Learn the Ins and Outs From Someone Who's Been There
It's a point of confusion for clients and aspiring designers alike....what the heck is the difference between an Interior Designer, a Decorator, and a Home Stager anyway?!?
- College students often sign up for Interior Design Programs without really knowing what they're getting into, and without knowing that there's an alternative.
- Home Stagers sometimes make recommendations for finishes and fixtures that they don't know enough about because nobody ever laid it out for them.
- And Decorators often undercut their own pricing because they fear they're less-than when measured up against degreed designers.
Part of the reason for all the confusion is the opacity running rampant in the design industry, the changing times, and of course HGTV and all the media that has followed that cultural phenomenon.
And it certainly doesn't help that all kinds of people - including pros in the industry - often use these terms interchangeably.
But as I always say, there's nobody better to learn it all from than someone who's been there! After all, I was formally trained as an Interior Designer, worked as a Decorator for decades, and made a name for myself as a Home Stager.
So let's dig into each one, so that if you're thinking about hiring one, or launching your design career, you can make an educated choice with the confidence that only comes from real insider information.
INTERIOR DESIGN
In years gone by, Interior Designers were valued for their extensive knowledge of design styles, historical craftsmanship, and their connections to sources of inventory.
However, as the Internet has made more and more direct-t0-consumer furniture & décor options available, the need for them as a go-between has dwindled. (Two exceptions are very high-end Interior Design, and commercial design. Designers can get their hands on gorgeously curated antiques, nearly indestructible commercially approved finishes, and discounted rates through their regular suppliers and network of connections.)
These days, they are most often working from a computer and refining their vision for your space through elaborate software programs that allow them to create floor plans, renderings, and tons of other visuals for you to make your decisions from.
They are college educated having taken an extensive 4 or 5-years of coursework so that they know building code inside and out, can hold their own with the architects and engineers they often work closely with, and have the knowledge required to conceive of and communicate designs that include everything from where to put each light fixture, to where the walls in a new building will be, to what kind of emergency exit access each building needs.
They also select furniture & décor for their clients, but often the bulk of their time is spent creating elaborate visual aids for their clients, hammering out floor plans down to the inch, or researching finish & fixture selections for their clients like tile durability, lighting wattage, and down-to-the-inch cabinet designs.
When to Hire an Interior Designer
If you find yourself in need of extensive help designing and managing a renovation or build that involves moving walls, overseeing contractors, construction knowledge, space planning and more, then hiring an Interior Designer is a must. They'll help walk you through every stage of your project, provide visuals to help you imagine the end results, guide you toward sustainable and cohesive selections, manage every single detail down to the acoustics, outlet styles, and towel bars, and keep you from making mistakes that will result in costly replacements and delays on your project.
Or, if you need decorating help with furniture & finish selection that needs to be high-end, historically accurate, or involves commercial code, then Interior Designers are the perfect fit.
Is Interior Design Your Dream Career?
If you love details, like to know how things work, and either want to launch your own design firm or don't mind the idea of working for a large design firm in a cubicle, then Interior Design might be a great career for you!
However, many high school students choose Interior Design as a major because they have visions of being the next Joanna Gaines and it sounds like fun compared to accounting or nursing.
But what they don't know is that the bulk of their career will be spent behind a desk working on minutiae that's usually micromanaged by their boss, and sometimes even their boss's boss. Very few designers can make a name for themselves right out of college, and the creative types that flock to this industry often feel stifled and resentful at the lack of creativity and hands-on work - not to mention the pretty mediocre pay that goes along with it in the beginning.
Design projects are executed over years or months, and unless you own your own firm or work for a small company, you will likely never get to see the final result of most of the projects you work on.
If you're considering Interior Design as a career, I strongly recommend job shadowing or interning for both a residential and commercial firm, as well as a privately-owned small firm so that you can see what the day-to-day work is actually like, and make sure you're on the right career track.
Keep in mind that in order to call yourself an Interior Designer you'll need a degree in Interior Design from an accredited school, you must pass the NCIDQ exam (National Council for Interior Design Qualification), and you'll need to have two years of full-time experience in Interior Design under your belt. Then you can become a full-fledged member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and officially launch your business or career.
DECORATING
The difference between an Interior Designer and a Decorator is a matter of training, experience and scope. For example, while an Interior Designer can do everything a Decorator can do, a Decorator only does a fraction of what an Interior Designer is qualified to do.
However, becoming a decorator is an extremely appealing career track for many since it focuses on the finishes (like flooring), fixtures (like lighting), and especially the furnishings & accessories that make a home, and requires no official training or licensure.
A Decorator's main goal is to make existing interior spaces feel functional and look beautiful, and they often come into the project after construction is already completed. They're usually hired to redecorate an existing space to their clients' taste, and are experts in choosing items that bring the final details of a design together like the furniture & accessories, and sometimes paint colors and other temporary cosmetic changes.
They spend the bulk of their time sourcing selections for their clients, shopping for items from sofas to throw pillows, and supervising the installation of those items, which means much more hands-on and on-site work than Interior Designers generally do. Since they typically work with existing layouts and aren't responsible for supervising or designing any structural or permanent changes, their services are usually much more affordable than Interior Designers.
And while there are many exceptions, that also means that they are not trained as extensively, and typically don't have the same depth-of-knowledge that comes from years of schooling and supervised experience that Interior Designers can boast.
When to Hire a Decorator
If you're in need of help when it comes to choosing furniture, creating a functional layout, selecting the perfect accessories, or creating a cohesive design in your home, then hiring a Decorator might be the perfect choice! As long as you're not looking to make extensive or permanent structural changes to your home, then they will be immensely helpful, and often more affordable than an Interior Designer.
