If you have a passion for home design, interior decorating, and creating beautiful spaces, there are many ways to nurture your interests and take your skills to the next level.
Whether you want to redecorate your own home, help friends with their interiors, start a business, or pursue interior design as a career, you can find fulfilling ways to indulge your passion.
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Develop Your Style
The first step is to identify and develop your own personal decorating style. Study interior design magazines, books, websites, home furnishing stores, and model homes to determine what types of styles inspire you.
Make a note of color palettes, furniture styles, textures, and accessories you are naturally drawn to. Over time, this will help define your style so you can create spaces that reflect your unique aesthetic.
Experiment in Your Own Home
Your home is the perfect place to experiment with different decorating ideas. Start by redecorating a small space like a bathroom, bedroom, or home office. Be bold with your color choices, have fun arranging accessories, and mix up your furniture layouts.
Use your home as a design lab to try out techniques like faux finishing walls, reupholstering furniture, displaying collections, or installing new lighting. Learn what works well and what doesn’t before taking on larger projects.
Develop Technical Skills
To take your decorating abilities up a notch, build your technical know-how. Take some interior design classes online, read books, or watch tutorial videos to learn critical skills like painting techniques, tile installation, lighting, window treatments, and furniture arranging. Knowing the mechanics behind good design will make you able to execute your vision properly.
Build Your Toolkit
Having the right tools is essential for executing decorating projects. Invest in a toolkit that includes supplies like paint brushes, rollers, tape measures, a drill, level, stud-finder, and other fundamentals.
Purchase a sewing machine if you want to make your own curtains, cushions, or slipcovers. Build up a collection of designer sample books, fabric swatches, and other materials you can use to present ideas to clients.
Try Decorating for Friends
Offer to decorate a room for friends and family to gain real-world decorating experience. This is a chance to take a space from concept to completion – selecting a color scheme, furnishings, lighting, accessories, and artwork to tie the whole room together. The finished room will become an excellent addition to your decorating portfolio.
Launch Your Business
If you want to take your passion to a professional level, consider starting your own interior design business. Come up with a business name and brand identity, and create a website to market your services.
Reach out to local clients, partner with contractors and builders, and use social media to promote your business. Register your LLC and get business insurance. As you build experience and a client base, you can turn your decorating passion into a thriving career.
Common Challenges Faced by New Interior Designers
Here are some common challenges new interior designers face when starting an interior design business:
● Building a client base – With no previous clients or projects for a portfolio, it can be difficult for new designers to convince potential clients to hire them. Networking and marketing are critical to get those first jobs.
● Limited budget – Startup costs like licensing, insurance, website development, office space, etc. can strain finances for new entrepreneurs. Careful budgeting and starting small is important.
● Learning business operations – Interior design school focuses on design, not running a business. Learning accounting, contracts, HR, etc. on the fly can be daunting.
● Standing out – The interior design field is competitive. Establishing a unique personal brand and style to stand out takes time and strategy.
● Managing projects – Taking full responsibility for completing client projects on time and on budget is a big step up from school. Learning organization and project management fast is essential.
● Limited resources – Established firms have connections and resources like trade discounts that new interior designers lack, putting them at a disadvantage. Building relationships takes time.
● Work/life balance – Long hours are often required at the start to get a business off the ground. Avoiding burnout while also managing a business is crucial.
Planning carefully, learning quickly, and leaning on mentors and peers helps set interior design startups on the path to success.
Pursue Interior Design Education
For the highest level of interior design expertise, enroll in an interior design degree program. Earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree focused on interior design fundamentals, technical skills, business practices, and design theory. This knowledge can prepare you for a career as a professional interior designer. Gain the qualifications to get certified, join professional associations, and work for design firms or major corporations.
There are endless ways to indulge your enthusiasm for interior design. Follow your interests, develop your skills, gain hands-on experience, and connect with other designers. With determination and consistency, you can take your decorating passion to the next level, either as a hobby or professional career.