Interior Designers

What Interior Designers Do

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.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

21.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Designimportance 4.9/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
• Building and Constructionimportance 4.2/5
• English Languageimportance 4.1/5
• Sales and Marketingimportance 3.8/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.6/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.4/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Telephone Conversations4.9/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
• Contact With Others4.5/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.4/5

Related Careers

• Commercial and Industrial Designers
• Craft Artists
• Landscape Architects
• Fashion Designers
• Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers
• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Architectural and Civil Drafters
• Graphic Designers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers97% skill match
• Dietitians and Nutritionists97% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers97% skill match
• Emergency Management Directors97% skill match
• Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling97% skill match
• Directors, Religious Activities and Education97% skill match
• Social and Community Service Managers96% skill match
• Landscape Architects96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.8/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.6/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.5/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.5/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Innovation
• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Adaptability
• Self-Confidence
• Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ArtisticHigh
• RealisticMedium
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• InvestigativeMedium
• SocialLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where interior designers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Naples-Marco Island, FL4.96× national avg
2. 2Bozeman, MT3.79× national avg
3. 3Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL2.39× national avg
4. 4North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL2.37× national avg
5. 5Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL2.15× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Landscape ArchitectsCareer Change
• Art DirectorsLateral Move
• Medical and Health Services ManagersCareer Change
• Financial ManagersCareer Change

See the full career path from Interior Designers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.