And because they're less bogged down by the endless details of a construction project like building code and floor plans, they are generally more hands-on and available to their clients.
Is Decorating Your Dream Career?
The best part about becoming an Interior Decorator is that it requires no schooling or licensure, however it's important to know your stuff. There are certifications that can be gotten through various colleges and online programs, all of which are much more affordable and brief than the career track for Interior Designers, or you can learn the trade through internships and hands-on experience.
You will likely need to open your own firm to find success in this field since most Decorators work solo and don't need many (or any) employees, so jobs are scarce. And like Interior Design, you'll have to deal with high-emotions, clients that don't like your ideas, tight budgets, and last-minute changes. Homeowners can be extremely stressful and demanding to work with, so be sure you have a thick skin and a strong constitution if you decide to become a Decorator.
Jobs can be executed over months or just days, and usually allow for a lot of creative freedom.
With enough experience you can find jobs in furniture & finish stores (like tile & flooring), but if you dream of being the boss, then your own decorating firm will be the best path for you.
HOME STAGING
Home Stagers typically have little to no formal training, are known for their natural eye for design, and collect and curate their own collection of furniture and décor that they essentially rent to you after using it all to make your (usually vacant) home look gorgeous so that it sells faster and for more money on the real estate market.
They are essentially experts in real estate marketing, and their main focus is to make the home appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. They rarely take creative input from homeowners, and their projects are often executed in just a day or two, photographed, then removed once the home sells.
They also focus on budget because staging is an investment that has to pay off to be worth it. That means that sometimes their designs are more about smoke and mirrors than livability - for example many stagers use variations on faux beds for their stagings since keeping mattresses and bed frames in stock is bulky and expensive. (See the bed hack I went viral for that thousands of stagers all over the world use now!)
The inventory they collect is usually lightweight and attractive, but not often durable since it's meant only to be looked at and not used.
When to Hire a Home Stager
Hiring a stager when you're listing your home is a no-brainer. However if you're looking to have updates done before the home is staged, be cautious in who you take advice from. Some stagers have decades of experience and know their craft inside and out, but newer stagers might not know the difference between a centerset or widespread faucet, and their ignorance about building code and the interior structure of walls could lead to costly issues and delays.
However, they're experts on what sells, so their simple cosmetic suggestions like paint colors and even lighting fixtures can be extremely useful and pay off in a big way! Just be sure to do your research and make sure they have a great track record before entrusting them with big or expensive decisions.
Is Home Staging Your Dream Career?
Like Decorating, Home Staging requires absolutely no formal training or certification! In fact, you could start your business and call yourself a stager as soon as tomorrow.
However there are quite a few online courses available for new stagers to learn their craft, some of which are approved by the Staging powers-that-be, and some are not. I would advise caution however when it comes to assuming that the stamp of approval from industry leadership is necessary. Home Staging is a very new field, and the cards are still falling when it comes to industry standards, style of leadership, and quality of staging education. Click here to listen to my podcast about why this is true.
That's why I created my own course for new Home Stagers! Despite my training as an Interior Designer and my experience as a Decorator, I still wanted to know the ins and the outs of the staging business when I started, and went looking for affordable, high-quality training.
If you've been following me for a while, you know I never found it. 🙄
So as soon as I worked out all the kinks in my own business, I set about creating affordable, high-quality training for others who followed after me. It's the most affordable course out there, not because it has less info in it, but because I believe strongly in getting good information into as many hands as possible and improving the industry for all of us!
A career in staging typically means managing a small (or sometimes huge) warehouse, investing in versatile furniture and on-trend accessories (however this doesn't have to happen immediately), working closely with Realtors, and dealing with the last-minute crises and emotions that any real estate career demands.
Designs are executed in days or even hours, and usually allow for full creative control.
Larger Staging firms keep a staff of movers and staging assistants, while smaller firms contract their moving out to a local company. Staging can be done successfully as a solopreneur operation, or can scale up or down to suit the goals of the stager.
So if you love the idea of an extremely fast-paced, hands-on design career with total creative freedom, then staging might be the perfect fit for you! I recommend taking my quiz to find out if you're a good fit for Staging - I created it for that exact purpose so you can avoid wasting time and zero in on whether or not it's the right career path for you at this point in your life.
AIRBNB DESIGN
When it comes to hiring an Airbnb Designer, many types of design pros are starting to offer this service. So who is best at it? Interior Designers, Decorators, or Stagers?
I would argue that every one of these career tracks can lead to successful Airbnb Designers, to varying degrees depending on the scope of the project. So for example, a project that involves renovations might be best served with the help of an Interior Designer, a project just needing finishes & furnishings may save on the budget by hiring a Decorator, but nobody is better at managing a budget and creating profits than a Home Stager!
So choose your pro wisely. And if you're just not sure who could manage your project best, consider hiring someone with experience in all three! (Shameless plug!) 😆 Check out my Airbnb Design process & portfolio to see if we might be a great fit, even if we're not in the same geographic area.
Still Not Sure What Your Next Step Is?
I hope this helps you sort it all out in your head, but just keep in mind that there's a lot of overlap in these careers, and that lots of variations exist. It can all be extremely overwhelming, so if you're hemming and hawing about what design career you should pursue or whether or not you should hire a design professional, I'm always happy to help you sort though it all!
Feel free to reach out to me using my contact form, or if you'd like more in-depth council about your fledgling career as a Stager, I have hourly consulting available along with lots of other resources for new stagers that you can find here.
I hope you go out into the world armed with this new knowledge so that you can help others understand what should be a more accessible and transparent industry. Let's help get it there together.
Much Love,
Amy 🥰
