How to hire a furniture designer

How to hire a furniture designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step furniture designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a furniture designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new furniture designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your furniture designer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a furniture designer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a furniture designer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a furniture designer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of furniture designers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Furniture Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Furniture Designer	Industrial designers develop the concepts for manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and toys. They combine art, business, and engineering to make products that people use every day... Show more	$18-39
   Product Design Internship	Product design interns are students who are doing their on-the-job training under the product design department of an organization. They are usually assigned administrative tasks... Show more	$26-50
   Industrial Design Internship	Industrial design interns will assist in developing product ideas while considering other criteria such as engineering, sales, marketing, and production. Interns are also tasked to come up with creative solutions to customer problems and dissatisfied needs, gather data by testing and validating ideas with the consumer research department, and prepare concept renderings with the right resources for marketing and sales presentation uses... Show more	$22-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • Industrial Design
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Rhino
   • Auto CAD
   • Design Furniture
   • Space Planning
   • KeyShot
   • Office Furniture
   • Product Development
   • R
   • Design Projects
   • Design Development
   • Design Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead front-end QA of all major releases, filing, prioritizing and fixing bugs myself.
   • Develop handbags from initial sketch through final product including material sourcing, development of prototypes, sampling and technical specifications.
   • Develop new thread combinations, embroidery and embellishment designs, fabric combinations and innovative construction details.

   More furniture designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your furniture designer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A furniture designer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, furniture designers' average salary in louisiana is 46% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level furniture designers earn 53% less than senior-level furniture designers.
   • Certifications. A furniture designer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a furniture designer's salary.

   Average furniture designer salary

   $57,084yearly

   $27.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level furniture designer salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average furniture designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Oregon	$68,162	$33
   2	District of Columbia	$62,179	$30
   3	New Jersey	$61,900	$30
   4	New York	$61,749	$30
   5	California	$60,462	$29
   6	North Carolina	$59,198	$28
   7	Illinois	$56,337	$27
   8	Ohio	$50,330	$24
   9	Texas	$49,720	$24
   10	Florida	$48,353	$23

   Average furniture designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Williams Sonoma	$72,041	$34.64	54
   2	SI Group	$64,956	$31.23
   3	Cantoni	$64,923	$31.21	9
   4	CAS Inc	$60,032	$28.86
   5	Capris	$59,631	$28.67
   6	Qurate Retail	$58,718	$28.23	1
   7	Fairmont Designs	$58,147	$27.96
   8	Page Southerland Page	$58,066	$27.92
   9	Universal Furniture	$57,719	$27.75
   10	Office Star Products	$56,770	$27.29
   11	Stylex	$55,446	$26.66

4. Writing a furniture designer job description

   A furniture designer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a furniture designer job description:

   Furniture designer job description example

   • · 2+ years of professional experience and a bachelor’s degree in Architecture or Interior Design from an accredited 4-year university; or equivalent combination of education and industry experience including a proven track record of leading projects.
   • · Must be working toward Interior Design certification, or equivalent.
   • · Active membership in a professional organization.
   • · Experience creating and developing overall design concepts and formulating design presentation strategies with an understanding of design history and trends.
   • · Proficiency in navigating and curating solutions from an expansive product portfolio, including furniture systems, ancillary, accessories, and bespoke.
   • · Proficiency in building systems, building codes, electrical, and cabling.
   • · Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
   • · Outstanding graphic presentation skills.
   • · Strong mentoring skills and ability to lead, train, and direct work of others.
   • · Proven track record of success in maintaining and growing client relationships, and a sense of business acumen to advise and guide clients as required.
   • · Strong, persuasive communicator with excellent verbal presentation skills and the ability to communicate complex design concepts to clients.
   • · Proficient and demonstrated ability to use 2D/3D software, CET Designer, AutoCAD, Sketch Up, and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, In Design and Illustrator). Revit a plus.
   • · Knowledge of the total project process including fee and project team management, schedules and budgets.

   Company DescriptionOUR PEOPLE
   
   At Pivot we believe environments should inspire, support, and empower people. We are known for creating exceptional solutions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune 500s. We know every brand is unique, so we begin each project by getting to know you. We ask questions, discover your pain points, and ideate as a team to design and furnish an environment custom-fit for you. Our designs reflect your brand and inspire employees to create and collaborate in the workplace. Companies throughout California turn to us when they want to reimagine their workspace. With over 45 years in business, Pivot is the world's largest Herman Miller dealer, and also represents Framery, Maars Living Walls, and hundreds more manufacturers. We have six locations across California, and in-house delivery, installation, maintenance and repair services, and warehousing.
   
   OUR PROCESS
   We know every brand is unique, so we begin each project by getting to know you. We ask questions, discover your pain points, and ideate as a team to design and furnish an environment custom-fit for you.
   
   OUR SHOWROOMS
   California born and raised, we are headquartered in the Bay Area with clients located up and down the California coast. We have showrooms in Santa Clara, CA and Costa Mesa, CA and four other locations throughout the state.
   
   OUR LEGACY
   Our beginnings reflect our Silicon Valley roots, starting in 1973 out of a converted family garage. While we have grown tremendously, we haven’t lost sight of our entrepreneurial energy and focus on each individual customer’s success. Today, companies throughout California turn to us when they want to reimagine their workspace

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find furniture designers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your furniture designer job on Zippia to find and recruit furniture designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting furniture designers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new furniture designer

   Once you've selected the best furniture designer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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