Last Updated on September 10, 2019 by Jessica Adams
Some people just have a knack for creating a phenomenal space. They know what a room needs in terms of style and functionality. They also have the energy and drive to bring their vision to life. These people will become your next interior designer!
Many creative people design their own homes’ interior, not realizing they can take that skill and develop a career. There’s much to love about being an interior designer, but, of course, it’s not the easiest career route to take. Here we’ll take a look at how one becomes a successful interior designer in nine easy steps.
How to Become a
Successful Interior Designer
In 9 Easy Steps
Love What You Do
There are some careers where you can “phone it in.” That is, get by just by doing the bare minimum. People rarely admit it, but it’s true! Determination doesn’t really come into it.
Other options, like starting your own business or being in a creative industry (interior design falls under both), rely on the person being fully committed to their craft. If you don’t absolutely love the interior design process, then you’re not going to get far.
So before you jump into the deep end, ask yourself if it’s something you want to do professionally or just keep as a hobby. Like any creative venture, it can be an incredibly demanding profession. So definitely make sure that you’ve got the ‘gusto’ for interior design, beyond watching Fixer Upper!
Gain Experience
You could easily be the best interior designer in the world, but if you have nothing to show for it, how will anyone know? Before setting off on your own, you’ll be well-served by undertaking an internship with an interior design company.
They’ll give you a chance to showcase your talents. You’ll also have something to point to when people ask about your experience. And you’ll learn many useful ‘tricks of the trade’ from the interior design world which you wouldn’t otherwise know.
It’s a risk-free way to see what it’s really like on the inside. By the end of your internship, you should have a pretty good idea of whether interior design should stay an idea or become something you want to do for the rest of your life.
Find Your Style
You’ll want to be versatile enough to work on many different types of projects. But it would also be beneficial if you can find your signature style. Being a jack of all trades but a master of none has some benefits.
Here though, you’ll find it easier to focus your marketing and draw in better jobs, if there’s one style in which you excel. It might be penthouse apartments, small homes, or my personal favorite, tiny houses! It will be easier to position yourself as your niches’ go-to designer for that particular style.
This takes time, however, and it’s also important that you don’t box yourself in too much. Having one unique style is good but make sure you’re able to work on a bunch of different projects too. If you need to search for visual inspiration, the best place is on a visual search engine… Can you think of one? Yep, Pinterest!
Pinterest is hands down, the best place to find interior design inspiration, gather ideas and organize them into whatever type of categories you like. It’s also a great place to figure out which design niches you like best, among so many other reasons to discover the Power of Pinterest (if you haven’t already)!
Be Resilient
When times are good for everyone, they’re good for interior designers. When they’re not, then interior designers tend to struggle.
It’s just the nature of the business, which can be considered a luxury by people who use them. When the economy has taken a hit, luxuries are the first thing to go!
As such, you’ll need to learn the art of resilience if you’re going to become an interior designer. You’ll have to accept that work isn’t always going to be flowing in at a steady rate. Knowing this early on will allow you to make space in the budget for the lean months.
They say you should gather your rosebuds while you may; when times are going well, make sure you’re putting some money aside. It’ll come in handy when the more difficult times arrive.
Find the Best Clients
It’s all good and well knowing that you’ve got the talent to be an excellent interior designer, but that’s only one half the battle. The other is going out there and finding clients, which is no easy feat. Clients aren’t going to just go to you until you’re well established. Even then, there are so many incredibly talented options.
The key to getting clients is to talk, advertise, and talk some more. Get yourself out there! Tell the world about your skills, tapping all the resources at your disposal to do so. If you’re good enough, then you should have something to say and show to people!
Thank goodness you’ve already done some free interior design work (via internship or mentoring program) to gain experience and have something to put in your portfolio. Be aware, however, that you’re not being taken advantage of.
You should do this free work for your family or friends, not people who just don’t want to pay you. Once you’ve got some real work under your belt, you’ll find that word of mouth is responsible for bringing in tons of new clients.
Create an Online Presence
We live in a digital, modern age. As an interior designer, you should have a place to share your own interpretation of modern style & decor. Not to mention, a place for your recent favorite examples of modern and any other genre you wish to showcase.
Part of an interior designer’s overall aesthetic is having your ‘finger on the pulse’. And what better way to display your ‘en vogue’ portfolio, than with your own website? In most cases, interior designers will use a portfolio-style theme for their website.
Your website will likely be a potential client’s first ‘introduction’ to you, even if they were referred by a former client of yours. If your site isn’t well designed or structured in such a way that everything is easy to find, they’re liable to walk away without the most favorable impression of your business.
Lucky for you, designing is what you do! You may not design websites, but you could easily hire a professional to showcase your talents, created in your medium. A strong branded online presence is necessary to attract potential clients, the right clients, online.
Upon landing on your portfolio website, everyone should be able to see that your approach to interior design is utterly distinguishable from that of your competitors.
Social Media Platforms
Another crucial factor in creating your online presence is to make sure that you’re on all the most popular and relevant social media channels. This is where you’ll get a chance to showcase your best work to the masses, not just whoever happens to be on your website.
It’s also a great opportunity to focus on niche-relevant sites, such as Pinterest and Instagram. These two sites are definitely the best places to share ‘before & after’ pictures from your latest clients. Since they’re both visual platforms that primarily focus on visual content.
Overall, it just makes sense that interior designers’ portfolios and current project pictures would do well on either Pinterest or Instagram.
Remember, Your Passion Is Also a Business
You’re an interior designer at heart, but you should also remember that you’re a business, too. And that means that you need to have your “business” game face on when you’re working.
You’ll need to know how to budget, manage your time, speak with clients, prepare invoices, advertising your business, and so many administrative tasks.
To help all these tasks seem not too difficult, look into using software like DesignDocs, which offers total project management and online accounting solutions. It will allow you the time and energy to focus on doing what you do best, which is making spaces look beautiful!
Listen Carefully to Feedback
Did you know that while it may feel like it, you’re technically not working for yourself? That’s right, even though interior designers act like ‘a one-woman biz’, you still have a “boss” when you’re working – your client! The best interior designers aren’t following their own, one-track mind on a job.
They’re listening to what their clients want and finding ways to incorporate it into their grand vision. It’s also crucial to your business and reputation, that you take any criticisms and aim to learn from them. You may not agree with all critiques headed your way but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them completely.
You’d be surprised what listening to someone’s feedback on your work and really learning from the message can do for your creative side! If you’re really open to it, someone’s “two cents” could end up changing the way that you approach your interior design business altogether.
Keep Learning & Have Fun!
No matter what field your career is in, it’s always a good idea to continue learning as much as you can about your field. With interior design, it’s actually essential! Trends change constantly, so you need to make sure that you’re changing with them, or you will be left behind.
New ways to create old styles may call for the use of something you would never have known if it weren’t for a class you took! You may also want to learn about how to light a room in such a way, to make it look bigger or smaller for staging.
Finally, make sure you’re having fun with it! You will be under pressure to deliver high-quality work, but if you have faith in your abilities the entire process should be a fun one.
You’ve got a wonderful, “dream” job that allows you to be creative, meet loads of new people, and get your vision out there…have fun with it!
In terms of job satisfaction, few rank higher than interior design. If you love what you do, then you’ll be doing it for decades to come! But because the competition is fierce, it’s not always easy to make it in this industry.
Make sure you’re working hard, continuing to learn, and delivering an incredible, all-around experience for your clients. If you have those core ingredients under your belt, then you’ll find that success will definitely come your way.
Jessica Rose Adams
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