Interior Design vs Interior Decorating
Understanding the difference between interior design and interior decorating should start by looking at what each individual term means. Interior design and interior decorating are both related with beautifying a place. The terms Interior Designer and Interior Decorator are used to refer to people concerned with beautifying a place or changing it to make it aesthetically more pleasing. However, there are differences between designing and decorating and if you are interested in making a career in designing, you must know the difference between interior designing and interior decorating. Once you understand this difference, you can easily choose the path you want to follow.
What is Interior Design?
Professional skills and training are required for interior designing, and to call yourself an interior designer, you must obtain the certification or a bachelor’s degree that takes 4 years. There are some states that bar an individual from calling himself an interior designer unless he has the required degree. To become a certified interior designer in US or Canada, a person needs to pass the qualifying exam conducted by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) , which is accepted in both the US as well as Canada. Even after passing this test, the interior designer must follow the professional standards set by American Society of Interior Designers. Likewise, there are tests to be taken in different countries if you want to become a professional interior designer. So, you can understand that interior designing is a very professional field with a lot of rules.
What is Interior Decoration?
Interior decorating is quite different from interior designing. An interior decorator, on the other hand, does not require following such guidelines as in interior designing. No formal education is required in interior decoration. However, if you have an education, that will be a plus point for you. Interior decorating pertains to insides of homes and offices and mainly confines to surface decorations. Interior decorating is mainly undertaken to make the interiors aesthetically more appealing and attractive. So, if you have a good eye and know how to use it to make a place attractive, then you can become a successful interior decorator.
What is the difference between Interior Design and Interior Decorating?
• The American society of interior designers defines interior designer as a person who is professionally trained to create a functional and quality interior environment. These designers need to be well-versed in construction practices as well as building codes to complete their job.
• Interior decorators are more concerned with making a space look and feel more attractive. They are not concerned with building practices.
• Another notable difference between interior designers and interior decorators is that decorators tend to be formally employed in companies whereas designers tend to work independently and charge fees for their consultation.
• With interior decorating being less formal and less technical than interior designing, there are no formal education and licensing requirements in case of decorators that are there in the case of designers.
• Interior designers often work closely with other professionals such as architects and contractors. Interior decorators do not work with any contractors or architects because decorators have nothing to do with structural work of a place.
• Hiring one or the other depends on your need: if you need to remove a window or insert a new one, that is structural work. Therefore, you need an interior designer. Then, think that you want to change the wall colour, remove your furniture and replace them with new ones. For that, you need an interior decorator.
Images Courtesy:
- Interior Decorating by Living Machine Systems, L3C (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Interior design by Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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