What is Interior Design?
The Best Interior Designers Make it Look Easy
Designers craft spaces that anticipate our needs and appeal to our emotions while pulling from a broad set of skills and technical knowledge. Interior design has changed dramatically since the early 20th century when it was just beginning to emerge as a profession.
Interior designers are expected to have working knowledge of:
- Textiles, materials, color, space planning, sustainability, and more
- Software applications for 2D & 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM)
- Structural requirements, health and safety issues, and building codes
Today, interior designers work with contractors, architects, engineers, craftsmen, furniture dealers, and business and home owners. To become a successful interior designer, you need a well-rounded education and the skills to work within many disciplines (architecture; graphic design; decorative arts; and textile, furniture, and lighting design).
Education is the best way to get the skills you need to succeed. And in a culture that increasingly embraces DIY design, a degree gives you the credentials required to compete and get clients’ attention.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) states that:
“Completing a degree, either an associate or bachelors, is becoming increasingly more important to the interior design profession. Currently, 26 states and jurisdictions have licensing requirements for interior design practitioners. In many of these states, you cannot even call yourself an interior designer unless you meet or exceed a certain level of accredited education and in some cases pass the qualifying exam administered by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). Regulation of interior design practice continues to become increasingly wide spread.”
With its strong professional focus, a New York School of Interior Design education gives you access to internships and designers with real-world experience — invaluable connections that will serve you throughout your career.
