Interior Designer
OFO No: 343201
Other names for Interior Designer:
- Commercial Interior Designer
- Environmental Designer
- Residential Interior Designer
- Retail Interior Designer
- Stage Scenery Designer
- Store Designer
- Tenant Installation Specialist
What is an Interior Designer?
The job of an Interior Designer is to design, plan and furnish interior environments of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.
The Interior Designer creates the interior look and feel of a building according to what their client would like.
Examples of interiors that they might design:
- homes
- hotels
- offices
- airports
- theatres/clubs
- restaurants etc
The Interior Designer creates the interior look and feel of a building according to what their client would like.
The Interior Designer will have to take into account the architecture and space of the building and the type of business that will operate in it.
To do this the Interior Designer has to be able to understand the client’s needs and to work within their budget.
Some Interior Designers may plan and design interior environments for boats, planes, buses, trains, and other enclosed spaces.
What does an Interior Designer do?
- advises their clients on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings and equipment, colour schemes, and colour coordination
- creates designs that are attractive, practical and useful
- prepares and presents design ideas in form of presentation boards, paste ups, drawings and/or illustrations
- finds samples of carpet, tiles, paint and other finishes to present
- estimates material requirements and costs
- searches, selects, designs and/or purchases furniture, art works, and accessories (cushions, lamps etc)
- appoinst sub-contractors to build and install the different parts of the interior: new walls, lights, carpets, curtains, paint and wall coverings, furniture and accessories, tv and sound equipment etc
- reads magazines and surfs the internet for up-to-date interior trends
- keeps scrapbooks of interior ideas
Are you … ?
- extremely creative?
- stylish?
- good with colour and texture?
- able to design in 3D?
- a person with good spacial awareness?
- passionate about interior ‘fashion’?
- organised?
- reliable?
- empathic?
How do I become an Interior Designer?
Here are a few paths you could consider:
- DEGREE:
4 year BA (Fine Arts) – Available at most SA universities
- DIPLOMA:
National Diploma in Interior Design – Available at most universities of technology
PATH 1
National Diploma in Interior Design
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology
- Durban University of Technology
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Tshwane University of Technology
- University of Johannesburg
PATH 3
Bachelor of Interior Design
- University of Pretoria
PATH 4
Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Interior Design)
- University of KZN
TRAINING:
- CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
- Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
- To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education.
- CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions.
- IDD: SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF THE INTERIOR DESIGN PROFESSIONS
http://www.iidprofessions.org.za/
OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER: Set Designer … or … Furniture Designer
Is becoming an Interior Designer the right career choice for me?
