Landscapes & Interior Design.

What Does an Interior Designer Do?

When it comes to hiring a professional to decorate their homes, many families make the mistake of assuming that an interior decorator and an interior designer are basically the same thing. They are not. While we have nothing against decorators, the fact is that they are not trained professionals. The only thing a decorator needs to start working is good taste and a simple certificate.

By comparison, designers must obtain degrees from accredited schools of interior design . They must also pass a licencing exam, which means that just like doctors or lawyers they must answer to a licencing board. As a result, if something goes horribly awry and you are dissatisfied, as a homeowner you will have legal recourses.

There is also, of course, the question of experience. Designers must have an understanding of architecture. They must be able to read blueprints and to deal with lighting issues and building codes.

In the end, a designer must know more than how to prettify a space. He must take several essential structural and architectural factors into account. In fact, many designers actually have degrees in architecture, which gives them a more intimate understanding of how interior spaces can and should be utilised.

Another important difference between designers and decorators is that designers have experience with something called computer-aided design (CAD). These programs help designers use precise measurements and 3-D computer graphics to create space designs.