Design

How to become an interior designer

Official title: Interior designer

Also called: Interior stylist, Commercial interior designer, Residential interior designer, Interior architect, Design consultant, Retail interior designer, Kitchen designer

Interior designers work with clients to plan, design, decorate and furnish rooms and building interiors.

Main tasks

Plan interior layouts and designs
Select fabrics, furniture and materials
Oversee construction and installation
Use software to create 3D models
Create detailed technical drawings
Design lighting layouts
Visit sites and showrooms
Discuss plans with clients

How to become one

You usually need experience to become an interior designer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; an advanced certificate or diploma in interior design; a bachelor's degree in interior design, graphics and design or similar area; a Master of Interior Architecture; a portfolio of work.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Creative Arts & Design degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in interior design. TEC links this job to study in architecture and urban environment. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Interior Design (Residential), NZ Dip in Interior Design (Commercial). Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $52,000 a year one year after study and $59,000 five years after; 62% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $56,000 to $92,000 a year (median $70,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $123,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Interior Designers: 1,815 at the 2018 Census and 2,076 at the 2023 Census (+14.4%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 3,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Interior Designers, 80% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Interior Designers work (2023 Census): Auckland 45.2%, Canterbury 15%, and Wellington 9.8%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an interior designer?

How much does an interior designer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $70,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $56,000 to $92,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an interior designer grown in New Zealand?

It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of an interior designer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026