By Daisy Imagine a job that allows you to use your creativity and make homes and businesses more beautiful. You are now entering the world of interior decoration!
Few careers offer as many benefits. Interior decorators can have the satisfaction of seeing your vision come to life. You’ll meet fascinating people and, because interior decorators are often wealthy, you’ll likely spend your time in beautiful homes and businesses. You can be your own boss by starting your own decorating company. Your “work” will be enjoyable, interesting, rewarding, and most importantly fun.
You can be an interior decorator if you want it to happen. This career requires no special education or experience. This is in contrast to becoming an interior designer, which requires two to five years of education in interior design. You can be an interior decorator right away.
If interior decorating sounds like your dream job, here are 10 steps that will help you get there. These steps are based on the FabJob Guide for Become an Interior Decorator published at FabJob.com.
1. Get your eyes trained
If you’re interested in interior decorating, there is a good chance you already have an eye for design. You can identify what is good and what needs improvement by looking at a room. You can still “train your eye”, regardless of how talented you may be, by looking at what others consider good design.
Look for beautiful interiors. There are many beautiful examples of interior design in magazines and in your local community. You can visit show homes, open homes in wealthy neighborhoods, antique homes, furniture showrooms, art galleries, offices of interior designers, corporate lawyers, and historic homes.
2. Learn from others
The various elements of decorating are important to interior decorators. These include space planning (how to arrange furniture in a space), color and light, decorating styles (for instance, Colonial or Southwestern), floorings and wall coverings, window treatments and accessories like pillows and art. You can learn about decorating basics by reading books, visiting web sites and speaking with dealers of home decor products (paints, carpet, lighting, fixtures, etc.).
3. You can practice at home
Interior decorators often begin their decorating career by working in their own homes. Even if you only have one room to work with, you can gain “hands-on” experience in a wide range of decorating techniques. You can easily make dramatic changes to any room quickly and cheaply by simply arranging your furniture or painting the walls a different color. Try it! Try out techniques that you might not normally use. This room can be considered your “research laboratory” where you can test out new techniques before recommending them for a client.
4. Volunteer your services
You may have already been asked by family and friends for advice on decorating. But if they haven’t asked, you can offer your help.
Your family and friends might want to redecorate when they are going through transitions. These could include: moving into a new house, co-habitation, or childbirth. You could also decorate their new office.
5. Prepare a portfolio
Portfolios are a collection that includes samples of your work and any other documents that could be used to show why someone should hire. Photographs of interiors that you have decorated are the most important part an interior decorator’s portfolio. Make sure to take both “before” and “after” photos of each space. You can choose 15-20 photos of your best work and organize them in a portfolio case or photo album.
Portfolios can include letters of recommendation as well as “design boards”, which are posters on which you have put pictures and samples of material such flooring, wallpaper, and so forth. To show clients how you would decorate a room.
6. Find a job
You can still learn about interior decorating and meet potential clients even if your goal is to open your own business. Home builders, furniture manufacturers, restaurant chains, and retailers that employ decorating talents include hotel and restaurant chains as well as home improvement stores, furniture stores, antiques dealers, and housewares shops. Interior design and decorating firms.
You will need to create a resume that highlights your decorating experience and any other skills employers are looking for.
7. Start your own business
Many interior decorators want to be their own boss. You will need to make business decisions such as the name of your company and whether you want to incorporate. Organizations such as the U.S. Small Business Administration offer basic business advice at no cost.