Want to be an interior designer? Here's how!

Part I: Interior design is more than just arranging furniture

Interior design is becoming an increasingly viable career option for creative individuals who have a flair for home and office design and decor. However, there's more to it than just the inclination -- there's also the ability. To be a good interior designer you need several skills you need -- some inbuilt and some acquired. Some of the the inherent skills you should possess are:

• Excellent design sense
• Good time management skills
• Good coordination skills
• Good team building skills
• Eye for detail
• Keen observation
• Patience

The skills that need to be acquired can be gained by enrolling for a course.

How can I become an interior designer?
It is one thing to be interested in interior design, but a whole different game when it comes to getting trained to be one. There are many who have done professional courses and have achieved a great deal of success in the business. Then there are other who have simply jumped into the industry with no training, learnt the tricks of the trade along they way and made a successful career for themselves.

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However, in today's scenario of competition and constantly evolving technology, someone who wants to get into the feild would require some basic knowledge and instruction. That's where professional courses come in. "Individuals can enroll for the interior design course after their 10th or 12th standard education with institutes like INIFD. There are graduation and post-graduation courses available in interior design," says Shubha Jain from INIFD (Mumbai). "Even people who want to decorate their homes their own way pursue these courses. Architects also pursue interior design to get a glimpse of an interior designer's task."

You can decide whether you want to pursue a course or jump into the fray and eventually learn the trade. "I spent many hours in the salad days, surrounding myself with smarter people in the trade…from whom I learnt," explains Parthajeet Sarma, Director, iDream Advisory Services Private Limited.

Institutes offering courses
There are many institutes that offer courses that range from a certificate course to a degree course. The certificate course would benefit anyone who wants to understand and appreciate interior design. However, for those who are looking at it as a profession, they may need to take up a degree or even a diploma course.

Jain explains, "The ID course gives the insight of the details required to do the practical work on the field/ site. The trainers are basically interior designers themselves with a good amount of work experience. However, the standard differs from institute to institute."

And some of the courses do equip students with practical knowledge too. Practical knowledge of building materials and actual equipment is critical to being a good interior designer. "Practical knowledge is of utmost importance in ID. Institutes design their curriculum to include this aspect," says Jain. At INIFD, exhibitions are conducted where the students make various models of kitchens, drawing rooms, etc. They also have regular visits to various sites to help them understand the real world challenges.

Some feel that courses are a good foundation to the actual learning. "Although I have never done a course (I am an architect)," voices Sarma, "what I have seen is that the three-year courses tend to give a good foundation in terms of planning and creativity. However practical application of ideas is what is not very well taught." Sarma resommends the JJ School of Arts (Mumabi) as a good institute to learn interior design.

Here's a list of a few other renowned institutes:

• School of Interior Design, Centre for Environmental Planning Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad
• Birla Institute of Liberal Arts and Management Sciences, Kolkatta
• JJ School of Arts, Mumbai
• National Institute of Fashion Design, branches across India
• School of Interior Design, Bangalore
• SNDT Women's University, Mumbai
• Sophiya College, Mumbai
• Shree Devi College of Interior Design, Mangalore

Continuous improvement and specialisation
Like all professions, a course merely gives you a primer to what the profession can encompass. "Being a successful interior designer has no magic formula. One needs to be patient and really work hard in the initial years to pick up tricks of the trade," feels Sarma, "and master the practicalities of the trade. In this trade, you may create a fantastic design on paper, but if you do not know how to execute it, or how much it is going to cost…it will spell trouble."

Jain adds her advice on career advancement, "Interior designing is a hectic and tedious profession. It involves both working at sites and in the office. The person should be able to handle the pressure from clients in meeting deadlines and fitting the client's requirements in to his/ her budget."

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It does not stop there. "It also involves getting your work done from the labourers or craftsmen and coordinating with various people like your client, your colleagues and your suppliers for materials. You need to develop patience and should be able to handle the pressure."

Specialisation is also seen as a must, these days. For instance, Parthajeet's company deals only with companies and commercial premises. That way, every interior designer would eventually need to identify which is his or her space preference.

You can choose from the following specialisations:

• Corporate or commercial interiors, that includes retail outlets, commercial spaces, offices and such
• Residential interiors
• Working with design firms as a designer
• Working with design firms as a project manager

Part I: Interior design is more than just arranging furniture