"The home should be the treasure chest of living."

- Le Corbusier, Pioneer in modern architecture and urban planning

This quote reflects the core idea of Interior Designing. It is about creating spaces, breathing life into empty spaces and redesigning spaces to make them our own.

Interior Designing is not restricted to homes. It is equally important in the retail, hospitality and commercial spaces sectors. Offices cannot be mere buildings. They need to be designed in a way that the space is utilized in the best possible way while meeting the needs of the employees and the services they provide.

Let us explore Interior Designing as a career option, the responsibilities of an Interior Designer and what lies ahead for this interesting industry. Read on.

Market overview for India

The market for interior designing and home renovation in our country is estimated to be nearly $30 billion, according to industry reports. This has been attributed to the strong real estate market, growing population, rising income levels and shrinking urban spaces. A large number of people are now opting for smart homes and multi-functional residential areas. This has led to innovations that make homes tech-friendly. Interior Designing has blended well with Virtual Reality to give homes a new dimension in India.

According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, in India, the real estate market is witnessing a growth in investments in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. This gives a boost to the Interior Designing sector as well. Cities like Vijaywada, Surat, Cochin, Goa, Pune, and Ahmedabad are seeing a surge in the number of interior designing firms and professionals.

Besides, the commercial interior design market is also growing in India. A major evolution is visible in the designing of office furniture and interiors.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Interior Designing Industry

A lot of the changes in the Interior Designing industry have been attributed to the influences of COVID-19. The pandemic has pushed Interior Designers to come up with new ideas, trends, and solutions. Virtual walkthroughs have become a common practice among architecture firms. The advent of 5G, computational devices, and VR applications have helped Interior Designers to push the boundaries and expand the scope of designs.

Millennials have made it clear that they want to go for unconventional living patterns with homes providing pleasant and comfortable living spaces while doubling up as Work From Home areas. Besides, homeowners are increasingly coming up with their own ideas to suit their needs. Interior Designers are now busy coming up with solutions that match the vision of the customers while sticking to their budgets.

Globally, the Interior Designing industry is expected to see the highest growth rate in the Asia Pacific region. India is expected to take third place in terms of construction volumes by 2030. Cities like Beijing, China, Tokyo, Japan, and Mumbai have been witnessing rapid urbanization leading to an increase in residential apartments.

The advent of start-ups has helped the industry to push its boundaries with smaller companies catering to homeowners with limited budgets. There have been instances when start-ups have caught the attention of bigger clients due to their innovative solutions and fresh approaches.

Trends that emerged after COVID-19 in the Interior Designing Industry

The pandemic has brought changes in our lifestyle and hence in the way we want our homes and workspaces to be built and designed. Our preferences have changed and so have our choices. This has pushed Interior Designers to adapt to new trends and designs. Let's look at what's trending now.

• Earthy Colours: The lockdown made a lot of us realize the importance of our surroundings and it brought us closer to Nature. This has resulted in the urge to bring earthy colors into our homes. Hence, we are seeing a lot of beiges and greiges to get that earthy feel.
• Home Spas: Our residential spaces have indeed become multi-functional with cozy office corners coming up in our bedrooms and study rooms. However, there is a demand for home spas equipped with a luxurious bath for those days when we need to relax and de-stress.
• Innovative Storage Spaces: With shrinking spaces and our need to fit more, interior designers are now coming up with interesting storage options. While some are intelligently hidden from plain view, others double up as a mirror, shoe rack or stylish window rack.
• Home offices: This has been perhaps the most significant trend post the pandemic. Interior Designers are now coming up with corners within homes where you can work with the feel of an office cubicle. We are, therefore, seeing private and formal workspaces becoming an integral part of home renovations. Most families are opting for multiple workspaces in the home allowing two people to work from home.

What are the Responsibilities of an Interior Designer?

Interior Designers breathe life into homes with their artistic visions. They are also responsible for coming up with designs as per safety concerns and functionality requirements. Let us look at some of the basic responsibilities of an interior designer.

• Designing Projects: Interior Designers need to come up with project designs from their point of conception to completion. They need to be aware of the guidelines and regulations about making structural changes and renovations.
• Translating customer needs into designs: This is where interior designers offer personalized solutions. Customers hire services of interior designers in cases where they need specific alterations for meeting certain needs.
• Fix costs and project fees: Interior Designers prepare cost estimates for projects and offer explanations and reasonings for the same. They are also equipped with the knowledge to prepare designs that give value for money.
• Conducting research and sourcing materials: Interior Designing depends a lot on research and information about industry trends and practices. They also collect material required for the project.
• Supervise work: An interior designer works with a team of artists and craftsmen. It is the designer's responsibility to ensure that the work done is as per the project's demand and requirements. They also monitor that the workers are not compromising on quality and safety.

