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Interior decorator vs design specialist

The differences between interior decorators and design specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an interior decorator and a design specialist. Additionally, a design specialist has an average salary of $56,917, which is higher than the $47,169 average annual salary of an interior decorator.

The top three skills for an interior decorator include customer service, in-home and space planning. The most important skills for a design specialist are customer service, sketch, and CAD.

Interior decorator vs design specialist overview

Interior DecoratorDesign Specialist
Yearly salary$47,169$56,917
Hourly rate$22.68$27.36
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs11,19468,347
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

Interior decorator vs design specialist salary

Interior decorators and design specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Interior DecoratorDesign Specialist
Average salary$47,169$56,917
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $68,000Between $35,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City-Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-BP America Inc
Best paying industry--

Differences between interior decorator and design specialist education

There are a few differences between an interior decorator and a design specialist in terms of educational background:

Interior DecoratorDesign Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorInterior DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Interior decorator vs design specialist demographics

Here are the differences between interior decorators' and design specialists' demographics:

Interior DecoratorDesign Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 17.1% Female, 82.9%Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage23%23%

Differences between interior decorator and design specialist duties and responsibilities

Interior decorator example responsibilities.

  • Manage Pinterest, Facebook, and Houzz profiles by responding to questions and updating photos.
  • Conduct in-home design and custom window treatment consultations and sales.
  • Demonstrate skillful communication and negotiation skills.
  • Design, modele and render graphically intensive exteriors and interior environments and animations utilizing the latest in visualization technology.
  • Design, modele and render graphically intensive exteriors and interior environments and animations utilizing the latest in visualization technology.

Design specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage a program of training for designers without cad to get this training.
  • Develop construction drawings using AutoCAD; coordinate bid process and vendor selection; and manage construction process through final punch list.
  • Provide HTML support to the marketing department.
  • Update and maintain corporate website with Dreamweaver.
  • Create and maintain business's customer database in QuickBooks.
  • Implement front end GUI with JavaScript for client side validations.
  • Show more

Interior decorator vs design specialist skills

Common interior decorator skills
  • Customer Service, 23%
  • In-Home, 11%
  • Space Planning, 8%
  • Custom Furniture, 8%
  • Trade Shows, 5%
  • Design Projects, 4%
Common design specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Sketch, 7%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Product Knowledge, 6%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%
  • Graphic Design, 5%

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