A lifetime of creativity leads you here and a lifetime of creativity lies ahead. As with any profession, getting into interior decoration takes years of study and practice to shape you into the perfect tool for the job. All dreams take hard work, and they also need direction. Your dabbling in design could take you down many paths, and as with the spaces you’ll work with, your creativity gives you the power to carve your own direction. Here are some creative paths that others with your set of skills have found themselves wandering down.
Getting straight into business
When you set out to start a career in interior decorating, the most obvious outcome for you is that you do just that. Either you join a decoration firm, or perhaps you work towards starting your own. When starting your own business it is often best to find a niche and specialise in it, for example, kitchen interiors, working with retail layouts or perhaps your team will be school decorators or work space specialists. There are plenty of areas to cover and you’ll make most ground by focusing on one type.
Temporary creativity
When your job is decorating people’s spaces, you hope they will like your ideas and that your ideas stick around. But there are also several interior decorating careers that allow you to set up temporary spaces for various parties which can sometimes be more fun as there is less permanent pressure. Set design for film or events is one of those where your design will only be temporary. Similarly an interior stylist will work with brands to create ‘sets’ for photo shoots or adverts, giving the space the right feel for the brand. Another option in this vicinity is a home stager, who sets up rooms in properties that are on the market in order to help them sell more easily, and it can be great fun.
Furniture designer
Spending so much time decorating rooms, you get quite a feel for the items that go well with certain themes. A popular branch from interior decoration is moving on to design unique and interesting furniture that you know other decorators would want to use in their works. If you have imagination and passion that you surely carry over from your interest in interior decoration, and think you can master the balance of fashion and function to actually create these products, then you have the main qualities necessary to make it in this field.
Floral designer
Who says you need to stick to furniture? You may know exactly how to work a room, but your eye for details and creativity means you can make plenty of other arrangements work well too. You may not have started your career with this option in mind, but you have a blooming career in all things creative and visual ahead of you, and flowers are just another of your options.
So from the traditional and obvious career path, to some more subtle and interesting ones, your options moving forward from interior decoration are varied and endless, so don’t be shy to explore them.
