A keen eye, strong attention to detail, and a sense of concepts like color theory, proportion, balance, and scale, career-wise interior designing might be a great niche for one to strategically kick start.
1 Residential Interior Design
Some of the symptoms for people who are meant to be on this path would be ones who have an addiction to extreme home makeovers, and ones who love to scroll through pre-designed living and bedroom ideas. It varies from client to client as their utility and functionality will change according to the lifestyle they lead, age, and number of family members and also with their style preferences.
2 Commercial Interior Design
With top-notch commercial factors, the client should have an awe moment in the design with function and utility like residential. But here more of a wow factor is required to make the user feel like a movie star but with a logical layout according to the use of the spaces. From hotels to shops to malls with plumbing, electrical, and fire regulations there are many zones for the designers to specialize in.
3 Corporate Interior Design
When an office turns into a second home for its employee it’s a designer’s task to incorporate the number of people, space, and utilities which varies according to the type of industry the company prioritizes in. For example, a designer’s space should be aesthetically thought out and made rather than a blandly styled cause for them to get inspired and work in a good space really matters. While an academic department might need more of a meeting and communal space and a headquarters might need more of a private space that is soundproof etc.
4 Health care Interior Design
Depending on the field of medical field one design for, the designer has to navigate through designs. Health care should always bring calmness to the patient at least through its interiors as the patient is already in a poor mental and physical state. A good amount of sympathy, care, and consideration without compromising utility, function, and accessibility would be its highlight. For example, a dental care unit should have more of an open plan to accommodate different stations while a psychiatric session should give out more of a calming, soothing, and private environment. An interior designer who can put into a patient’s shoes with empathy would make a good Healthcare interior designer.
5 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design
It is far more than selecting the tiles and deciding the theme, it involves understanding and designing the plumbing, electricity, and other appliances. Here functionality of these spaces decides the liveability of the user mainly when it is residential. For example, Storage, how these areas blend with the rest of the house, many factors have to be considered.
6 Lighting design
The mood of the room is created with a play of light and shadow. Deciding the position, the height of the power outlets, the aesthetics of the light, and its consumption, all play a major part. A classic restaurant would prefer a chandelier while new teen ones would prefer light fixtures that are cool and Instagrammable. Light links temperature with it, warm and cool gives the sense to the user. For example, Lights act as a tool to emphasize different art pieces in a gallery while the light itself becomes a piece of art in public realms. Light designers get to work in different realms of different styles.
7 Sustainable interior design
It’s becoming more of a trend these days as people have become cautious about causing harm to nature. It’s all about minimalizing environmental damage by using the materials they use yet it doesn’t compromise in its aesthetics. Taking care of certain kinds of paint and furnishing improves air quality increasing the quality of living as well as minimalizing environmental impacts. For example, looking into products that are recyclable, preferring bamboo over hardwood for flooring, and insisting on a rooftop garden, a sustainable interior designer really has to take into consideration both nature and humans consuming it. Few organizations such as LEED might certify one as such a designer.
8 Universal Internal Design
Considering developing a space that includes and are accessible to all kinds of people-including the elderly, people with disability, children, and more. A good universal interior design would make space accessible to all people in different communities. It starts from simple things such as from provision of braille scripts in lifts to the provision of ramps making spaces easy to navigate. while renovating a space a designer needs to look into the inclusion of such needs and follow standards. No matter which interior designer path you take learning a universal interior design would only add value to your profile as more companies are using it and also as a designer inclusion of different kinds of users is one of the priorities which makes the design a huge success.
9 Exhibition Interior Design
A person who loves visiting museums and galleries might really have compassion for this field. Not only how art pieces are presented using lighting, and placement but also the temperature and how much care is given to its preservation also comes into play. For example, as historical one would have many fragile pieces so even the temperature should be taken into consideration. For providing calming experience for the user rather than a narrow space much of a broader one is preferred. From lighting, to working with artists, to executing the project many responsibility lies on the shoulders of such designers.
10 Furniture Design
This itself has become a specialization with more demand in the field of interior design. With more software, more precision of the furniture is also obtained, where the client can decide on every minute detail of the sofa they are using to dining sets as everything is customizable. (foyr, 2021)
11 Executive director
A senior-level professional who is responsible for product design policies, objectives, and budgets. Such a position works with upper shareholders in interior design companies.
12 Project manager
Planning and overseeing the daily project details. Having direct communication with clients and choosing the perfect contractors for the job makes the profession a good opportunity for those who can manage and communicate the need of the client and project accordingly. While the main responsibility comes with managing the budget while meeting the requirements.
13 industrial designer
They are responsible for making plans for the mass production of a product, with the primary duty of communication with clients, designing, managing the budget, overseeing while manufacturing, and also troubleshooting design issues at the time of production. They also research manufacturing regulations and create schedules to produce items. (editorial team,2023)
In short Interior design field is an ever-growing field with multiple possibilities and opportunities. There are various options to get a bachelor’s or master’s in interior design, after completion of such a certificate, one needs to get recognized by CIDA( Council for Interior Design Accreditation) and also a license from the state before starting the practice. It isn’t about making gorgeous spaces but about making ones that are livable, functional, and accessible to bring ease to our daily life. With the right combination of interior design certificates and programs, one can have a job of their choice.
Reference
foyr, foyr (2021) 10 interior design career paths to become an interior designer: Foyr, Create Beautiful 3D Designs. Available at: https://foyr.com/learn/10-career-paths-in-interior-design-to-consider/ (Accessed: 25 June 2023).
editorial team, indeed (no date) 10 interior design careers with salary and job descriptionsindee, indeed. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/interior-design-careers (Accessed: 25 June 2023).
