The designations earned by interior designers are another difference from decorators. “We belong to trade associations and they require that we have continuing education and we’re required to keep educating ourselves,” said Kelly Hudson, owner, of iDesign 4 Interiors in Brookfield.
Ingui said another key distinction between a designer and decorator is the level of involvement with detail. “A designer gets more involved with the details of a project, including the selection of products, like the type of tile and style of cabinetry and door,” she said. A decorator will focus primarily on colors, furniture layout, style and finishes.
The distinction is one echoed by Hudson. “We do a bit more in-depth than what a decorator does. I would say that for a decorator, they can do things like accessorize your home, work with existing furniture – move it around in different places or space plan constructed rooms. They’re also good for staging homes for sale.”
Though an architect is generally needed to plan for moving load-bearing walls — those walls that help support weight from other parts of a home in addition to what is right above them — an interior designer can typically handle the movement of non-load-bearing walls and rearrange space within a home. Such work is beyond the scope of services offered by most decorators.
Interior designers often work with remodelers and other vendors. Remodelers do the physical work, “…but we’re coming up with all the plans, appropriate materials, we can do tile layout, all those types of services,” Hudson said.
by Vivosity Consulting, LLC.