The Challenges of Interior Designer
What is an interior designer or designer? What’s the difference with an interior decorator? What services does this professional offer? Find out what you need to know about this trade in this guide.
What’s the Difference Between an Interior Architect and an Interior Decorator?
First of all, it is necessary to distinguish the interior decorator from the interior architect. The first redecorate your apartment but does not change it in substance, while the second may suggest you to completely transform the layout of your interior by breaking down the partitions or installing a staircase.
Moreover, the designer architect is the master builder. He takes care of the SITE monitoring of his clients by directing the various artisans who will intervene on the site. Another major difference between these two professionals is the training they received.
The practice of the profession of designer architect is conditioned by the possession of a diploma accessible from a level bac+4, while the interior decorator has no official qualification. To practice, you must hold the title of “”qualified interior architect”” issued by the French Council of Interior Architects (CFAI). In the trade, the starting salary is on average between 1500€ and 2300€ gross per month.
How to Become an Interior Designer?
If you are interested in the field of Interior architecture or space design, you should be aware that there are numerous training courses for architects and schools of architecture available to you, which can be accessed after graduation or are in transition after a first professional experience in graphic design or space design (as a scenographer for example) or in other crafts. MANAA may be required depending on your level.
Turn to an art school and choose a course adapted to your professional project: it can be initial, short, or distance training. Among the recognized training centers and schools of global design are, for example, École Boulle, ENSAAMA, EnsAD, École Bleue or École Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Take advantage of the open doors to learn about the many possible diplomas and collect student testimonials.
However, integrating these schools will require several essential qualities: being creative, having a good visual perception, and mastering the drawing process… To find a job, it is then your professionalism and your human qualities that will prevail: your passion for Decorative arts, your sense of contact for the customer relationship, your know-how, and your personality.
If some graduates move quickly to design agencies, architectural firms or design offices (to be project manager among others), remember that it is also possible to work freelance to be your business manager! Know that the interior designer can also evolve towards scenography or specialize in a sector.
Interior Architecture and Space Design
The architect designer designs, structures, and shapes beautiful and functional interior spaces by playing on volumes, materials, furniture, and light, while taking into account the needs of the customer. It must always comply with the standards in force and with the technical and budgetary constraints, and must possess the professional insurance necessary in the architectural environment!
This professional, creative and imaginative designer creates, structures and designs both private and public spaces: Haussmann apartments, houses (the growing market of lofts is a great opportunity for the profession), offices, shops, train station halls, showrooms or museums. It’s objective: to modernize the space to make it welcoming, comfortable, and functional for your lifestyle, all in an aesthetic concern.