5 Things you Need to be a Good Interior Designer
Is Interior Design your True Calling?
Them: What do you do for a living?
Me: I am an interior designer
Them: Oh that is so cool! I love interior design, it’s definitely a job I would have loved to do!!!
Every. Single. Time
I would never change careers. What I love the most about being a designer is the perfect blend of creativity, technicality and interpersonal skills. I actually studied Applied Arts, then Architecture, and decided after getting my degree to move towards spatial design. So it took me a little while to my my calling
Doing that, I knew it would be a lot harder for me to stay in Australia (Architects can get their own visa, designers need a company to sponsor them…) and that I would get paid A LOT less. But I just couldn’t imagine spending my life doing something I didn’t love. It took me years but I got there! I am finally a permanent resident with her own business! Yay for me! Only took 10 years…!
But enough about me. We are here for you.
You are here because just like most people (mostly women) I have met, you have thought about what it would be like to be an interior designer. You watch all the TV shows, follow some big names on IG, and it just looks like so much fun! You have put a lot of time and effort into creating your own space and take pride in having a beautiful home.
In all honesty, I don’t believe you need degrees to be an interior designer (if you want to work for yourself that is). There are so many amazing self taught people out there who are just killing it! So you can take “degree” off of the list of things you need right now.
The competition is fierce! And there are a lot of interior designers out there who just don’t stand out of the competition, and probably never will. So if you decide to take the leap, I don’t want this to be you.
So! What do you need to be a GOOD, SUCCESSFUL Interior Designer?
1. #youneedto: Have Design Flair
Obvious, I know, but you need some talent. Potential clients won’t hire you based on your degrees (which we agreed we don’t need anyways), they will decide to hire you after seeing your work. Have you ever been complimented on your tastes or on how you decorated your home? Do people ask you for your opinion or advice on interior design stuff?
Most interior designers started off by helping out friends and family for free. This is the best way to have some work to show others and get the word out there. Do not underestimate the power of word of mouth, especially as you start.
2. #youneedto: Be a Good Listener
You are helping people create a space for themselves. You are not there to tell them what to do but to understand their vision and needs, to then bring this vision to life. It’s all about the client.
I have witnessed designers tell clients what they needed after a few minutes of conversation and it made the rest of the project so painful.
Clients want to feel heard and understood. They want to know you get them.
To be a good interior designer you need to be genuinely curious about how your clients live, what they know they need, what they think they need, and what they don’t know they need. This is how you get to hear: “this turned out a lot better than I thought!”
3. #youneedto: Be able to Pick your (Design) Battles
Some clients might be stubborn, and not everyone is going to blindly trust you. Sometimes you will design something “the right way” and they will insist on having it the “wrong way”.
It is important that you explain why you did things a certain way and why their way might not work, so they can make an informed decision.
Although some things are worth fighting for, you have to know when to let it go. You need to have great communication skills to get your message across and be willing to compromise.
Spoiler Alert: a very small portion of your designs will turn out 100% as you want them to.
Want to get more Interior Designer's secrets? Read all about The 4 biggest colour trends of 2020
4. #youneedto: Thrive Under Pressure
“The fridge just got here, it doesn’t fit”, “I wanted to order the tiles, they are out of stock”. As an interior designer, clients and contractors alike expect you to have an answer for everything straight away.
You need to be very organised and good at multitasking. When someone calls you up with a question, you just have a few seconds to remember who it is, what project they are talking about, where exactly the project is at and what they expect from you.
Most of the time, problems will need to be resolved asap, so you need to be flexible with your schedule and able to handle stress.
5. #youneedto: Know your worth
This one is still something I struggle with, and don’t quite understand. Potential clients will try to negotiate your fees. They don’t negotiate at the hairdresser, or for a movie ticket, but somehow they try to negotiate with you.
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As you start, it can be tempting to agree to lowering your fees because you want (and need) the job, but keep in mind someone who tries to pay you less than you are worth will never really trust you 100% with the work or see the value you are adding to the project. This means you have higher chances of ending up with a project you are not happy with and doesn’t serve your business.
Knowing your worth and sticking to your fee will help you stand out from the crowd and build your reputation. Unless you want your reputation to be: “She is cheap and will give you a discount”. (That is the bad side of word of mouth, give one a discount and you’ll be expected to give the “client’s friends’ friend one too).
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What else do you need to be a Good Interior Designer?
Of course you need more than these 5 things to be a successful designer, but I didn't want this article to take you 30minutes to read!
Head over to the 5 (Other) things you need to become a Good Interior Designer and find out if you have what is take to succeed as an interior designer!