How do you become an interior designer? Becoming an interior designer requires various talents and abilities. Most designers are artistic and creative individuals, meaning they have developed their sensitivity and artistic expression. As they become more confident in their craft and launch their own company, they are bound to develop their business and entrepreneurial skills.

Whether you are exploring a career change or just starting your studies, becoming a professional interior designer will require you to master some theoretical studies as well as developing some more practical skills. In this article we share all our best advice you need to know before you become an interior designer.

Design Schools

In France, choosing to become an interior designer means you will at least study for 2 years. These 2 years will enable you to develop the necessary theoretical skills to become a professional interior designer. You can then choose to complete your training with a third year to get your “Licence Professionnelle”. You can also add additional training that will enable you to specialize in a specific field or develop a precise skill.

Online classes and programs

As more and more people have become curious about interior design and online training have developed, it is now possible to take online classes and become an interior designer. There you will find classes that will teach you the basics of interior decor and how to apply them to your own projects. Yet, no matter how qualitative these might be, they sure won’t replace taking a full certification program in an official school. 

Whether you choose to take a full training program or to go for online classes, make sure to pick a program that is certified by the RNCP (Répertoire National des Certifications Professionnelles).

Internships

The best schools will take your training beyond the theoretical aspect of it through internships. They will enable interior designers-to-be to put their theoretical knowledge into practice and integrate their learning. This will be a way for you to learn new skills and to develop automatic behaviors as time goes by. Not only will these internships allow you to develop your skills but it will also be an opportunity to start working on projects and create a portfolio, which will be useful to close future clients and relevant projects.

These experiences will be valuable opportunity for you to develop relevant skills such as :

• Artistic ability: interior designers have developed their unique style and vision so as to create results that are aesthetically pleasing.
• Creativity: Designers’s creative skills should provide clients with a selection of furniture and fabric that fits clients needs and lifestyle.
• Detail oriented: as entire projects rely on the measures and decisions they take. It is important that they are very precise and detail-oriented. Indeed, their drawings and sketches might be used by engineers and other designers. This skill is also what makes a customer completely amazed at the result of a project. 
• Interpersonal skills: As they spend most of their time communicating with clients, other designers, engineers etc, designers need to develop strong communication skills.
• Problem-solving skills: being an interior designer will lead you to meet some challenges. Delays or the high cost or unavailability of some pieces or materials are all factors to consider.
• Visualization: Interior designers need to be able to determine space and understand how pieces of a design can fit into it. The faster they are able to do so, the better they will become.

Growing your network 

Indeed, even though your training will provide you with practical learning, it’ll grow your network. Building your reputation and your portfolio is also very important when becoming an interior designer. It is a full part of the whole process. Networking is part of another group of skills that you will need to develop to become a successful designer. Indeed, beyond your artistic and technical abilities, developing your entrepreneurial skills will help you tremendously in being successful. 

Find your niche

After completing several projects and growing a relevant network, you’ll be able to specialize in a specific projects. Then become an expert in that peculiar field. This will enable you to further develop your business and be recognized for your valuable skills. At Luxoria, the diversity of our teams allows us to provide our customers with a wide range of expertise, both in Paris and on the French Riviera. Whether you are interested in working with us as a professional or to hire one of our experts, we’d be delighted if you could tell us more about your vision.

To see more from our interior design projects in South of France and Monaco click HERE. Additionally, you can follow us on Instagram @luxoria_interiors. There you will find some previous work, current work mixed in with some inspirational work from other designers. On top of that there is the Luxoria Pinterest page. This chronicles our inspiration as well as collaborations. Additionally, you will find mood boards to inspire, lifestyle, fashion, interiors and design elements to browse.