personal level. Residential interior designers are typically involved with one or more of the following types of projects:

HEALTHCARE DESIGN

Healthcare facilities today are technically complex and, due to the services they offer, require great consideration to the demands of insurance providers, state and national health care requirements and overall cost-effectiveness. Interior designers working in the healthcare sector often practice in one or more of the following specialty areas:

HOSPITALITY DESIGN

Hospitality design is a growing industry offering many career paths involving the design of small to larger, more complex, lodging and entertainment facilities. Interior designers working in this sector of the interior design industry might find themselves involved in one or more of the following types of projects:

GOVERNMENT DESIGN

Many of the major departments associated with both state and federal government agencies hires interior designers to coordinate and oversee the reconstruction or relocation of the offices and facilities that change each year. The types of projects an interior designer working for the government might be involved in are the design of: