Places where you can find Work

Not everyone that is interested in interior design will want to run their own business. Some would prefer to express their creativity while working for someone else. There are many places that you could work and still be an interior designer. I’ve made a list of places and jobs that you could do if starting your own business is just not right for you right now.
· Architectural Firm, you can read and create blueprints, draw up sample pieces, and create models.
· Design center Showroom: In this job, you get to design and arrange the items on the showroom floor. This is often in furniture stores, department store windows etc. it can be a lot of fun.
· Retail Furniture Store: You can set up the floor area, mark up the material, and learn the basics of mix and match furniture. (also called eclectic)
Many of these jobs are great if you are a self learner. They will give you a great deal of experience in sales, design, and coordinating fabrics and colors. It is a great way to get the basics before starting your own business.
By now you will know if a career in Interior Design is right for you. I hope that you will enjoy your new career, and that you got all of the tips that you need to make the right choice for you.

Quick Tips on Pricing your Services

Every Interior Designer has to learn how to price their services. You have to do this so that you can give proper estimates to your clients. This will be invaluable to you as a service provider.
Many people find this to be a very difficult process because they don’t want to over price their clients, nor do they want to lose money on the deal. This can be very frustrating and stressful. However, if you know how to break down the costs it gets a lot easier, and helps you break it down to the client so that they are comfortable.
Since every job is different, every invoice will be different as well. There are different types of invoices that you should have. They each require a different layout and outline. This makes it easier to break down later for calculating the costs.
1. Costs and Labor: This type of invoice is for designers that have to hire outside contractors to help with the work. (usually when you need to hire people to do drywall for construction work etc)
2. Costs: This type of invoice is generally just for the costs of the extra furniture and accessories or lighting fixtures that are needed. It also covers the agreed upon extras like paint and wallpaper.
3. General: This is the type of invoice that only covers your prices as the designer. It deals with the work that you do alone. This invoice is always included with one of the others.
When trying to decide how to put a value to your services alone, that is pretty much up to you. It is best not to price yourself too high in the beginning because you are not a bankable name yet. There are two ways to charge your clients.
1. Hourly: This method is best for small or simple projects because they are more difficult to price on a per project basis. If you are a starter, you should start yourself at around $15-$20 an hour. At least until you establish yourself in the field. Once you are established you may charge as much as you’d like.
2. Per Project: This is generally reserved for projects of a larger scale. These are the projects that require the hiring of contractors and various others to help you. Since there is so much work involved, you cannot expect to charge by the hour.

Tips for Building a Portfolio with Little or no Professional Experience

1. Ask Friend or family to let youdesign a room in their house, and take pictures of your work for the portfolio.
2. Get your friends and family to write letters of recommendation for you or list themselves as references.
3. A leather binder, or photo album can be used to hold all of this information until you have better resources.
4. If you have them, copies of your credentials should be placed at the front of your portfolio to assure your future clients that you are qualified.
5. Put your best work forward. Do not show any work that you are not proud to have done.
There are of Course a couple of items that Interior designers always have on hand at all times. These are rather necessary, even if you are just starting out or want to get started.

Here is a list of some of the things that will be invaluable to you as you start your own Interior Design business. They are simply ways of helping you know what to do to get a possible client base.
1. Sell yourself: You will want to sell the public on your services and abilities. Do as much promotion as you can. Go everywhere that you can think of that hosts design events, and set yourself up as a contender.
2. Mingle: Try to meet as many different types of people as possible. Go to golf and country clubs with a load of business cards on hand. Be sure to have your portfolio on hand in case you get any bites. Go to all of the popular events in your area and start talking to people.
3. Start-Up Help: There are many places that you can go to get help with start up money. This only applies to people who are seeking to lease a studio outside of the home. Check your local government or business assistance programs.
4. Establish your Position: You want to ensure that you can let your community know that you are out there. Handing out flyers, offering special discounts or free services to your neighbors can let the people get a sample of your work. It is a good way to get your neighbors to spread the word.
5. Build your Clientele: I cannot express too much, the importance of approaching homeowners and businessmen with your ideas for refurbishing their spaces.

What you will need

· Color swatches for paints and fabrics ( you can get many of them for free from local paint stores if you ask)
· Fabric samples are a necessity (you can get them for free from your local furniture store)
· Interiordesign magazines for client perusal (it helps them get an idea of what they like)
· Furniture catalogues (free from furniture dealers and retailers)
· Fine arts catalogue, get them from art galleries
· Kitchen and bathroom catalogues. Basically get catalogues from everybody that deals with furniture, art, and lighting stores
· Photos of your work, and signed recommendations (remember you get them from family and friends when you are just starting out)
· Your portfolio (always have a copy of your portfolio)

How to Start your Interior Design Business

Starting any businessis never simple, but it doesn’t have to be as complicated as many people think. A lot of what is needed is actually fun. You have to understand that much of starting any business requires you to be a salesman. You have to build yourself and your company up.
You must get a business number and registration. You can check your government listings for the correct number. You must also check with your local accountant to see what needs to be done about taxes etc.
You must also decide if you are going to be a home business or if you are planning to run a studio for a lease. Make sure to purchase all of the necessary materials. Some items you can get for free if you know where to look. Here is a list of some of those materials.

