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27-1025.00 - Interior Designers


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
58,900
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
61,100
Estimate
Change in Employment
+2,200
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+3.8%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Estimate material requirements and costs, and present design to client for approval.
  • 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.
  • Select or design, and purchase furnishings, art work, and accessories.
  • Formulate environmental plan to be practical, esthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity or selling merchandise.
  • Subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, art work, furniture, and related items.
  • Render design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.
  • Coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
  • Review and detail shop drawings for construction plans.
  • Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
  • Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
  • Inspect construction work on site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
  • Design spaces to be environmentally friendly, using sustainable, recycled materials when feasible.
  • Research and explore the use of new materials, technologies, and products to incorporate into designs.
Supplemental
  • Plan and design interior environments for boats, planes, buses, trains, and other enclosed spaces.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Design
  • 98%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 Building and Construction
  • 87%
    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 82%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 English Language
  • 79%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Administration and Management
  • 75%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Fine Arts
  • 73%
    Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
 Sales and Marketing
  • 72%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 71%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 70%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Psychology
  • 66%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Mathematics
  • 65%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Clerical
  • 62%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 62%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Communications and Media
  • 62%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Law and Government
  • 56%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 55%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 Mechanical
  • 54%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Economics and Accounting
  • 53%
    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 51%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Drafting supplies
  • Architects' scales
  • Drafting scales
  • Drafting triangles
  • Electronic scales
  • Protractors
  • T squares
  • Triangles
 System Cards
  • Computer aided design CAD multi-unit display graphics cards
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Graphics tablets
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Tablet computers
 Cameras
  • Digital camcorders
  • Digital cameras
 Measuring and layout tools
  • Digital tape measures
  • Precision tape measures
 Computer printers
  • Plotters
 System boards processors interfaces or modules
  • Print servers
 Computer data input devices
  • Scanners
  • Three-dimensional laser digitizers
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Industry specific software
  • 20-20 Technologies 20-20 DesignHOT
  • Autodesk Architectural DesktopHOT
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Autodesk RevitHOT
  • Autodesk Revit ArchitectureHOT
  • Autodesk VIZHOT
  • AutoDesSys form ZHOT
  • Computer aided design and drafting software CADDHOT
  • Graphisoft ArchiCADHOT
  • McNeel Rhino softwareHOT
  • Trimble SketchUp ProHOT
  • Vectorworks DesignerHOT
 Content management software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe AcrobatHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Creative CloudHOT
  • Adobe Systems Adobe IllustratorHOT
  • Adobe Systems Adobe InDesignHOT
  • Adobe Systems Adobe PhotoshopHOT
  • Autodesk 3ds Max
  • iPhotoMEASURE
  • MAXON CINEMA 4D
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
  • IBM NotesHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
 Network applications software
  • Web browser software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Brightpoint Community College
 Programs
Emory & Henry University
 Programs
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
 Programs
Northern Virginia Community College
 Programs
Tidewater Community College
 Programs
Virginia Commonwealth University
 Programs