Perhaps you have bought a brand new home, or maybe you are willing to make a few changes to your existing haunt’s interiors. You ask around for some possible services and get myriad answers like interior designing and Interior decorating.
However, this is where most people slip up. Many are confused between the two, and yet knowing them is crucial. Their work is so closely related that it produces confusion in many. There certainly are differences, but these are sometimes significant and sometimes subtle.
Where do the similarities end?
Where do the differences begin?
Whom should I hire?
Fortunately, we have this article for you! In here, you’ll learn:
- How is Interior designing & Interior Decorating different?
- How to choose the ideal professional?
Let’s get started. By the end of this article, you’ll know not only what the difference is but also how to hire the right person for the job by looking at their education, services, credentials and clientele.
Let us begin with…
Their difference
Interior Designers
Schooling:
An interior designer is a professional that requires formal training and specific training. Their training and studies can involve studying fabric and colors, CAD (computer-aided design) training, and more. After graduation, they get an apprenticeship at a registered interior designing company. They may also get an internship with a registered and reputed individual in their field of work. Subsequently, one may move on to establish their one’s own company.
Credentials:
In some areas, professional interior designers must pass an exam before becoming registered with the area’s governing council. There are also many areas where such credentials are required. Thus, before you start to look for them, know what the regulations are in your area.
Their services:
Interior designers thrive on spatial planning, including interior renovation, designing, drawing up blueprints for your floor plans, and using decorative accents. However, their work is not just to augment the beauty of a room but also to increase its functionality.
Clientele:
They commonly work with building contractors and architects to get the look a property’s owner desires.
Interior Decorators
Schooling:
Interior decorators don’t have a requirement to take formal training for getting into this profession. While some individuals can show you a university degree, it is not a requirement. This is because their concern is mainly on aesthetics and not on structural planning and home renovations. Interior decorators start working only after the property’s structure has been made.
Credentials:
While no formal schooling and college degrees are needed, there are undoubtedly many courses and programs for a budding interior decorator. So when you are looking for such a professional, it can be best to look for those with these credentials. Their courses may have focussed on space planning, room layouts, furniture styles, colors and fabrics, and the like.
Their services:
Interior designers and builders create a property, but interior decorators make a home. They are highly skilled at adding glam and a personality to rooms. They can advise you on what furniture to buy, what color schemes to have in your room, what accessories to get, and so on.
Clientele:
They don’t work with architects and contractors. However, their work is not solo either. Interior decorators can be seen working with upholstering makers and furniture makers. They may also work with business managers and property owners directly.
How to choose the ideal professional?
So by now, you know that the difference is between interior designers and interior decorators.
Call an interior designer if you have work like:
- Removal and reinstallment of wires and plumbing
- Removing a wall
- Installing new doors and windows
Call an interior designer if you need help with property aesthetics like:
- Picking paints and wallpapers
- Choosing furnishing styles
- Choosing accessories and lighting
- Getting window treatments
To sum up
To conclude, remember that skills are more important than the job title. You can find designers with years of formal schooling and skills in decorating, and you will discover decorators who are highly skilled and just as adept in working with property builders and contractors.