What to expect when Getting Started

When you are just getting started in any business, you can expect to have to do a lot of leg work to get a clientele base. This is not easy, and requires a great deal of people skills from you. You will have to go out there and meet every person that you can think of.
You should expect to encounter a lot of rejection from consumers, as well as competition from other designers. Many times, a potential client will want to place your work and estimates against others. If you can, offer to outbid everyone that you can, but be careful because a client may not tell you the truth about the bids. It is good to try and check with the designers about their bids. Some will tell you.
As a new Interior Designer, you can expect to get a lot of resistance from potential clients. You can expect to spend a great deal of time and money on building up your name. You may have to lower your estimates at first. You may have to spend some money by advertising your services in your local newspaper or penny saver.
Here are a few good ideas on how you can get some attention for you and your business.
1. Set up a booth at your local mall. Have business cards and your portfolio on hand. Try and set up some of your best work around you and prop them up for all to see. Offer free estimates to any takers.
2. Do the same at any other community gatherings.
3. Offer to do small jobs for free with the addition of a paid space.
4. Insert flyers into you local newspaper.
5. Build your portfolio.

Extra Information:

Many Interior Designers create their own products
and product lines. They design everything from furniture, to furniture accessories. It can be a great way to promote your design services, and make a little bit of extra money. It’s relatively common practice among designers, you may want to consider it.

What Can I Expect?

There is literally no limit to how much money you can earn as an Interior Designer. Of course a lot of that depends on what type of position you plan to have in the field as well. An assistant interior designer can start at $20.00 an hour, a certified interior designer can start anywhere from $50,000-$60,000 annually, and a partner can make as much as $200,000 annually.
These are really general estimates, but they are as was listed in 2003 in Decorator’s Home Journal. Every person that is interested in Interior Design as a career can expect to make as much or as little as they want. You can virtually decide your financial potential on your own.

The Designer’s Necessity

· Business cards are must haves. You should Click Here!
carry at least 20 of them daily.
· Carry your portfolio with you in your car. It makes for easy references in a pinch. (You never where your next client will turn up)
· Most recent issues of Design Magazines make for quick inspiration. (Not a bad way to pass time either)
· Measuring tape
· Paint and color swatches
· Wallpaper, and carpet sample books. Keep them in your car.
· A copy of your certifiable credentials (if applicable)

Pros and Cons of Self Teaching

Pros Cons
Learn at your own speed You don’t get the benefit of a teacher’s guidance and help
You don’t get final exams You don’t get certification
Cheaper than paying tuition costs Tuition is expensive
Learn in the comfort of your own home Must learn with others watching and judging you
Have online assistance when needed Have to wait to use computers
Practice projects can be a lot less stressful Still have to take drafting and other technical classes
Extra classes needed are often free at adult schools You don’t get help finding client prospects
You can earn while you learn You can earn while you learn (may be overworked)
You can take breaks whenever you want You can take breaks whenever you want. (may lose incentive)

· Never underestimate the power of Feng Shui. Purchase books on it if you can because it is a great resource for this type of work.
· Get a job at a department or furniture store so that you can get a feel for the job, and the newest and most interesting design techniques. This method lets you earn while you learn.
The best way to teach yourself is to keep up on current trends through magazines and furniture catalogues. It may sound strange, but it is a good start. You will however have no choice but to take a drafting and blueprinting class. You cannot avoid this. Fortunately there are many adult classes available for free.
You will also need to create a portfolio. A portfolio is like a scrapbook that has all of the listings and photographs of your work to date. Do not worry if you do not have a portfolio right away because I will give you some tips on how to build a portfolio, with little or no professional expertise.
Your portfolio will help your future clients see what work you’ve done, which will give them an idea of what you are capable of doing for them. This is your best marketing tool, so make it look as professional as possible. You will also want to add letters of recommendation to your portfolio when possible, or you can request from clients that they allow you to list them in your portfolio as satisfied customers.

