The difference between interior designers and decorators

Im sure you’ve heard of both interior designers and decorators. Up until recently I honestly thought that the two terms were synonyms and that they both refer to the same job. But as it turns out, although they resemble each other in many ways, the interior designer and the decorator seem to be also set apart when it comes to what they actually do for a living.

Interior design

The first difference is the level of education each of them needs in order to be able to do their job. The interior designer needs a formal type of education, he needs to graduate some form of design school so that he can be able to create a functional and qualitative environment. An interior designer needs to observe and understand the behavior of his employee so that he can offer useful ideas for a functional interior design.

Apart from the level of education, experience is another difference between the interior designer and the decorator. The interior designer must be able to identify and solve problems that may occur, so that he can create safe and comfortable interiors. The working process is a very complex one as it includes both research and analyzing and integrating his knowledge in the creative process, so that he can meet both the requests and the budget of his employer. When it comes to what an interior designer studies, more exactly, it can vary from art and design history to drawing.

They even have to take a course that teaches them how to plan and visualize things in space. This allows them both to design and renovate interiors. In other words they are qualified to handle your redecoration from the first sketches until the last details.

Decorating

Decorators generally have to deal with the surface projects when it comes to interior design. They usually make the final choices, the ones that regard the furniture, the accessories, the decorations and the finishing touches. They usually add decorative elements, but they absolutely can not change structural details, they can not change anything regarding the electrical plans or the plumbing. In other words, their projects are far less complex than the ones for interior designers.

This is mainly because in order to be a decorator you dont need to graduate from any form of education. However there are countless classes people can take in order to become certified decorators. This doesnt also give them the power to step in where an interior designer should.

In other words, the interior designer is responsible of creating a functional and working environment, and the decorator is responsible of making that environment as better looking as possible. So next time you need to make some changes around the house youll know who to call.