Edgewater College
Interior Designer Kaitātai o-Roto
Interior designers plan, design, decorate and furnish spaces in residential, commercial, retail and leisure environments.
Interior designers may do some or all of the following:
- discuss design ideas and provide advice to clients
- analyse clients' requirements
- plan and design building interiors, rooms, shops, and residential and leisure spaces
- plan interior infrastructure such as lighting, air-conditioning and communication cabling
- prepare drawings, samples and decorating instructions
- advise on hiring tradespeople
- design furniture or fittings
- buy and arrange furniture and fittings
- work with architects and other contractors.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for interior designers includes:
- any work related to rebuilding or refitting building interiors
- industrial design or other design work
- architecture or architectural draughting work.
Personal Qualities
Interior designers need to be:
- imaginative and creative
- accurate, with an eye for detail
- good communicators
- persuasive and able to negotiate
- able to relate to a wide range of people
- able to inspire confidence in their clients
- able to accept criticism.
Skills
Interior designers need to have knowledge of:
- past and present styles of architecture, design and decorating
- interior materials such as paint, fabrics and glass
- building regulations
- how to analyse a client's requirements and create a design to fit
- design, drawing and presentation skills.
Conditions
Interior designers:
- usually work regular business hours, but may need to work evenings and weekends to meet deadlines
- work in design studios and on-site at private, public and commercial properties.
Subject Recommendations
NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. Useful subjects include history of art, design and visual communication (graphics), maths, physics, and painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking combined.
Related Options
Interior Designers can earn around $55K-$95K per year.
Pay for interior designers varies depending on experience and where they work.
- Interior designers with up to seven years' experience usually earn between $55,000 and $95,000 a year.
- Senior interior designers with more than seven years' experience can earn between $90,000 and $120,000.
Source: Hays, 'Hays Salary Guide FY 23-24', 2023.
Interior designers may progress to set up their own interior design business, or move into management roles.
Interior designers may specialise in:
- commercial or residential work
- colour consulting
- feng shui design
- kitchens
- lighting
- room styling
- home staging for real estate sales.
Years Of Training
3 years of training usually required.There are no specific requirements to become an interior designer. However, employers usually prefer you to have a Bachelor's degree in interior architecture, interior design, industrial design or spatial design.
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