An interior designer, sometimes called a home stylist is someone who designs an overall style for the interior of a residential or commercial building. 

An interior designer combines their fashion, aesthetics and decorating skills with a practical application to create an overall look and feel that meets the clients needs whilst still remaining functional.

Interior Designer - Job Description:
An Interior Designer has to have an artistic eye for form, scale and color. They also need to develop a practical skill for the use of space and arrangement of furniture in relation to entry & exits and other access ways. They need to consider such things as building aspect; where the views are, where the sun rises and sets and from which direction the breeze prevails from, as this information will all effect natural light, heating and cooling.

A good interior designer will not only create a home living area or office area that looks good, but one that functions well in all aspects of day to day use, storage and energy use.  

An interior designer should also be knowledgeable about carpentry practices and common building materials. For example the standard sizes that most materials are produced in or cut to, as this can result in cost effective designs that minimize waste. They should also develop a knowledge of specialist materials or new materials coming onto the market, such as those that are environmentally friendly, locally sourced, potentially toxic, may fade in the sun or may not stand up to long term wear and tear.

Many interior designers once they have liaised with their client will also create a 'vision board', best described as a large board on which all manor of things are stuck to, like a scrap booking collage, this often includes fabric swatches, color samples, photos and magazine cut outs. This acts as a guide during the physical decorating stage, color and furniture selection and helps to keep the overall design together.  

To pursue a career as a interior designer, it helps to have an interest in Fine Art, Antiques, Lighting, Furniture, Decorating, Architecture, The Environment and Carpentry.

Interior Designer - Employment Start:
An entry-level interior designer role may have several names such as "Junior Interior Stylist", "Junior Color Consultant" or "Customer Service Consultant". To become an interior designer in your own right, it is likely you'll need to follow a progression through several jobs, gaining experience as you go. For example; a part time job in a Curtain & Fabric store is helpful or a job at a Home Hardware Store, both these are possible starting points for an interior designers education.

For your start in an interior design career considering combining some part time employment in a related field with several short courses or a part time course in interior design and you will be well prepared for future job opportunities.

Interior Designer - Training & Education:
An associate's degree, if not a bachelor's degree from a leading design school or a well known interior design college is an advantage when seeking employment in a lead role or if you intend to start your own interior design business. A degree course will allow you to initially explore many aspects of interior design, not just home decorating. As you progress through the course you may choose to pursue a different design career or focus on educating yourself about a particular type of interior design that you like.

When choosing an Interior Design course, look for a school that will give you a good grounding in hands on creative and technical skills that will enable you to work as an interior designer on a broad range of residential and commercial design projects, a good course should also be known to keep you up to date with changing fashion trends. 

You should definitely subscribe to any of the dozens of magazines that service this industry, see: Interior Design Magazines, Decorating Magazines, Design Industry Magazines, Architecture Magazines, Home Improvement Magazines, Outdoor Design Magazines and Gardening Magazines. These publications educate you by keeping you up to date with changing trends and new building & furniture materials coming on the market. They will also tell you when various industry shows and an events are on. Subscribing to industry magazines now will also help to build up your collection of inspirational images that you'll need for your education and indeed your new job role. 

Interior Designer - Job Interview:
If you have undertaken interior design education, then prepare a portfolio of some of the work you've done, to show your prospective employer. Keep it to a maximum of about eight pieces so it can be easily flicked through and discussed in the interview. Choose to include your absolute best work only even if that means your portfolio only has five items. 

If you haven't undertaken a major course, and you are going for a starting role, then in the interview talk to them about your interest in the field and your practical experience with friends and family if they have related job roles, mention the magazines you are subscribe to and how long and any past work experience in any related field..