Our five-pronged approach focuses on your individual strengths to develop your unique qualities towards making you an exemplary pi- designer.
Saili Sawant
02/01/2025
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Overview:
Interior design is a rewarding career combining creativity, expertise, and a passion for transforming spaces. With India's burgeoning interior design market today, jobs for interior designers are on the rise. Through the journey of obtaining a bachelor's or diploma in interior design and landing beneficial internships, the scope and salary of interior design in India continue to increase. The interior design job profile typically includes designing, planning, and styling spaces according to the client's requirements.
While the starting salary for interior designer in India is usually between Rs.25,000-Rs.30,000, it majorly depends on expertise, education and qualifications, creative level and communication skills. Amidst this dynamic and ever-evolving field, the emerging market for sustainable interior design is flourishing in residential and apartment interior design as well as public and commercial spaces. Given its exhibited potential for growth, it is a good career opportunity in India that could make a tangible impact on the spaces people work and live in.
Table of contents
Today's aspiring interior designers hold a promising future owing to the high demand for jobs for interior designers ranging from freelancing to full-time posts in various settings with evolving trends. According to Businesswire.com, the market reached a $22 billion revenue in 2020 and is expected to grow significantly between 2021 and 2030, with the number of interior designers in India also increasing, the leading projected market value is at US$81.2 billion by 2030.
Before discussing the diverse job opportunities for interior designers, it's crucial to understand the specific interior design job profile and its demand. For instance, commercial interior design has seen a steady growth of 56%, making it a positive and progressive trend in the market compared to residential interior design.
Let's further explore the unique aspects of interior design and the growth opportunities that come with a career in India.
Interior designers are specialists unfolding designs into reality and curating dream living spaces. They craft aesthetic and functionally efficient interiors abiding by safety codes, and creating enduring structures that hold design sensibilities. The area of expertise of each interior designer varies, developing different types of interior design; they could either be a ‘jack of all trades’ or ‘ace of one’ depending on the space they excel designing in, whether it is in the field of residential, commercial, hospitality or more.
To answer this question, we should consider them as professionals multitasking in storytelling through design, trendsetters, creative artists, and mainly design developers who optimise spaces through beauty and functionality. While there is a difference between architect and interior designer job roles, a collaborative effort of interior architects and interior designers involves a dynamic design journey infusing technicality, design skill, practicality and creativity to produce an effective and successful design.
This effort results from many steps involved in the creative process, from concept and research to execution and development. There is a checklist of standard requirements to maintain progress in project completion like brainstorming concepts, critical design analysis, client meetings, site visits, budgeting, miscellaneous, and more, to produce successful apartment interior design, corporate office design, or healthcare design.
Despite having a basic understanding of design, it is important to refine design skills to pursue this career. India offers a rich variety of interior designing courses in renowned institutions while providing a solid foundation to pursue a successful career.
Colleges like NID (National Institute of Design), IIAD (Indian Institute of Architecture and Design), Amity University, CEPT (Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology), offer best interior design courses in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. These educational institutions are known for their well-rounded curriculum and developed faculty expertise.
The courses are an extensive four-year programme where students explore and expand their creative visions in diverse fields of interior design. It is crucial to obtain a bachelor's degree or diploma in interior design from a highly regarded university or institution to acquire good education and placement offers. Efficient design school programmes are a mandate to hone your skills in this competitive, ever-evolving/developing field.
Added qualifications, making you stand out in your resume and interview, could be doing additional certifications and short courses on interior design after formal education to enhance your knowledge and develop skills. Top universities offering certification courses could further help you pursue your interior design career. These courses could range from a duration of three to six months to even two to three years depending on the extensive subjects studied during the course.
While online courses have become a popular and convenient choice for everyone after COVID, it is always better to gain on site experience of workshops or courses to understand the subject better.
Though online courses provide you with flexibility and are more cost effective than on site courses due to commute expenses, if any, it is important to consider the limitations of online interior design courses.
These courses do not allow you to develop relationships and on-site networking, do not provide hands-on experiences, and could lead to a lack of curiosity.
While you select a course, make sure to talk with ex-students and also do your bit by researching on it before you proceed to begin your career. It is important to pick a good course by a good platform/university as it holds a big part in your future. Picking a good course in a reputed university/educational institution is important as it holds a big part in your future.
