10 Interior Design Careers for a Creative Future
If you’re interested in an interior design career, we have good news! Designers are in high demand across industries, especially those who go beyond decoration to create purpose-driven spaces that enhance well-being, productivity, and brand identity.
If you’re exploring interior design careers, short professional development programs are the perfect way to gain important skills quickly. A great place to start is to explore interior design short courses, which provide a solid foundation for launching your creative career.
So, whether you’re curious about residential or commercial design, there’s an interior design career that will help you carve out your creative future – here are ten options to inspire your next move.
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Interior Designer (Residential or Commercial)
Residential interior designers specialise in designing homes and apartments. They create functional, stylish and personalised interiors for individuals and families. If you love the idea of working with clients to bring comfort, lifestyle and personal expression to life, residential design is the perfect fit for you. Or maybe you’re keen to work as a commercial designer, where productivity, branding, and customer experience are crucial. Both interior design careers allow you to work closely with clients to bring their vision to life, enhancing their lifestyle or business goals.
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Design Assistant
Design assistants support interior designers and design teams in the design process. It’s an entry-level role, where you’ll be responsible for sourcing materials, creating mood boards, preparing presentations, managing samples, coordinating with vendors, and occasionally assisting with installations. It’s an ideal career to gain the experience you need to learn the design industry from the ground up.
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Interior Design Blogger
If you’d like to combine your love of storytelling with design, consider an interior design career in the blogging space. As an interior design blogger, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to creating helpful, shareable content from design trends, tips, product reviews and DIY projects to designer spotlights! As an interior design blogger, you’ll write articles, produce videos and manage social media channels to engage an audience. You may also collaborate with brands to monetise your blog through affiliate marketing.
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Interior Stylist for Photography Shoots/Media
Interior stylists for photoshoots, whether photography or other media, focus on styling spaces for editorial shots, advertising campaigns, or social media content. They select props, arrange furniture, and create visually appealing spaces that suit the aesthetic or brand identity required by a client.
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Retail & Visual Merchandising Designer
Retail and visual merchandising is a multifaceted interior design career that involves designing creative and strategic window displays, product arrangements, signage and store layouts. It requires a unique blend of creativity, marketing, sales psychology, and brand strategy. Essentially, design professionals in this space endeavour to enhance the shopping experience through innovative design and strategic product placement.
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Exhibition & Event Designer
Exhibition and event designers are responsible for designing temporary installations, trade show booths, and displays. The role requires layout planning, signage, lighting, and spatial flow to ensure visitor engagement and comfort. This design career is ideal for those who love the idea of a fast-paced, deadline-driven role that demands flexibility and innovation.
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Property Stylist
Property stylists prepare homes for sale by styling interiors to appeal to potential buyers. This interior design career often requires a strong background in real estate and buyer psychology. The role involves bringing in hired furniture, art, and accessories to highlight a property’s best features and create a neutral, aspirational aesthetic that boosts buyer interest and sale price.
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Film/Television/Theatre Set Designer
If you’d love to bring stories to life by designing sets for movies, television, and stage productions, this interior design career is ideal for you. It’s a position that demands strong creativity, storytelling and interior styling skills – and could bring you face-to-face with celebrities.
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Interior Design Consultant
This interior design career is highly flexible and frequently involves exciting freelance opportunities. If you’re ready to leverage your professional expertise in a role that doesn’t require full project management responsibilities, becoming an interior design consultant is the perfect choice for you.
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Starting Your Own Interior Design Business
Why not turn your passion for interior design into an independent business? Starting your own business in design, styling, or consultancy allows you to enjoy flexibility, creative freedom, and the opportunity to build your own brand. You can focus on residential styling, commercial projects, property staging, or any combination of these areas. Alternatively, you might choose to specialise and become an expert in just one specific field. As an entrepreneur in the design space, the direction you take is entirely up to you!
We hope you have gained insight into the many types of interior design careers that could be your new direction. Whatever you’re passionate about, you can pursue with education, training, practical experience and a dash of creativity. So, if you’re ready to explore your options, interior design courses, such as our Certificate of Interior Design, are a great starting point.
Certificate of Interior Design
Interior design is a rewarding field that combines creativity and problem-solving. Whether you’re redesigning your home, assisting clients, or pursuing a career in design, the Certificate of Interior Design equips you with the skills needed to transform spaces successfully. On completion of this course, you’ll have the confidence to successfully style interiors whether for personal projects, clients or your own design business.
What You’ll Learn:
- Introduction to Interior Design A & B
- Colour, Light & Atmosphere
- Furniture, Décor & Materials
- Interior Styling for Everyday Living
- Creating Mood Boards & Design Concepts
- Room-by-Room Design & Styling
- Sourcing, Budgeting & Managing Styling Projects
- Starting Your Own Interior Styling Business
Can we help you find your new direction? Contact one of our Course Consultants today on 1300 76 2221 or use Live Chat.