The National Council for Interior Design Qualification (United States and Canada) defines an Interior Designer as a “Professional that is qualified by education, expertise and experience to improve the quality and function of interior spaces”.
However, with the evolution of the industry, today’s professionals are remodeling the foundations of interior designing!
How, you ask? Well, here’s your answer!
While a majority of industry experts believe that interior designing focuses primarily on enhancing the safety, aesthetics and utility of interior spaces, a growing number of professionals believe that outside spaces, architecture, and merchandizing are all parts of the same puzzle.With that being said, it is hard to ignore the similarities between these two career options.
Every interior designer needs to meet two very important criteria in order to be recognized as an expert.
First, they must be properly trained by an accredited institution andpossess the necessary certifications vouching for their expertise. And second, he or she must be able to understand and adhere to the various State Laws and Zonal Regulations related to the building permits.Before proceeding any further, it is best to clear one MAJOR confusion that people tend to have. Interior Designing AND Interior Decorating are two separate professions!If you are inquisitive about the disparity between the two,there is a simple way to put it.
Interior designers are authorized to work with architects and independent contractors to design and execute strategies during construction. The role of a decorator, on the other hand, is limited to offering consultations on the visual aesthetics. They do not need any formal training, and are not authorized to work with architects or contractors.Their services are strictly limited to helping clients choose the best paint schemes, furniture or fabrics.
At the end of the day, an interior designer has greater freedom of expression and a better pay grade than interior decorators!
Now, when we speak of interior designing as a subject, we are barely touching the surface of the ocean. Interior designing is a huge area covering massive real estate, so to speak!
Aspiring interior designers often choose a specialty while graduating, helping them focus on a subject and master that area of specialization. Click To Tweet
While it is not humanly possible to talk about each and every category of interior designing at once without making it a boring read, we will be discussing the ten most popular specializations to clear your basic misconceptions on the subject.
1. Residential Designing
The first specialization on our list is Residential Designing. This is the most common form of interior designing and involves studying the areas within a house. Residential designing is further categorized into four major subjects focusing on the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living space.2. Kitchen Designing
While we are at it, let’s talk about Kitchen Designing. Specialists are enlisted to help clients create the kitchen space that they have been dreaming of. From selecting the proper flooring and paint scheme to getting hold of the right appliances, kitchen planners do it all.3. Living Space Designing
Next in line is Living Space Designing, and as the name suggests,the specialists are responsible for designing every aspect of the living room. From calibrating the carpet area to selecting the flooring and theme, and picking out furniture to light fixtures, these guys are responsible for everything.4. Corporate Interior Designing
Corporate Interior Designing is the art of creating functional and attractive spaces within an office building.Most modern-day offices do not consist of rows of cubicles like they used to. Instead, designers favor co-working spaces and open concept rooms for the employees.
5. Restaurant Designing
Which brings us to our next specialization, Restaurant Designing. Every slight design detail works in coherence to provide the right look and feel at a restaurant. Thus, enhancing the patron’s overall dining experience! Restaurant designers are also responsible for following the safety standards laid out by the government.6. Feng Shui Interior Designing
Feng Shui Interior Designing is another popular career choice as more and more people seek spiritual harmony in their domestic environment.Feng Shui involves arranging furniture, lighting and color themes in a specific order to foster positive energy in the environment.Despite being an ancient practice, it is quite popular in various cultures around the world even today.