Before beginning your career, turn to ex-students, working professionals or reputed online platforms.
The interior design industry in India is reportedly expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% between 2021-2026, and only more hereafter, by Research and Markets. The industry is constantly evolving to be at pace with the ongoing future trends and user requirements. Jobs for interior designers today are more flexible than other professions, providing self-employment opportunities after acquiring the required education or even working in a design firm to gain knowledge and experience before entering into the competitive realm of evolving lifestyles through interior design.
Interior designing scope and salary in India must be researched and well known before entering the field. A diverse range of specialised fields offer niche areas of interest, such as sustainable design, modern kitchen interior design, hospitality and healthcare design, retail design, event planning and design, and more.
A diverse range of jobs for interior designers exist for aspiring students. The students can find roles that align with their interests and seek opportunities accordingly. Is interior design a good career in India? You can be assured by its job prospects, diverse opportunities, flexible work arrangements, and growth in the market.
Before starting your career in interior design, you must create an impressive portfolio, have a good understanding of the job profile and have a sound knowledge of the AEC industry. Regarding the monetary part of this career, the average salary for interior designers varies significantly depending on many factors like experience, location, and specialisation. Experience plays a crucial role; entry-level positions may offer a lower starting salary for interior designer in India, but with skill development and experience, it will indeed have substantial growth.
So what is the average salary of an interior designer? The average salary of interior designers in India starts at ₹25,000 to ₹40,000 depending on your degree/diploma, creativity, communication skills, certifications and prior industry knowledge. This value could grow to a range between ₹75,000 – 1,50,000 with increasing experience and come to a reasonable ₹500,000 as you grow to become a senior interior designer.
Job search platforms like Indeed, Naukri.com, Architizer can help you with a starting point to gain knowledge on the positions available that suit you while searching for jobs for interior designers. Even industry-specific websites like Dezeen would put out job listings that help. If your goal is to be a part of a particular firm, keep an eye out for listings on their website.
Pages on social media platforms like Archijobs, The Switch, Indeed, Naukri and LinkedIn cater to showcasing job opportunities for interior designers. They provide filtering options, specialised listings, salary insights and more, seen by a large audience, including recruiters. In addition to job boards and dedicated career platforms, social media sites like Instagram and Facebook Groups have become powerful tools for interior designers to network, find job opportunities and build their personal brands. They foster a diverse community of students, employees, recruiters, promoters or even just interior design enthusiasts. This facilitates the sharing of valuable and insightful information including ideas, trends, available job opportunities and more.
Networking and building relationships are a mandate in this industry. Keep your LinkedIn updated and have a good network connection online and outside platforms. Regularly attend events and workshops to grow your network with potential employers that could help you out.
Showcasing your best work through a strong and creative portfolio is, nonetheless, getting you halfway through already. With a demonstration of impressive projects and software skills, you can now only work on creativity and communication skills.
When you bag your first interview, make sure to thoroughly research the company's work culture, projects, and design philosophy. Know what you want from the job and have a good understanding of what you can bring to the table. Highlight your skills, and always leave room for improvement and learning, as every firm is different.
After getting a good seven-ten years of experience in this field, building your own interior design practice is also a profitable venture to look into. Develop a niche, a unique style, and a good client base to get yourself started. You could even start by freelancing for your family and friends to develop a strong understanding of your capabilities. Quickly, before all this, have a guide on how you will be managing your finances, and you're good to go!
India boasts a thriving interior design industry with numerous talented designers and firms. Renowned for their innovation and creativity, here is a list of the top 5 interior designers in India:
One of India's most celebrated designers, Sunita is globally accredited for her impeccable work in the field of design. Some of her celebrated works are the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Hyderabad House, and the Parliament House Colonnade, amongst others.
Principal designer and co-founder of SAKA Studio,with 19 years of experience in diverse architecture and interior design projects. Through her work, she celebrates culture, sensitivity, innovation and has won the IIID National Award 2016 and World Architecture Community Award 27th cycle in March 2018.
Co-founder of AANDH (Aamir and Hameeda Interior Designers and Contractors), is celebrated for his dynamic designs and is credited with the magnificence of Testa Rosa Cafe and Lotus Place Restaurants designs.
Founder of Vaishali Kamdar Associates, often listed in AD 100 and the winner of many awards for residential interiors. She is celebrated for her innovative take on design and stands as one of the most influential designers in the country.
