How to Become an Interior Decorator

1. Train Your Eye

If you’re interested in becoming an interior decorator, you probably already have an idea about what good design looks like, or at least what fits your style and taste. However, you can continue to develop this by staying abreast of the trends popular in the industry and watching them change. You’ll be able to get a feel for what’s out there and what’s in style. You can do this by flipping through design magazines or even by attending open houses in wealthy neighbourhoods, art galleries, offices of professionals, etc. Go see what’s there and what people like.

2. Get an Education

Even though it’s unnecessary for interior decorators to have a formal education, they are expected to know the specifics of the business. This includes space planning, lighting, furniture and decorating styles, use of colour, textures and applications of different types of fabrics, floorings, wall coverings, paint, window treatments, and use and placement of accessories (such as pillows, vases, and art). You can learn all this through books and websites, but the fastest, easiest, and most comprehensive way to ensure you learn the essentials is by taking an interior design course.

3. Practice at Home

It is important to have some decorating experience before experimenting with the homes of others. Most interior decorators will work with their own home in order to gain some experience and develop their style. Even if you only have one room in your house to work with, you should use it to play with. A coat of paint and some new furniture positioning can dramatically change any space. This is simple and easy to do, and recommended before suggesting new ideas to your clients.

4. Volunteer with Friends and Family

Once you’ve tried a few things out on your own, you may want to consider offering to decorate the homes or offices of your friends and family. This will be a great opportunity for you to not only practice your decorating techniques, but also to expose yourself to working for other people and with their spaces. You have to remember that the most important thing, when it comes to decorating, is to make your client happy. Your friends and family will have input on your designs and you will need to modify them to their personal tastes, which will be excellent practice for dealing with clients who might not be as forgiving as your friends and family.

5. Prepare a Portfolio

Every artist needs a portfolio to showcase their work, and an interior decorator is no different. The purpose of a portfolio is to convince a client or a firm to hire you, so, along with your designs, you should include any other documents (such as letters of recommendation and ‘design boards’, which are poster boards containing pictures and samples of materials that you use, like fabrics, flooring, wallpaper, etc.) that will convince your future employer (client or firm) of your talents. However, the majority of your portfolio should consist of pictures of work that you have completed. On every job you should be sure to take ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of the rooms that you design. Then, from this group, you should choose 15-20 pictures to present in your portfolio.

6. Get a Job

Even if your ultimate goal is to have a business of your own, starting with a job in the industry can be crucial to your success. It will teach you about the business, not to mention introduce you to clients who, if they like your designs, may stay with you after you move on. Decorating jobs are available in businesses like home builders, furniture and houseware manufacturers, hotel and restaurant chains, retailers (furniture stores, home improvements stores, antique dealers, etc.), and interior design and decorating firms.

7. Start Your Own Business

If you are interested in starting your own business there are a number of things to consider. Initially you will need to decide on business matters such as a company name and whether or not you want to incorporate. You may also begin your solo career by working from home. It will save on the cost of office space, and, since you will be going to clients (they won‘t be coming to you), it should not interfere with your professionalism.

8. Establish Relationships with Suppliers

As an interior designer, you will get up to a 50% discount on the materials you use when you purchase them directly from suppliers. Suppliers are companies that provide the products and services that you need to decorate and include manufacturers of furniture, wall coverings, flooring, fabrics, etc. as well as contractors who do painting, carpentry, and installation. You need to know the right people and have good relationships with them because their materials and services help to create your designs and will be utilized in the homes of your clients.

9. Get Clients

In order to get new clients you need to market yourself and your designs. The best way to do so is to network with professionals who can refer business to you. Word of mouth is one of the most effective selling strategies, and if you can get real estate agents, architects, antique dealers, art dealers, home renovators, and similar authorities on homes to tout your designs, you will not only gain a good reputation, but clients as well. Other effective marketing strategies include creating your own website with photos of your work and getting publicity in the ’homes’ section of your local newspaper. Keep in mind that you have a wide range of potential clients: home builders, new home buyers, wealthy homeowners, advertising agencies, art galleries, bed and breakfasts, boutique stores, corporate head offices, hotels, law firms, restaurants, spas, and many other types of businesses.

