Get a Job as a Home Decorator

Interior decorators, also known as home decorators, work with homeowners or business owners to furnish and adorn an interior space according to their preferences. The decorator must usually work within a budget and order the necessary design elements for their clients. The demand for home decorators ebbs and flows with the housing market. It may be important to establish yourself as a home decorator in a place where the housing market is flourishing. Getting jobs as a decorator requires that you have a good eye, a portfolio and excellent communication skills. The steps you take in becoming a home decorator may decide how easily you get a job in the future. Learn how to get a job as a home decorator.

Steps

Becoming a Home Decorator

  1. Train your eye. Visit art galleries, old homes, open houses, museums and other spaces that have been professionally decorated to get an idea of what elements go well together. Subscribe to interior decorating magazines like Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Veranda, Traditional Home and Better Homes & Gardens to get an idea of the latest trends in the business.
  2. Seek out formal education or training. In order to learn about decorating styles, working with distributors, window treatments and other important elements of decorating, you can enroll in community college or university courses, seek out an online certification or take classes at conferences. People with associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees have an advantage on the job market over less trained competitors.
    • There is a marked difference between becoming a home decorator and becoming a certified interior designer. Namely, the former does not require any formal education, while the latter requires a post-secondary degree.
  3. Become an apprentice or intern. Instead of seeking formal education in a class setting, you can get a job as an apprentice or assistant to an interior decorator in your area. On the job training will teach you the guidelines of working with clients, businesses, retailers and products.
  4. Practice at home. Choose 1 or a number of rooms to be a canvas that you can decorate. Take photographs of your spaces as you decorate in each style to serve as portfolio designs.
  5. Volunteer to decorate the homes of family members and friends. Even though you are offering your services for free, you will be dealing with a client's budget and getting valuable practice of decorating and delivering a product by a deadline. Use every room for a page in your portfolio.
    • Consider hiring a professional photographer to photograph your decorated spaces. Your portfolio should be a professional document, filled with photographs that convey your designs. Although this may seem like an excessive expense before you begin working for a fee, this investment will pay off when you are interviewing with clients.
  6. Create a professional portfolio. This portfolio can be a bound book and/or a website. The following are important elements for your portfolio:
    • Include professionally photographed before and after pictures of 15 to 20 spaces that you have decorated. These samples should show a breadth of your work, by showing a wide variety of decorating styles.
    • Create design boards. Include samples of flooring, textiles, tiles and other samples that your recommend to your clients to cater to their style. Spend time creating boards that you can clip into your portfolio or include in a separate book. Affix the samples to the boards in a professional, clean way.
    • Include references. Ask pleased customers to give their opinions on your work. Referrals will be one of your main sources of work, so developing positive relationships with your previous clients will be important.

Getting a Home Decorator Job

  1. Become a member of a decorator association. Research Certified Interior Decorating International (CID), Interior Redecorators Network (IRN), the Association of Design Education (ADE) or the Canadian Decorators Association (CDECA). Become a paid member and receive access to discounts, training courses and job listings.
  2. Start networking with architecture firms, home builders and interior design companies. Introduce at conferences, conventions, cocktail hours and more. Research companies in your area and take every opportunity to get to know employees on a first name basis.
    • Also contact alumni and professors at schools where you received training. Your school may have an alumni network that can help with job placement.
  3. Send your resume to individual employees at each architecture, Décor or design company. As well as applying for jobs that are listed, you should ask them to keep your resume on file.
  4. Invest in marketing. In order to get your name into circulation, you should have a professional website, business card, resume and possibly a showroom.
  5. Choose if you want to look for a job with a company or if you want to be a freelancing home decorator. If you want to freelance, you will need to invest more in marketing and be constantly looking to set up your next contract.
  6. Visit and apply for jobs at showrooms. Furniture, tile, tapestry and other producers stock storerooms so that they can show their goods to potential buyers.
  7. Apply for a job at a temp agency. These agencies may be able to find you a Décor related job to tide you over while you look for home Décor jobs.
  8. Sign up for a listing on Angie's List. This site may cost a membership fee, but you will be able to bid on contracts for home decoration. Reviews of your previous work or links to your website will also be listed.
  9. Search online job postings for home Décor jobs. Be prepared to do some travel in order to get a home Décor contract. You should look for jobs where there is a housing boom.
  10. Form alliances with other businesses. As you get more contracts, work with architecture firms, Décor stores and contractors on starting a mutually beneficial partnership. Recommend their services in person and on your website, if they agree to recommend yours.
  11. Pay to have a booth a home improvement shows, sustainable building meetings or conferences. Research shows in your area that bring homeowners to you. You may need to pay a booth fee in order to have access to customers.

Things You'll Need

  • Interior decorating magazines
  • Training
  • Professional photographer
  • Portfolio
  • Website
  • Design Boards
  • References
  • Certification
  • Membership in decorating association
  • Industry contacts
  • Angie's List
  • Partnerships

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References

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