An NIT graduate, academician, researcher and guest lecturer, conducted workshops at various schools of Architecture in India and Dubai. After interning with BV Doshi and being mentored by Dominic Dube, he established Play Architecture, an experimental design studio in Bangalore that specialises in curating immersive experiences, particularly in the hospitality industry.
These designers are celebrated today as a result of their hard work, time, creative mind, and effort they put in in the initial years.
Here’s a list of the top interior design companies in India, you should have a look at understanding the high-quality and premium projects that are delivered to bring them up to this.
While each firm has its own way of working with projects, each excels in delivering impeccability and has been evolving through ongoing trends and their style to create a unique company aesthetic that follows design principles and the firm's core values.
As rewarding as a career in interior design is, it comes with its set of challenges. Some of the common challenges faced by interior designers since the beginning of time are:
Adapting to changes in trends is also complex since without completely process planning it is difficult to come up with a good sustainable interior design or a French European aesthetic. In most cases, deadlines cut across in the AEC industry for various reasons, which at some points may interfere with the work-life balance of the employees leading to pressure and lack of sleep.
Reconciliation of competent interior design and management is mostly improbable, because of deadlines and time frames of the projects and the necessity of their completion. Even though all these sorts of problems cannot be prepared for, the joy and satisfaction you get from your design coming to reality is beyond measure.
Why is interior design important? It is because design and vision collectively, serve as a reflection of the occupants' lives, in a way that is both captivating and worthy of thoughtful attention.
With the demanding and growing industry, finding jobs for interior designers has become highly competitive and requires strategic approaches with added skills and qualifications. Develop necessary skills while staying updated with industry trends and requirements to increase your chances of securing a good job.
Yes, the interior design industry is constantly growing and is surely in high demand. With a CAGR of 10.54% exhibited by 2029, the market anticipates to reach a staggering USD 52.84 billion.
The average salary of an interior designer in India starts at a range of ₹25,000 to ₹40,000 depending on many factors like experience, education, level of creativity, communication skills and certifications.
An interior designer creates functional and aesthetic spaces while being environmentally conscious and considering the client's requirements.
India offers an array of interior design courses in prestigious institutions where students can take their first step towards becoming an interior designer in India.
Interior design is a field within the broader field of architecture. There are also specific courses and programmes for particular interior design. Most students begin their careers with residential interior design.
The difficulty of studying any subject is very individually compelling, each having strengths, weaknesses, pros, and cons; creatively transforming spaces by devoting countless hours.
An interior designer must obtain a bachelor’s degree or diploma in interior designing which reflects in their knowledge of design principles and spatial planning.
The future of interior design looks at sustainable, smart spaces that prioritise the mental well being of an individual, through innovative designs in personalised spaces.
In summary, the interior design journey is rewarding and currently flourishing in India. We must understand that interior designers are visionaries who transform spaces; professionals who use their expertise and creativity to transform and optimise spaces, enhancing both functionality and aesthetic appeal to meet the needs and preferences of their clients. Interior design offers a variety of niches you can develop through years of experience and expertise.
After a good education and an impressive portfolio, you should decide to explore the field of interior design, such as residential, commercial, or hospitality, before you entirely focus on one. If you are sure about what you like and what you want to do, go ahead and send your portfolio to the firms that suit your interests.
A career in interior design blends your creative capabilities with innovation and design sensibilities to curate a space that one calls home in residential designs. If you've got a passion for design and an eye for detail, there is a good chance that you would enjoy exploring this career.
Explore More About Interior Design
- Enjoyed this piece by author Saili Sawant? Here’s another piece on the influential role of architecture in branding, advertisement and visualisation.
- If you’re interested in a career in interior, architecture and design, do check out these alternative design career options.
- Want to know insights about design? Read about India’s 10 most visionary architects shaping the future of design.
- Thinking of becoming an interior designer? Here's a list of 5 best interior design colleges in Delhi for aspiring designers.
About The Author
An Architect turned Writer, Saili has worked as an Architectural Writer, Marketer, & Curator. For the past three years, she has collaborated with multimedia publication houses, firms, studios, organisations, luxury brands and educational inst ... itutions; both national and international to communicate and market the AEC industry as an Architect in Marketing. She is a commentator on the design industry’s upkeep through her social handles while also being an avid reader and traveller.
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