Interior Designer

As more people buy older homes with fix-up potential, there is more work for interior designers who are skilled at filling spaces with dynamic statements. Do you read Metropolitan Homeregularly? Are you addicted to the latest home fashions and accessories? If so, you may make a fine interior designer. But the work is more than plaster-deep; you’ll need the ability to work with builders and contractors if a room is being redesigned with a specifi c aesthetic effect in mind. If you apprentice with an interior designer first, you’ll gain much more detailed knowledge about the intricacies and nuances of this business. Personalities are the most difficult aspect of the job; getting others to cooperate and work as a team with a unifi ed vision is probably your biggest challenge. Keeping up with fast-changing trends is another. But if you like meeting with people and creating the home of your clients’ dreams, you’ll enjoy the challenges and learn to overlook the difficulties.


Your start-up costs for an interior design service will be in the $3,000 to $5,000 range, primarily to cover your first six months of advertising. You’ll need classy business cards and brochures about your service, so set aside between $500 and $1,000 for these items alone. Set your fees at $50 per hour (or a per-job basis for larger work), and re-evaluate your prices after your first year of business. Th e more clients with money, the higher your prices.


If you truly like working with people in their most intimate surrounding, this is the job for you. However, expect there to be challenges. One might be getting too many clients at once. Another might be clients who request too many changes, which could wind up costing you money. Set some policies in writing ahead of time to avoid this situation, such as adding a surcharge for any work that goes above and beyond your initial agreement.


“I seem to be the remedy person,” says Linda Chiera, President of Studio Space Design in Akron, Ohio.“People usually come to me after they’ve experienced a problem elsewhere . . . I’m working on getting them to think of me first!” Chiera feels that her business is unique in that it provides expert service and assistance with complex projects.“We learn a person’s work style and incorporate that into whatever we do for them, whether it be redecorating a home or redesigning their office space.”


Chiera couldn’t do without a computer and CAD system, fax, phone, sample books/resources, tape measure, scale, and business cards.


“Get sales training and get out there . . . join networking organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce. And if there’s a mentoring program available in your area, enlist in it. Offer yourself as a speaker, advertise wisely (knowing your exact market), and hire seasoned professionals to do the things you can’t.”“Finally,” says Chiera,“don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”


“I would have been wiser about target marketing and advertising. I should have been more careful about selecting the right niche and also should have tried to become more comfortable earlier on about the selling aspect of my job. I’m trained as a designer, and sales and self-promotion have been a bit of a challenge for me until recently.”


Approx. cost of start-up: $3,000 to $5,000


Approx. potential earnings: $30,000 to $50,000


Typical fees: $50 per hour or a ?at, per-job rate


Where to promote: Yellow Pages, newspapers, networking with builders/ contractors, Web site with extensive gallery of your work


Qualifications: Some states require certification; you should be a member of at least one professional association related to this field


Things needed: Swatches, sample books, catalogs, computer, cell phone or pager


Required staff: No


Hidden costs: Phone bills, which can run high in the beginning as you get set up with distributors and manufacturer’s representatives