How to become an interior designer
Official title: Interior designer
Also called: Exhibition designer (Interior design), Interior decoration designer, Exhibition designer (Interior design), Interior decoration designer
Interior designer designs interior decoration and plans the furnishing of homes, public buildings, ships and other places. He/she studies the general requirements and confers with colleagues and clients to determine the style preferences, space limitations and other similar considerations. He/she also formulates appropriate designs, prepares sketches and models showing wall decorations, colour schemes and choice and arrangement of furnishings, and submits them for approval. He/she estimates quantities and costs of decorating materials and furnishings required, prepares working specifications and supervises decorating work and installation of furnishings.
Main tasks
- Determining the objectives and constraints of the design brief by consulting with clients and stakeholders
- Researching and analysing spatial, functional, efficiency, safety and aesthetic requirements and translating research insights into target design outcomes
- Formulating design concepts for the interiors of buildings and their surrounding landscape
- Preparing sketches, diagrams, illustrations and plans to communicate design concepts
- Negotiating design solutions with clients, management, suppliers and construction staff
- Selecting, specifying and recommending functional and aesthetic materials, furniture and products for interiors and landscapes
- Prototyping and refining creative concepts leading to a final design solution
- Detailing and documenting selected designs for construction
Ways in
- Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Interior & Product Design. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.; Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Experiential Product & Interior Design (Nanyang Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $56,400 a year. The middle half earn $41,160 to $72,000 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Decorator
- Visual merchandiser
- Photographer
- Library officer
- Gallery/Museum and related technician
- Chef (excluding pastry chef)
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Questions people ask
How do I become an interior designer?
Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec); Polytechnic diploma.
How much does an interior designer earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $56,400 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $41,160 to $72,000.
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
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, 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
Updated 4 October 2026