What is the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator?

By Sklar Furnishings

Design Inspiration, Tips & Trends

March 13, 2018

Did you recently think about changing a room in your home, or move into a new space and decide you would like to make some design changes? Or did you decide to mix things up and add a little more spunk to your space through finishes? Either way you may now find yourself looking for some design guidance to help with your new project. A quick Google search is a great first step but you may come across individuals whose profession are listed as “interior decorator” or “interior designer”. You are not alone if you then ask yourself, “Aren’t they the same”?

Apologies for shattering the assumptions, but, no, they are not the same.
Interior decorating and interior designing are often mistaken for being the same jobs. Even though there are many similarities and job functions that overlap, they are, in fact, very different.

Interior designers plan functional spaces and interior decorators decorate spaces with objects. In other words, interior designers may decorate and adorn the spaces they plan against, but decorators do not plan the spaces they decorate.

Interior designing involves structural and spatial planning that would include drawing up floor plans. It is a mix of art and technical creativity to create functional spaces based on the occupants’ needs and intentions of the space. An interior designer often works closely with architects and contractors to achieve the right look of a space if major modifications are required. So, if you need to add or remove windows or walls, and you want to incorporate thoughtful and planned design against your renovations, you will want to contact an interior designer first.

Interior decorating, on the other hand, is about adorning and furnishing a space after its structure has been defined by architects or interior designers. An interior decorator helps in choosing the right style of furniture, color scheme or look to meet the aesthetics of the client. So, if you need help in choosing the right lights and furnishings, color scheme for the walls and drapes, then an interior decorator could be a good fit.

Because we value design and always strive to ignite design inspiration for our clients, we employ a number of interior designers at Sklar Furnishings to allow us both the flexibility across a number of client needs, and also to ensure we can provide a greater level of customized service to our clientele. To meet the team, click here.

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