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Interior Designer Vs. Interior Decorator: Is There a Difference?

After owning a home for several years, most homeowners will find themselves in need of a change. Whether you need to completely renovate a kitchen or merely change the aesthetics of a bedroom, you’ll find yourself seeking the help of a professional. No matter how big or small the project may seem, you’ll need the wise eye of a home improvement professional to ensure your projects are accurately completed.

When you need a professional for your home improvement projects, you’ll need to figure out if you should seek the help of an interior decorator or an interior designer. Most people think that these two professionals are the same, but recognizing the difference can help you more easily decide which one can best help with your project needs.  

Interior decorator

Interior decorators are often defined as “stylists” for your home. They specialize in making the interior of your home look amazing by matching color tones, creating themes, selecting home décor, and ensuring a room is beautiful in appearance.

Credit: modishspace.com

An example of how an interior decorator could help with your home improvement project would be to help match the color tones and select all new home décor for a particular room. Interior decorators specialize in remodeling an outdated room into a beautifully furnished space.

Interior designer

Interior designers, on the other hand, are referred to as skilled professionals. They are more emotionally in tune with their clients and their home improvement projects. An essential part of the designer’s job is getting to know their client on a personal level, listening to their needs, and applying professional observations to the project. Designers specialize in being able to understand space planning, acoustics, lighting, building codes, technical construction, human scale, emotions, sustainable designs, and so much more.

Interior designers typically have 4-6 years of higher education under their belt with nigh-infinite knowledge. This is why it is beneficial to hire an interior designer for complex home improvement projects because they will make sure your project not only meets building codes but that it is a sustainable design.

An example of how an interior designer can help with your home improvement projects would be during a renovation project. Basement renovations or bedroom renovations are perfect for interior designers. As a skilled professional, an interior designer knows how to design and create a sustainable living space that will meet all of the client’s needs.

Photo by Edan Cohen on Unsplash

How to decide between the two

Choosing between an interior designer and an interior decorator is easy if you know the differences. For anyone that requires help choosing color schemes and home décor for the interior of their bedroom, an interior designer will be the perfect choice for their home improvement project. For those individuals who require something more such as renovation projects, an interior designer is the best choice.

Gail P
I am a beachy type of person, living in Newport Beach, and oftentimes I’ll go for a swim with my daughter. When I’m bored, I’ll help make package boxes for my little girl’s sticker company on Etsy.