What makes an interior designer successful

But their talent and willingness to learn, coupled with good networking skills and a little luck, helped them achieve success. Either way, to truly become a successful interior designer, you have to work hard, build great relationships, take chances, and be ready to learn. Here are the surprising stories of how some of the top interior designers who took a different path got started. Berkus, a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and designer of a successful namesake collection at Target , started apprenticing in the fashion and interior design field right out of high school.

Wolf was born in Cuba to parents in the building business. He moved to New York City at the age of 18 without completing high school.

Rearranging furniture was his favorite pastime, but he never knew it could be a career until he met an interior designer. Wearstler is best known for her hotel designs and design books. She studied interior and graphic design at Massachusetts College of Art and decided to move to Los Angeles to break into the acting world. She not only received great acclaim for the project, she also married the developer, Brad Korzen.

It's about creating an atmosphere. You absolutely have to know something about the people you are designing a space for. You need to find out about the way they lead their life, which rooms they use the most and you must always consider form and function. When it comes to making decisions about colour, my advice is to do it slowly. Try colours on a small area of the walls you want to paint and look at them at different times of day.

It's about instinct and how it makes you feel again. Always try things before you make any final decisions. Lighting is also essential because it's all to do with mood. I like to have lots of different light sources, low level lighting as well as ceiling lights and I like to have quite a lot of control over them as well, with lots of different switches and dimmers.

The functionality and the atmosphere are the most important things to get right. The fabrics, the floor coverings, the furniture the lighting are the tools that you use to create that.

Don't make rushed decisions if you can help it, apply a process of elimination approach if you can. The more you do it, the more confident you will become in your decision making. You've got to be able to empathise with your client.

Being an interior designer can mean lots of things, there's a little bit of being a nanny in there, a little bit of psychology and lots of empathy. When you have designed a space or an object or anything really and the client loves it, that is why I do what I do. That is the best feeling and the best thing about the job.

If you create something and you put it out there and you know that somebody else is genuinely thrilled with it, then that is your reward and there is no better feeling! Top 10 tips for writing poetry.

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They want a family room that is inviting to guest but also comfortable to spend family time in and just relax. Clients want choices! People are all so tech savoy, that it is important to show your clients options and even show them furniture or fabrics they have not seen before, to demonstrate your importance to the process.

Listen and observe. To do that, we need to really listen to what our clients are asking. Interior Design is also about finding inspiration for new techniques, approaches, materials, and that requires listening and observing the world around us, other cultures, nature, beautiful design past and present. Knowing and believing in your authentic voice and giving that perspective value.

Design is very objective, but we all recognize when something comes from the heart. A very close second is supporting your peers and the design community- we lift ourselves when we lift others. Be a good problem solver. Go to school to learn the required drawing and tech skills.

Be detailed oriented, consistent in delivering your best, a terrific project manager with strong visual skills, network and share your skills with the industry and always be curious to learn about new products in the architecture and design ever-changing industry to learn about art, design and taste and to appreciate beauty.

Learn how to listen! Hear what your client is asking of you no matter how big or small. Ask for even if you had to read between the lines to decipher it. Then show them what YOU would do and why it may be better than what they asked for. If their ideas are great from the start, use them, but let them know you are taking all the credit — Jana Rosenblatt, Jana Design Interiors. You grow up painting the walls of your bedroom and continually rearranging it.

Becoming a designer comes out of a life-long pursuit to makes things prettier. School hones your ability to present and communicate ideas, but ultimately what really matters are your vendor relationships. These are the people who execute your vision, so be good to them! My vendors and clients are partners in the process so I always treat them with respect and kindness, even when problems arise. They bring years of expertise to the table and when you have a great relationship, they will have your back in the event that something goes wrong.

I have had my business for close to 25 years and I find that what makes it successful lies beyond creativity and knowhow. I have the reputation as a designer that gets things done. I excel at follow up and problem solving and always get back to my clients in lighting speed and demand the same attitude from my vendors and sub-contractors.

As a result I have a very high ratio of return business as well as referrals. One of the most important things? Be curious. Never stop asking questions- to your clients, your sources, other designers, showrooms, trade shows.

Ask about how people want to live, how they function in spaces, why new lines are developed, the purpose behind product changes, how changes or upgrades impacts the end user, what are the trends in the markets, what social norms and attitudes are shaping the way people live? So, to stay in the business and run it successfully, one should strive towards ensuring customer satisfaction be it in terms of design, time, efficiency or budget.

Entrepreneur Staff. Jennifer Miller. Priyadarshini Patwa. S Shanthi. Shishir Jajoo. Skip to content Profile Avatar. Subscribe to Entrepreneur. Magazine Subscriptions. How to Ensure the Success of Your Interior Designing Business In any business, timely deliverance and adhering to deadlines is of paramount importance and not respecting this can prove to be detrimental to the brand.

By Sandesh Dhanraj January 4, Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

More About Interior Design Businesses. Entrepreneur Staff Mar 16,