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Key Role Differences between Interior Designers and Interior Decorators

Interior Designers vs Decorators

Raise your hand if you think interior design and interior decoration are the same thing! 

Actually, they are quite different. 

In the world of home aesthetics, both interior designers and decorators play important duties. However, their roles are quite different. Interior designers focus on understanding how people use spaces to create functional areas inside a building. In contrast, interior decorators enhance a space’s beauty by choosing and arranging decorative elements. While both professionals make spaces look better, their training, responsibilities, and methods are quite unique.  

Most interior design firms offer both interior design and decoration services under one roof. As a homeowner, it is important for you to understand the distinction between interior design and decoration so that you can decide whom to hire based on your needs. For example, if you want to remodel your residence environment then hiring an interior designer would be more appropriate whereas you need an interior decorator if you want to refresh the look of your living space. Keep reading this blog as we explore what sets these two creative fields apart and how they contribute to creating your dream home.  

Interior Designers vs Decorators

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    What Do Interior Designers Do?

    What Do Interior Designers Do

    Curious About Interior Design?

    Find Out What Designers Really Do!

    An interior designer is responsible for crafting safe indoor spaces that are both aesthetically appealing and functionally effective. People consult them for developing and renovating spaces. They lay out a design plan that meets the client’s needs, budget, and taste. Usually, space planning involves planning the placement of walls, windows, and furniture. Some of the common situations that require an interior designer include building a new home or office, renovating a space, maximizing small spaces, upgrading or refreshing the look of a place, and designing a custom home. Let us look into the different responsibilities of an interior designer.

    • The designers conduct space planning by measuring the space and assessing its structural constraints. 
    • Every nitty-gritty of design conceptualization including selection of colour schemes, design materials, and lighting is carried out by interior designers in alignment with the client’s needs. 
    • Interior designers are in charge of securing the safety of the homeowners by ensuring that all designs comply with the building safety code. 
    • They coordinate with contractors and architects and manage the design projects efficiently from start to end. 
    • After the design process is over, they oversee the final installation and styling, ensuring everything from furniture to decor elements is perfectly placed.

    What Do Interior Decorators Do?

    Interior Decorators mainly focus on the aesthetics and surface decoration of a space. The chief difference between interior designers and decorators is that unlike the former the latter do not handle renovations or structural planning. Their services are restricted to adorning a space within its existing framework. Some common situations that require an interior decorator include modifying the home style, decorating the home for any occasion, decking residential spaces for sale, and decorating commercial spaces. Keep reading to know more about the duty of an interior decorator.

    • They can optimize the layout of the room by arranging the furniture and decor to free up more space and make your space feel more inviting.
    • Interior designers are  responsible for developing a design concept that includes selecting colour schemes, lighting ideas, textiles, and accessories according to the client’s preference. 
    • They coordinate with you to know about your budget constraints and design preference and select decor items including draperies, furniture, artwork, and other accessories accordingly. 
    • They oversee the placement of the furniture and decor items like styling shelves, table tops, and other surfaces to get a more cohesive look.

    What role and expertise do interior designers and interior decorators have?

    Let’s look at some of the key differences in the roles and expertise of interior designers and decorators.

    Role category

    Interior designer 

    Interior decorator

    Planning and layout

    • Interior designers are responsible for making structural changes to the place including reconfiguring layouts like walls, redesigning spaces, and integrating new design elements. 
    • It often involves manipulating architectural elements to improve functionality and aesthetics.
    • The key difference between interior designers and decorators in the planning and layout segment is that interior decorators are not responsible for making structural changes. 
    • They take charge of improving the aesthetics and surface appearance of the place
    • The role of an interior decorator also includes the arrangement and selection of decor items and accessories to enhance the aesthetics and comfort of the space 

    Structural modifications 

    • Interior designs are qualified to make structural changes to a space.
    • Trained in architecture and design principles they are able to alter the existing structure of a building by changing the doors, windows, moving the walls, or any other structures.  
    • Interior decorators are not responsible for making structural changes. 
    • They work within the existing physical structure of the building.  
    • Their role is restricted to non-structural aesthetic enhancements like choosing furniture, colour schemes, fabrics and others. 

