The Evolution of Home Design
A career as an interior designer is an exciting and rewarding career. Home design encompasses a variety of disciplines, from research and collecting to actual design creation. Many people choose to become interior designers because they enjoy the creative process and the challenge of coming up with new designs for clients. Others love to travel and want to be able to share their experiences and help others discover beautiful places around the world. Still others love to just be out and about and are happy just making people feel comfortable.
If you have a love of creativity, love to help people discover the beauty of places around the world, and you are truly passionate about the building design industry, you might want to consider a career as an interior designer. There are plenty of open positions around the country and the world that you can qualify for, although most positions require some sort of architectural training or experience. The following are some basic responsibilities that building designers and architects must uphold:
– Becoming a licensed professional building designer is required in most states. While this requirement may vary from one state to the next, most require a four-year degree in either architecture or interior design, along with a certification exam that includes a passing score of at least 110 on the examination. Some states may require more, while others only require a high school diploma or GED equivalent. To become a licensed professional building designer, you should pass the licensing exam. This exam is offered by the National Council for Interior Design Accreditation and can be taken online through the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
– It wasn’t always this way, however. In the past, the interior design was almost solely the domain of architects, who could only dream of designing amazing homes and spaces. Only in the last decade have interior decoration and furnishing firms begun to provide services to the general public.
Home design is an art, like any other. Like an architect, the client must first determine what “look” they want, what “style,” what type of materials will be used, etc. It is then the job of the architectural firm to research all of the materials and styles available, as well as create a floor plan based upon those ideas. Once the floor plan is created, the home designers will begin the process of decorating the house. Many home designers find that the most fulfilling part of the job is simply letting the home designers get away from it all and do something totally unique. (After all, nothing is more personalized and custom-made than a home.)
As recently as 20 years ago, if you wanted a custom-designed space, you had to hire an interior decorator. Now, the number of companies providing these services has exploded, and the average family has access to a wealth of resources and designers. Interior design firms are no longer restricted to the larger, more prestigious firms of the past. Many newer interior design studios offer jobs to individuals who do not have an entire Masters degree in interior design or have only a few weeks or months of experience. Now, talented young people are designing homes, schools, and offices; and they are all doing it from the comfort of their own home.