Self Teaching

Teaching yourself to learn any field takes a lot of discipline and a great deal of interest. You have to be a motivated person and have the ability to focus solely on your task, but it can be done. There are many Interior Designers that are working without any formal education. They are simply going on intuition and talent. It is rare to learn all of the things that you need to know by teaching yourself, but it a possibility. These are some of the things that you will need in order to teach yourself interior design.
· Learn the proper terms from various books on interior design.
· Observe the many techniques and trends from circulating magazines and catalogs.
· Teach yourself to calculate the amounts of paint and wallpaper need to per wall by talking to your local professionals.
· Get as much practice as you can in your own home or at others’
· Use your local library or bookstore to help you brush up on the proper ways of incorporating space and a balance of space.

Online Design Programs

Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of going to a school for Interior Design. Some may prefer to learn how to do it from the comfort of their own home. This method is not recommended if you are trying to become certified, but if you just want to get the basic knowledge that you are required to know, this method is fine.
There are literally thousands upon thousands of courses for interior design that are offered online. Finding one that has the right information you will want to learn will require some research on your part, but it’s not that difficult. Course prices for internet schools of design can start as low as $19.00 and go as high as $500.00.
Some online courses that are offered through legitimate Colleges and Universities are much cheaper than campus courses and offer the correct certification that you will need. Generally, these courses require that you take your exams on campus or in a monitored way of some sort. Again, research is needed to ensure that you are not being scammed.
There are some alternatives to taking any formal courses at all. This called “self teaching”. This is where you will study the necessary information that you will need to do Interior Design as a profession, but you will not be certified.

Trade Schools

There are many trade schools out there that offer Interior Design as a course. Some of these schools are accredited and can give you the certification that you need. (Know that your credentials will not be as high or recognizable as those from a College or University) These schools do offer many of the same courses but they are condensed, and blended together to suit a shorter course duration.
You can generally expect the entire course to last from one year or two. The tuition is generally half of what you could expect to pay at a College or University. Your tuition could cost as little as $8,000 for two years or $4,000 for one. Materials are generally included in the tuition, and financial aid is also available.
Some Trade Schools do not have a set schedule for the finish of a program. Some will let you go at your own pace and finish as quickly or slowly as you need to. If you chose to go this route, be sure to check to see that it is an accredited school, and ask what is included

College and University

For a formal education in interior design, it is best to go to an accredited College or University. You must ask about this because some schools are not accredited and you will walk away from that school with a piece of paper that says that you took the course, but you will still not have the proper credentials. Therefore, you will not be a licensed designer. Here is a list of some of the courses you can expect to take if you choose to get certified as a designer.
· Drawing
· Building construction
· Drafting
· History of design
· Furniture design
· Architecture
· Auto CAD
· Project management
· Design
· Computer aided Design
Of course there are many more courses that are a part of becoming a certified designer, but this at least gives you an idea of where you might start. You will also have to have certain high school courses to your credit before you should consider going to college or university to study design. These are:
· Mathematics 4 years
· English 4 years
· Physics 1 year
· History/Social studies 1 year
· Computer Science 1 year
· Architectural Drawing 1 year
· Shop class 1 year
Tuition at any one of these schools can be quite expensive. You can expect to spend anywhere between $8,000 a year to $15,000 a year. A general certification course will run for four years. Getting certified could cost you anywhere from $32,000 to $60,000. Of course, financial aid is always available for those that need assistance.
If these numbers and time frames scare you don’t worry, there are alternatives to this type of formal schooling. There are also cheaper alternatives to getting certified. You can try any of the following.

What Do I Need?

The first thing that you are going to need if you want to be an interior designer is the passion for it. You must ask yourself is whether or not designing homes and/or properties is something that you could feel passionate about. To find out ask, yourself these questions.
· Do you constantly rearrange the furniture in your own home?
· Do you often have ideas about friends and families homes, and what would make them look better?
· Are you finding that people often ask your opinion about their own homes, and what you think may make it look better?
· Do you like planning the rearrangement of your home before you do it?
· When decorating your own home, do you find yourself wondering how best to incorporate colors into your space?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, than you already have the passion to become an interior designer. These questions merely touched on the very thing that drew you to this book in the first place. It just helped you realize that you were right in doing so.
The second thing that may need to become an interior designer is the interest. This basically explores whether or not your actual interest is genuine. Many people consider a great many careers before they develop a genuine interest in choosing one. We know that you have the passion, but does that passion mean that you have enough interest to follow through? I have some more questions for you to answer if you really want to know if the interest is really there for you.
· Do you feel the need to learn how best to coordinate the colors in your room before you seek to change them?
· Do you seek outside advice from professionals on how best to accent a particular object or color?
· Do you seek to know the history behind a particular style of décor when you notice one?
· Do you find yourself wondering what sort of planning went in to the creation of a glorious room you’ve been in?
· Would you prefer to read a design magazine above any other? (Modern Living, or Country Style Home)
· Do you think that Martha Stewart is nothing compared to you?
Again, a yes answer to any of these questions means a yes to your interest. But there is another aspect of interior design that must be covered. You may wish to be a certified interior designer. If that is the case, you will need to get a formal education in this field.