10. Grow as a Professional

What is popular in the interior design industry is constantly changing. Trends ebb and flow with the tastes of professional designers and clients. It is important to stay on top of the current industry events and fashions because your clients will. It is easy to do this by attending trade shows, reading design magazines, and joining professional organizations. Along with varying styles, techniques and technologies are constantly shifting as well, which is another reason to be aware of industry modifications. Your final step in growing your career, if you choose to do so, is to gain interior design certification, and thereby create new possibilities and opportunities when it comes to designing a home.

Vocabulary

1. abreast [ə'brest] - не отставая, на уровне;

2. flip through - пролистать, бегло просмотреть;

3. neighbourhood ['neɪbəhud]- соседство, область, окрестности, район;

4. accessories амер. |ækˈsesəriz| брит. |əkˈsesəriz|-  приспособления

5. expose [ɪk'spəuz] , [ek-] - показывать, выставлять напоказ;

6. showcase - выставлять, демонстрировать, показывать (в наиболее выгодном свете; с наилучшей стороны);

7. ultimate ['ʌltɪmət] - последний, конечный;

8. antique [æn'tiːk] - старинная вещь; антикварная вещь;

9. incorporate [ɪn'kɔːp(ə)reɪt] - соединяться, объединяться;

10. interior decorator – дизайнер интерьера;

11. taste– вкус;

12. in style– в моде;

13. to deal with – иметь дело/работать с чем-либо

14. to hire – нанимать;

15. retailer – розничный торговец;

16. supplier – поставщик;

17. discount – скидка

18. to purchase – покупать

19. real estate agent – агент по продаже недвижимости

20. opportunity – возможность;

21. carpentry ['kɑːp(ə)ntrɪ] - плотничные работы; плотничное дело

22. installation - установка; сборка; иск. Инсталляция (стационарная или подвижная композиция из нескольких отдельных предметов), (направление в современном искусстве);

23. word of mouth - молва; сарафанное радио;

24. tout [taut] - разг. (tout for) преим. брит.; неодобр. назойливо расхваливать, рекламировать, навязывать (товары, услуги);

25. ebb and flow — прилив и отлив

Task 1. Answer the questions:

1) How can a future designer acquire style and taste?

2) Does an interior decorator need proper education nowadays?

3) Why is it considered best for a beginner to choose first cli-ents among friends and family?

4) What does a portfolio look like?

5) How can a designer start his or her own business?

6) How can you attract new clients?

7) What other recommendations to become a successful de-signer can you give?

Task 2. True or false:

1) A designer doesn’t need a formal education.

2) You don’t need to work with your home because it’s a waste time.

3) Only artists and models really need a portfolio to promote themselves.

4) You’d better have a job experience in design area even if you’re planning to start your own business.

5) You’ve got to grow professionally if you want to be a well-to-do designer.

Task 3. Translate the following expressions and use them in your own situations:

current events, ebb and flow, to learn the essentials, restaurant chain, retail and wholesale, solo career, the right people, real estate agent.

Task 4. Make up Wh-questions:

1) You can learn all this through books and websites.

2) You may also begin your solo career by working from home.

3) You should choose 15-20 pictures to present in your portfolio.

4) Suppliers provide the products and services that you need to decorate.

5) They are expected to know the specifics of the business.

6) You will get up to a 50% discount on the materials you use when you purchase them directly from suppliers.

7) In order to get new clients you need to market yourself and your designs.

8) The majority of your portfolio should consist of pictures of work that you have completed.

Task 5. Prepare reports on the following topics:

a) Famous Design Schools in Russia and Abroad.

b) How to Become an Industrial/Graphic Designer.

c) Tips From Famous Designers.