The concepts of ‘interior designer’ vs. ‘interior decorator’ carry the same meaning when it comes to changing the interiors of places. These two, nevertheless, are completely different in terms of the scope of work, the skills involved and the responsibilities assigned. Though both concentrate on sprucing up spaces on the inside, their ways, qualifications and what they do vary so much. This is a blog that clarifies the difference between an interior designer and a decorator and which of the two is more appropriate to solve your problem.
What Does an Interior Designer do?
An interior designer always achieves intensity in advanced concepts. An interior designer’s work is to bring beauty to areas in terms of usage. They have top qualifications in architecture and spatial arrangements as well as building codes, which enables them to do structural alterations and layout beauty and functionality.
An interior designer also works on residential units as well as commercial undertakings. Most of them especially envision the project at its inception, sometimes even working alongside the architect or general contractor. A designer’s work entails much more than just beautifying the rooms as they have to think of how the room will be utilized and by how many people, and how to organize all the activities in that area so that maximum productivity is achieved without compromising the aesthetic appeal of the space.
From this understanding some principal functions of an interior designer are the following:
- Creating a building plan and defining the functional areas of the structure.
- Making estimates and creating a requisition for items such as flooring materials, panels, and fixtures.
- Working in conjunction with designers, contractors and engineers.
- Making sure that designs meet legal regulations and safety standards.
- Coordination of a comprehensive design from scratch to its implementation.
Interior designers in Woodsman can prepare working drawings, suggest changes to load-bearing walls and participate in major reconstruction projects. While they sometimes work with fabrics and paint, it is not designed that would be limited to mere choosing of colour schemes and patterns. However, all these would be done about function and to ensure that all aspects of the space are interfaced well.
What does an Interior Designer do?
While an interior decorator, as the name describes it, concentrates on beautifying masses of the completed architecture. This division does not require proper qualifications in architectural or structural systems as they only have to beautify the design concept. After the structure of a space is complete and the basic skeletal system and important components have been implemented, Interior decorators, most times, come into the scene. Most of their time and attention is directed to the selection of furniture, fabrics and colours, decorative art and accessories in a room to achieve a pleasant look in that space.
The basic duties of an interior decorator encompass:
- Selecting colour palettes, materials and wallpaper.
- Picking the furniture, light fixtures and decorative objects.
- Distributing the furniture and decorative ornaments in an attractive way.
- Adding some things like artwork or decorative items to enhance the place.
- Following a client’s style and funds.
Though decorators help spruce up spaces, they do not get into the details of walls and architectural designs as do interior designers. In Woodsman, they primarily focus on beautifying spaces by selecting and applying appropriate design elements that reflect the owner or business owner’s taste and design.
Scope of Work Designer vs. Decorator
The nature of work for an interior designer goes beyond that of a decorator as the scope of an interior designer is much wider. Implicitly internal space designers start taking part in the design work from its very conception and make sure that the resulting spaces are at least usable, safe and compliant with applicable regulations. They cooperate with other specialists such as architects and builders to attain a consistent design.
On the other hand, interior decorators retrofit these same areas and work only on how things are visually staged. Their main focus is using colours and textures combined with furniture and accessories to make a given room more pleasing to the eye. And because decorators do not have to consider these fundamental elements, their work is quite restricted as opposed to that of an interior designer.
Collaboration and Process
Working with an interior designer is more tedious as compared to a decorator. Designers work hand in hand with their clients from the start to identify and outline the client’s requirements, look at architectural designs and come up with sample sketches of the intended space. Some can come up with different plans for the clients to enable them to make a decision on which is best for them. After that, the interior designer takes care of the project, manages the construction or restoration works and sees to the correct and quality implementation of the design.
An interior decorator is however a little different as their services are less complicated. These people usually have a meeting with the clients to gather information about how they would like the design to be done, the amount of money they want to spend as well as the purpose of the space in question. They proceed to make several mood boards or proposed designs to the client’s attention, which include furniture and colour decoration for the room. After the design is approved, the designer obtains and organizes the elements positioning them in the room to fit the design template.
While most people typically use the terms interior designer and decorator interchangeably, it is important to note that there are quite some differences in their education, the work they do and their areas of specialization. For instance, all aspects to do with space layout design considerations involve the interior designer while the craftsman decoration aspect entails the work of an interior decorator. In this way, distinguishing these two experts will help you realize who is the best fit for the work ahead which will create a space both appealing and useful.
If you want to transform your space and would like help with a complicated renovation, a Woodsman designer will walk you through the process and if you want to redecorate your living room, a decorator will do it for you. It is therefore helpful to be familiar with the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator so that you can make the right decisions regarding your house or even office furnishings.