Is Interior Design Right for Me?

There are many pros and cons to being an interior designer. To best understand whether or not you might be interested in being an interior designer you may want to explore these items listed below, and learn all that there is to know.
PROS CONS
There is a great potential to make a lot of money This field goes through dry spells. The economy plays a big part in this.
You are uninhibited in your potential to advance Can be quite stressful at times
You can make your own hours Deadlines can be hard to meet at times
You are your own boss Client ideas may be unrealistic
There is always a demand for it You often work under pressure
You are free to be creative and express yourself You are responsible for your employees actions
You can work as much or as little as you want You may encounter horrible people
You have the option of turning down projects You may lose projects to lower bids
You get to set your own work environment. You are often subjected to one area of expertise.

This should have given you a pretty good idea of what you may generally expect from your career as a designer. You may be wondering how the economy plays a role in this particular career choice. The answer is simple. If the local or national economy is going through a recession, or depression, the potential to encounter any new clients is rather small if at all.
Current clientele cannot afford to hire an interior designer if the economy is suffering, no one can. In times like this, people are a lot more careful about how they spend their money, and hiring an interior designer seems more frivolous than it might seem under normal circumstances. Of course, during most economic conditions, an interior designer can always locate someone that is willing and eager to hire them.

What you need to know

· The ability to readand design blue prints
· Knowledge of color coordination and painting
· Difference between furniture brands and styles
· How to coordinate and organize a room to create a comfortable environment.
· How to correctly estimate the length and size of materials needed
· How to correctly estimate the amount of paints or wallpapers needed
· How to maximize interior space to the room’s advantage.
· How to communicate your ideas effectively to your client
· Basic marketing skills are needed to further your business
· How to correctly identify different types of furnishings, and to incorporate that knowledge into a legitimate design plan.
· How to create an environmental plan because this is a practical, conducive and esthetic approach to your eventual goal of raising productivity, and selling your merchandise.
· How to explain space planning, lighting, layout and color schemes to your clients. People often like to know why you are doing the things that you are doing.
· How to arrange carpets, accessories, drapes and wall coverings.
· Knowledge of fine arts, sculptures, music etc. These will often be included in your design changes and must incorporate properly into the area. (you would not want to hang a Picasso in a Victorian themed room)

This is just an idea of the things that you will be taught in accordance to your specialty. Interior design for a home is slightly different than commercial design. The needs for a home are quite different. Materials are different as well. When you chose a specialty, you will learn all of the basics in design, but also how to deal with, and get clients effectively. That is where things are quite different. You would not approach a company in the samemanner that you might approach a homeowner.

What will I have to do to specialize?

Once you have decided on what type of specialty you
would prefer, you have to know what it takes to make that happen. Since creativity and interest are not the only requirements you will need to be an Interior Designer, you will also need to know what is needed in order to specialize.
Education is the biggest and most useful tool when you choose to specialize. Being certified in your area of interest is a good place to start. In order to receive your certification, you must learn all of the technical aspects of design as well as the creative. Technical things have a larger range than you might think. Knowledge in any field is a requirement.

What is more important to me?

If you are very much inclined towardthe creative aspect of interior design, you may prefer to be a residential designer. As stated above, you will likely have more freedom in doing homes than you would in designing professional structure. Many of the sub branches of specialty are better suited, but not restricted to residential designers. Much of your specialty will depend on your better interest.
However, if you are hoping to use your creativity to possibly put you into a better tax bracket, you may prefer to do commercial work. This type of work is generally on a larger scale than in residential jobs. The offered pay per room is usually a bit higher as well. Both fields are great to work in, and both offer many rewards.
Choosing a specialty is often easy, but it can be more rewarding for you to have one. It doesn’t really matter which area you choose because they all have their rewards and difficulties. The most advantageous reason to specialize is obviously to set yourself up as an expert in your field. Many people would prefer an expert to a designer that does work in all areas. It adds to your professional status.

How do I Choose a Specialty?

Choosing a specialtyreally depends on you. You really just need to ask yourself a few simple questions to really know which field might give you the most enjoyment.

Windows and Draperies:

This seems like a small area tospecialize in, but the windows of a house or building play a big role in the overall structure. They are a source of energy efficiency in every home, and they are often changed on a yearly basis. Basic heating and cooling knowledge helps, as well as dry walling, and space management.
· Lighting: The lighting of any area is often a bit more complicated than plugging a lamp into a socket. Often, it is the addition of special lighting that can completely change a room’s environment. Some small additions or subtle lighting can change the way a room feels. Lighting is an often overlooked sub branch of Interior Design.