What is Interior Design?

Numerous persons utilize the terms “interior design” and “interior decorating” in an interchangeable manner, but there’s a big difference between these two professions.
Interior design represents the art and science of meeting people’s needs in order to create functional and attractive spaces within a built environment. Interior decorating, on the other hand, constitutes the furnishing or adorning of an interior space with stylish or beautiful things. In other words, interior designers can decorate as well, but interior decorators cannot design.
Interior design concerns itself with more than just the aesthetic or ambient improvement of an interior environment. It’s about optimizing and harmonizing the functions to which the specific environment will be put.

Interior designers have to know to contrive an interior space and also how to display that plan visually so that the design concept can be conveyed to the client. They must also possess knowledge about the materials and products that will be utilized in order to create and furnish the interior space, and how the color, lighting, form, texture and other elements mix together and interact with each other to make that interior environment come together. Furthermore, interior designers must comprehend the structural demands of their space plans and design concepts, the health, safety and welfare aspects, including building codes, and numerous other technical requirements.

Types of Interior Design

Interior design is typically divided into two main categories, more precisely: residential design and commercial design. Within these specific main categories there are also additional specialties.
When it comes to residential design, you must know that residential designers work with private living spaces, principally planning rooms for existing or new homes. Certain professionals even choose to work with a particular room, for instance like the kitchen or bathroom, or to design closet spaces.
On the other hand, commercial interior designers plan and create public spaces, such as government buildings, private businesses, or different corporate entities. These professionals focus primarily on offices, but they may work with schools, retail establishments, banks and different public spaces, as well. Certain professionals work to make hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs functional and attractive, while others plan and design spaces in hospitals and different healthcare facilities; every domain, however, most of the time calls for specific knowledge about how the area can be utilized efficaciously by both clients and employers.
Other fields of specialization involve planning and designing amusement and theme parks, museums and exhibitions, various events (such as ceremonies, weddings, baby showers, conventions, parties and concerts). Other specialties also include interior and prop styling, table’s cape design, stage and set planning, theatre and performance design, production design for television and movies. Certain interior designers are focused on interiors for yachts, cruise ships and also private planes.

Approaches

Lots of designers approach projects from different points of view. These approaches to design cut through these specialties, for instance like sustainable or green design, accessible or universal design, design for aging in place, and many others.

Do you Want to Become an Interior Designer?

Do you always receive various compliments when it comes to your interior design taste? Do you like a lot to decorate rooms and arrange furniture? If all your answers are “yes”, then perhaps a career in interior design may be just right for you.