    Building compliance

    • They have to be acquainted with the codes of the local building, safety regulations, and accessibility standards. 
    • It is an interior designer’s job to ensure that the design adheres to all the regulations, maintains the safety standards, and passes the inspections.
    • One of the main differences between interior designers and decorators is that the latter does not directly deal with building compliance. 
    • Their main aim is to modify the surface aesthetics which are not associated with any code of compliance. 

    Functionality and ergonomics

    • Interior designers strive to create a space that is beautiful, comfortable, functional and efficient in terms of cost and space. 
    • Everything from material selection to designing layouts in accordance with the budget and ergonomic needs is the responsibility of an interior designer. 
    • Interior decorators are in charge of devising cost-effective ways to beautify a space. 
    • Their choice of material is more focused on enhancing the visual appeal of the place within the specified budget and less on ergonomics. 
    • Unlike interior designers, interior decorators do not focus on altering layouts or improving functionality.  

    Project management 

    • Interior designers oversee the entire project. They start monitoring from the very initial step of concept creation to the completion of the design process. 
    • They coordinate with contractors, architects, and engineers, and manage the timeline, budget, and logistics to secure the planned outcome.  
    • One of the main differences between interior designers and decorators is that the latter handle project management within a narrower scope. 
    • They just focus on the decorative aspects and not the entire construction process. 

    Technical skills

    • Interior designers possess an array of technical skills including knowledge of building codes, advanced drafting capabilities, and familiarity with design software. 
    • They produce technical drawings and precise plans including electrical layouts and plumbing configuration. 
    • Interior decorators have a very different set of technical skills. They are well-versed in colour theory, fabric knowledge, and spatial awareness. 
    • They might use less complex software as compared to designers for planning mood boards or simple layouts 

    Client engagement 

    • Interior designers engage with clients to understand their style preference, functional needs, safety requirements, and long-term usability of spaces. 
    • Usually, designers have a more in-depth consultation process that incorporates architectural changes
    • Interior decorators focus more on the aesthetic and immediate lifestyle preferences. 
    • Their consultations do not delve deep into structural planning; they are more concentrated on visual and decorative aspects. 

    Design and aesthetic 

    • They are focused on balancing both aesthetic and functional aspects of living and working environments by integrating beauty with usability in designs .  
    • They work to enhance the visual impact of a space. 
    • They use colour, texture, furnishings, and other elements to transform a place and add a touch of personalization without altering the structural elements.

    Customization and style

    • Interior designers excel in customizing structural elements and style. 
    • Their custom built solutions are tailored to specific client needs and requirements
    • Although interior decorators do not design custom structures they are responsible for customizing the style and decor elements of a space. 
    • Their unique and cohesive decor style is tailored to resonate with the client.  

    Conclusion

    In Short, Interior designers and decorators do a good job of making the space look nice, but they’re doing some other things. Structural changes such as the relocation of walls and compliance with safety codes are addressed by interior designers who seek to make spaces functional and operational. However, in order to improve the appearance of an area, architects are paying more attention to aesthetics such as selection of furniture, colours and accessories.Knowing these differences helps you pick the right professional for your needs: choose a designer for major renovations and a decorator for refreshing the style of your home.

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      About Author

      Educational Qualification: BSc & MBA in Administration and Marketing Profession: Online Promotions and Digital Marketing Born and bought up in India and was writing articles in local newspapers, school, and college magazines. L.K Monu Borkala re-started writing the content and blogs again after a long break in his digital marketing business in 2017. He is a writer, copy editor, content manager, Digital Marketing researcher. Finding new technologies and solutions to the problem is his hobby. He has 23 years of sales, marketing, recruitment, training & administration experience. He worked for seven years in 3 companies and started his own business in 2004 as Yellow Pages publisher. He published 24 editions of yellow pages in Mangalore, Udupi, Goa, Kasaragod, Kannur, Hasan & Shimoga. Also, published 4 educational directories, 3 health directories, many bi-monthly & biweekly magazines since 2004. He always says,” Don’t write content and blogs for google ranking, write for readers, and google will honor you automatically.

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