Believe it or not, there are quite a few differences between interior decorators and interior designers.

The terms are often used synonymously, but each one has a special job description and function.

These two professionals are often mistakenly referred to as identical. Some roles in each position may overlap each other, but their functions and abilities are quite different.

Let’s take a look at how each one singularly can be broken down into their own identity. Either way you look at it the two are both imaginative, creative, and highly intelligent when it comes to performing their services.

Interior designers identify people’s needs and create functional, structural living or work spaces to satisfy their clients own personal requirements.

They are professionally trained to construct interior environments that will stand up to the aesthetic and functional needs of their clients.

Designers must be knowledgeable about construction practices and building codes in order to fulfill the brief of any project. A rigorous education is required which may for instance involve study into how different ways of decorating can affect the sound within a room. One could say it’s almost a science in order for the designers to achieve effective results.

A four-year degree program will allow a designer to hold a membership in organizations associated with this career choice.

After a long period of study at university, designers will qualify for a license to practice and they can officially call themselves an interior designer.

Although the salary of designers may be more lucrative than those of decorators, the payment for work is based more upon an independent consultation basis and that of the decorator is based largely on time and materials.

Another difference between the two is that designers can decorate, but decorators are not generally asked to design. Conclusively, designers will continue to apply their artistic and technical solutions within a structure that will be attractive and beneficial to the client’s quality of life.

In contrast, interior decorators do not generally need formal training or licenses of any sort to practice

Interior decoration is the furnishing or embellishing of any occupied space with colour, trends, objects d’art and anything that will transform a room into the client’s personal individual style and reflect their personality.

Designers will normally work with the architectural aspects while decorators are primarily concerned with the appearance or atmosphere of a building or space. The look of floors and walls can be changed, and decorative elements can be added to complete their job.

As mentioned before, schooling is not an issue when one decides to decorate for a living. As opposed to at least four years of study to become an interior designer, for an interior decorator a mere two years in classes geared more towards art education could gain them a sufficient qualification to practice.

When the two professions are paired together, positive results and success with living spaces can be achieved in a cohesive manner.

As this specialized industry evolves there will be a continuous need for them to work with each other. Thus, in the end, their differences won’t matter as long as each strives to complete their tasks with a degree of excellence.

After the hassles of a nine-to-five job, it’s nice to come home to a place that lets you get rid of all those negative and undue tensions. The home is a space that is sole witness to your family’s bonding moments and celebrations of special occasions. It is where you rest, dine, and find your loved ones at the end of the day.

It’s no surprise why almost everybody is interested in interior design. After all, making memories will be much more enjoyable when you have a nice background for all these unrepeatable moments. Due to the overwhelmingly numerous design ideas to choose from, most people however, get quite wary of the job. They often think they should hire a professional to do the entire task for them. If you happen to be one of these people, then here are some decorating tips that will leave you wondering why it took you so long to start your home makeover!

Firstly, every endeavor reaps benefits from doing some research at the very start. So grab all the lifestyle and home-making magazines you can find and start browsing through them. Look at all the pictures of houses and rooms that you think are really impressive. Once you select these photos, try to discover the underlying patterns. It could be that out of all the pictures you’ve seen, you happen to have a penchant for nautical-inspired themes. Or among all the rooms that you like, the common ground is that it should be something quaintly Victorian. Having established this, you are now one step closer to singling out your dream theme!

Now, it is really, really important that you employ one single theme for a room. Don’t get all experimental and match Country with Tropical influences, if you want to avoid having confused house guests. For the kitchen area, a great choice would be something Tuscan. The French country design is also quite in demand. However, matching these two themes may give your kitchen that haphazard look. Don’t even think about it. If you get bored with a particular theme, you can always put away items from a specific theme and swap them for other pieces. For instance, changing the living room from a Cowboy theme to an Asian means you have to tuck away all those antlers and leather furnishings for a start.

Another tip would be to reduce the décor hoarding. If you love impulse buying, make sure you don’t make it too obvious by cramming all those home décor items in the living room for everybody to see! Remember that themes should be constant in a specific space and add-on’s that don’t quite belong should be left on the shelf. If you really think a particular ornament is too unique to pass up, exchange this for one item in your living room instead of simply putting it there. That way, you won’t have too much going on in one corner of the room.

One last thing, be sure you’re happy with the choices you make. Ok, so those magazine lay-outs are to die for, but is it what you really want to come home to? And although most would argue that a safe paint job is the best bet, indulge in a room in rich vibrant red! There’s nothing wrong with giving in to your ultimate fantasies once in a while. Besides, if you have to sell it or transfer to another house someday, the problem is a piece of cake when you have a can of paint!