Do I need an interior designer or an interior decorator?

Many people use the terms “interior designer’ and “interior decorator” interchangeably, but these professions differ in critical ways.

Interior Designers use the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building.  Interior Decorators furnish or adorn a space with fashionable or beautiful things.  In short, interior designers may decorate, but interior decorators do not design.

Interior designers apply creative technical solutions within a structure that are functional, attractive and beneficial to the occupants’ quality of life and culture.  Designs respond to and coordinate with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project.  Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability.

The interior design process follows systematic and coordinated methodology – including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process – to satisfy the needs and resources of the client.

Many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have passed laws requiring interior designers to be licensed or registered – documenting their formal education and training – and many of them specifically require that all practicing interior designers earn the NCIDQ Certificate to demonstrate their experience and qualifications.  By contrast, interior decorators require no formal training or licensure.

As developed by the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ)

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