Scope & Career Path of Interior Designers in India & Overseas

A degree in interior design gives you the advantage of having a professional knowledge. Interior Designers are hired across sectors for creating spaces that suit their needs. For instance, the needs of establishments in the hospitality sector will be quite different from that of a boutique owner.

Here are different career options that open up after obtaining a degree in Interior Designing.

• Specialization in Industrial Design: This is for Interior Designers who want to work with huge spaces. They can work for architectural firms that design factories, manufacturing plants, storage facilities, and other industrial structures.
• Designing for hospitality firms: An Interior Designer can work with hotels, restaurants, airlines, spas, bars, and cruise ships. Here they have the opportunity to work on the brand's image and deliver a message. They ensure the client's requirements are met and the spaces are utilized well.
• Retail Space Planner: Interior Designers help retail establishments develop floor plans, product displays, and shop layouts in ways that can attract customers. Next time you visit your favorite clothing line shop look around for the various interior designing elements that you love in the shop.
• Freelance Interior Designer: This is one of the fields where you can work on a freelance basis, engaging with different clients at the same time. After gaining good experience, you could also set up your consultancy or firm since you now have your trusted client base.

Broadly, interior designers can find employment opportunities in any of the following areas:

• Architectural companies
• Retail brands
• Interior Design firms
• Interior design consultancies
• Construction companies
• Set design companies and
• Event Management companies.

Top Companies Hiring Candidates with Diploma in Interior Design

Interior Designing is a flourishing business in India and the proof of that is the number of established companies in this sector. Some of the top Interior design firms in India that hire candidates with a Diploma in Interior Design are:

• The Karighars, Bangalore
• Savio & Rupa Interior Concepts
• Morph Design & Co. by Prestige Constructions
• Design Qube
• Carafina
• De Panache
• Urban Ladder
• Homelane

Across the globe, there are many well-known Interior Designing houses that have been ruling the industry for years now. Some of these prominent names are:

• ST/AC Architects - Bulgaria
• Comite de Proyectos - Mexico City
• H&H Studio
• Studio Mart - Russia
• TOA Architects -
• Alisa Bloom LLC.

The employment scope for Interior Designers is expected to grow further. It is to be noted that only a few interior designers are directly employed by the construction industry. Most of them work for individual clients.

Career Opportunities after Diploma in Interior Design

After completing a Diploma in Interior Designing, there are a number of job profiles that open up in the industry. The common job profiles on offer are:

• Interior & Spatial Designer: They renovate and design internal spaces. They work on furnishings, color and lighting schemes, structural alterations, fixtures, and fittings.
• Lighting Designers: As the name suggests, these designers work on how each home needs a different set of lights, what suits best in a particular set-up, and what suits the client's requirements.
• Visual Merchandisers: They create interesting and innovative designs for visual displays at retail outlets.
• Production Designer: They design and create sets for TV serials and movie shootings. These designers execute the vision of filmmakers and create life-like structures for them.

Salary Trends for Diploma holders in Interior Design

The average base salary for a Diploma holder in an Interior design firm is around Rs 300,000 in India.

Job Profile	Salary for Entry Level	Salary for Mid-Level	Salary for High level
Spatial Designer	Rs 142,000	Rs 306,000	Rs 1,000,000
Lighting Designer	Rs 200000-400000	Rs 1,000,000-Rs 1,500,000	Rs 1,500,000+
Visual Merchandiser	Rs 300,000-500,000	Rs 500,000-Rs 700,000	Rs 800,000-Rs 1,200,000
Production Designer	Rs 400,000	Rs 700,000	Rs 800,000+

Summary

We have thus seen that Interior Designing is indeed a lucrative career for those with a keen interest in this subject. It offers you abundant career opportunities along with good pay. Moreover, it is an ever-expanding field with a wide array of job roles.

You can apply for these roles easily after securing a Diploma in Interior Design from a reputed institute like Pune’s Suryadatta. The key is to find a course that meets your skill requirements and also offers ample placement opportunities. And Suryadatta’s Interior Designing course sure fits the bill.

Join Suryadatta today

The course offered at Suryadatta is indeed unique with the main highlights being the UGC recognition. The institute also offers the best infrastructure facilities. The training is provided by industry experts and experienced professionals who are part of the faculty and also take part in interactive sessions and guest lectures. Finally, the biggest advantage is Suryadatta’s placement team that ensures that the students have the best job opportunities at the end of the course. So, what are you waiting for? Apply Now!