Arts, Design, Media & Sports
Interior Designers
Also called: Certified Kitchen Designer, Color and Materials Designer, Commercial Interior Designer, Decorating Consultant
US median pay
$67,190
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+2.7%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
7,700
97,100 employed
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Preparation 4/5 · Considerable preparation
What this job is
Plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings. Design interior environments or create physical layouts that are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purposes. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
What they do day to day
- Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
- Research health and safety code requirements to inform design.
- Confer with client to determine factors affecting planning of interior environments, such as budget, architectural preferences, purpose, and function.
- Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
- Coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
- Review and detail shop drawings for construction plans.
- Inspect construction work on site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
- Render design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.
- Subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, art work, furniture, and related items.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.8/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.6/5
- Persuasion3.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5/5
- Time Management3.4/5
- Operations Analysis3.1/5
Knowledge
- Design4.9/5
- Customer and Personal Service4.5/5
- Building and Construction4.2/5
- English Language4.1/5
- Sales and Marketing3.8/5
- Administration and Management3.6/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 4 of 5 — Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Bachelor's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Bachelor's degree84%
Who this job suits
Mostly Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.