What Skills Will I Learn as an Interior Designer?

Interior design can be a lucrative field, especially for interested and talented individuals. However, as important as interest and talent are, interior designers must learn many specific skills through the course of their education. Interior designers are creative people, but they also need to be analytical and critical thinkers in order to see a project through to completion. An education in interior design will help future designers learn and build skill sets specific to their industry.

There are some aspects of interior design that are more exciting than others are. An interior designer develops the skills to create a space that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional for the people who occupy the space. As an interior designer, colors, textures, and shapes are important aspects to the overall design. While studying to become an interior designer, students learn about color, texture, shape, furniture placement, traffic flow, and other details pertinent to the finished product. These are the creative aspects of design and often what attracts students to the field in the first place.

Other creative skills that are studied include the impact of lighting on a space, which colors work well together as well as how color affects the appearance and mood of a room, and how the form and function of certain pieces of furniture create different effects in a space. Learning how details like accents and artwork complete a space is also expected.

Though learning how color and texture work together and how a space can be enhanced by form and function are a very important part of an interior designer's skill set, there are other skills that are required as well. Though not as interesting to some, the analytical and business skills of an interior designer are equally important to their success.

Business skills, such as budgeting time, money, and material, are just as important for an interior designer. Other skills, such as drawing or drafting, may be necessary for work in certain fields. Communication skills, so that an interior designer can effectively communicate with clients and contractors, are also essential. It may also be necessary for interior designers to learn building and fire codes, as well as basic architectural knowledge, if they want to perform design work in the commercial sector.

A successful education will allow an interior designer to focus on developing both creative skills and business skills. As with any career, a great deal of learning will also take place on the job and so many skills will be learned and developed throughout the span of an interior designer's career. By combining an interest in and talent for the creative aspects of interior design with the creative and business skills learned in school, most interior designers are well prepared to enter the workforce.