So, you want to be an interior designer. That’s wonderful. Interior design is a great profession, it is exciting and enlightening, but it is also hard work. However, it can be a lucrative venture if you approach it in a strictly business-like manner, no matter the scale of your operations.
It is so delightful and satisfying when an interior concept you develop on paper is brought to reality. It is also fulfilling when you see the expression of delight and satisfaction on your client's face. But the interior design profession goes beyond home decorating, interior upgrades, renovations, and procurement of materials on behalf of clients.
There are a great number of top-earning niches in the interior design industry; call them sub-categories if you wish. Some of these niches are best described as specialized fields and each field has its own sub-niches too.
Many aspiring interior designers fail to recognise them. They fail to realise how profitable a niche or sub-niche might be for their interior design business. And for the Jill (or Jack)-of-all-trades, avoid getting enmeshed in every aspect of the profession by doing anything from general interior décor tasks and window treatments to choosing furniture, lights, and gutting an interior for remodelling purposes. When you lack focus and accept any interior design or decoration job that comes along, it may become a sure-fire way of working under stressful conditions and losing revenue.
In this book, you will find many career and job opportunities you can choose from. So, forget the not-so-true fact that interior design is strictly limited to the interior spaces of buildings. There are many more viable and gainful ways interior designers can increase the profitability of their businesses.
Think of the dozens of things that come to play in residential and commercial interior design and find the one you think you’ll excel most in. Focus on a couple of related areas, or better still, on a standalone niche. Remember; some of the best job opportunities in the industry remain mostly for interior designers working in specialized interior design niches.
Further reading:
- Important Clauses to Add to An Interior Design Contract Agreement
- How Do Interior Designers Charge for Services?
- What Is the Difference Between Interior Design and Interior Architecture?
Interior Designer's Client Database Book (Keep your customers' details in one organized place)
Mood Board Pages for Interior Designers (A portfolio organizer journal)
