Interior Designers... what they really do.

An interior designer is someone who applies the art and science of understanding people’s behaviour in the process of tailoring spaces to achieve users’ satisfaction.

An Interior Designer is not an Interior decorator; but he could also function in the capacity of a decorator. An Interior designer is more concerned with spatial analysis, planning of the layout of spaces and the pragmatic utility of those spaces while an Interior decorator is about making existing spaces more beautiful; using soft furnishing and other adorning elements.

Interior designers need a lot of technical knowledge on issues such as acoustics, lighting, climate, building codes and regulations, building services, environmental psychology etc. They need to have some basic knowledge of building structures, as they may sometimes have to alter structural elements such as load-bearing walls (of course, under the supervision of an Engineer) in order to achieve more functional spaces. They in fact often work with Architects, Engineers and Contractors. In Nigeria today, they can be considered as professionals in the construction industry and they are stake holders in the real estate market.

Interior designers are not just artists attempting to make spaces more aesthetically appealing, they assume the roles of scientists and psychologists. This is because they have to combine technical research with an understanding of human behaviour while applying artistic elements to achieve users’ satisfaction.  This implies that they have to be vast; relying on research from many fields of study about how people respond to, or are affected by their environments.

Interior designers may specialize in residential design where they may be engaged from the planning stage or may be commissioned to remodel or renovate. They also specialize in commercial design which is a rather broad field; they may be commissioned to design the interiors of boutiques or fashion studios, shopping malls, restaurants, healthcare spaces such as hospitals, exhibition spaces such as museums and corporate spaces such as offices.

Just like in other parts of the world; in Nigeria today, the interior design career path is not an exclusive reserve for Architects; anybody who has a flair for amazing interior spaces and is ready to go through the training required can make a successful career out of it.