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Interior decorator skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Katie Rothfield,

Bill Morgan

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical interior decorator skills. We ranked the top skills for interior decorators based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 22.6% of interior decorator resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an interior decorator needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 interior decorator skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how interior decorators use customer service:

Assisted clientele through the buying process of custom, personalized design, sales, buying, merchandising, and customer service.
General Office Work filing billing accounts payable/receivable assist customers in decorating choices and paint choices mix paint sales answer phones customer service

2. In-Home

In-home is the act of placing the chronically sick or a senior under home care to minimize their movement.

Here's how interior decorators use in-home:

Offer free in-home consultations within the Manhattan and New Jersey area.
Provided in-home or business consultations including use of email, fax, digital camera and Interior design software.

3. Space Planning

Space Planning is one of the most important elements of interior decorating. The interior designer takes the space available within a building, an apartment, a house, or another type of structure which is being renovated or otherwise altered, and then they begin to play around with the space, creating visions and revisions of the space on paper or in a specialised design program, according to the necessities of the project and clients at hand.

Here's how interior decorators use space planning:

Specialized in residential window treatments Accessorized Coordinated paint colors Space planning
Design and sales of window treatments, furniture and accessories, scheduled appointments for design and space planning for clients.

4. Custom Furniture

Here's how interior decorators use custom furniture:

Created and delivered home decorating services including upholstery, drapery, blinds, and custom furniture
Designed and manufactured custom furniture, bathrooms, as well as commercial and residential renovations.

5. Trade Shows

Here's how interior decorators use trade shows:

Participated in a variety of trade shows and fairs to market products and services offered by the company.

6. Design Projects

Design projects are used to create a product or service to serve a specific customer or client need. They may entail thinking about the ideas, materials necessary for the idea and the steps that will be followed to realize the idea.

Here's how interior decorators use design projects:

Coordinated clients' interior design projects by recommending design themes, colors, room layout, and furniture/accessory selections.
Experienced in design projects from start to finish on time, on budget and with excellent quality.

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7. Design Concepts

Here's how interior decorators use design concepts:

Formulate and implement cost-effective design concepts consistent with clients' expectations.
Home Decorating: Worked with multiple clients to develop and execute design concepts for their space within a desired budget.

8. Design Ideas

Here's how interior decorators use design ideas:

Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, budget, production costs/methods.
Rendered design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.

9. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how interior decorators use real estate:

General Contractor and Construction Manager Provided services as a general contractor/construction manager in residential real estate new construction.
Conducted feasibility studies and marketing presentations for high-profile client and commercial real estate brokers.

10. Photography

Here's how interior decorators use photography:

Produce new sample product lines to be used in catalog photography.

11. Clients Homes

Here's how interior decorators use clients homes:

Redecorate and organize clients homes and offices Paint and wallpaper interior Shop with clients for ulterior/additional furniture and painting and/or decorations

12. Event Planning

Here's how interior decorators use event planning:

Silver Settings is an independently owned interior design, event planning, and home staging business.
Solicited new clients by cold calling, networking and event planning.

13. CAD

Here's how interior decorators use cad:

Produce CAD drawings, renderings & FF&E selections for new build, relocation & renovation projects.
Produced technical CAD drawings of current projects including floor plans, details, elevations & sections.

14. Overall Design

Here's how interior decorators use overall design:

Develop an overall design, and implement that design while staying within the client's budget.
Consulted with clients to determine Furniture and paint preference to meet overall design goals.

15. Design Trends

Here's how interior decorators use design trends:

Created furniture floor moves, on a weekly basis, to enhance merchandise locations targeted to design trends and sales goals.
Incorporate client wishes with best practices and research design trends to assure creativity, quality and customer satisfaction.

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What skills help Interior Decorators find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on interior decorator resumes?

Katie Rothfield

FL Registered Interior Designer, Director of Career and Talent Development for CARTA, Associate Teaching Professor, Internship Coordinator, Florida International University

Now, more than ever, it is important for interior architecture/design graduates to diversify their skill sets and credentials:

Internship experience will always set a candidate apart from the crowd. Given the pandemic's negative impact on the number of full-time interior design positions, a recent graduate could secure paid internship opportunities while looking for full-time employment. This would help boost their resume and could get their foot in the door at a company that may hire full-time positions as the vaccine becomes more widely available.

Most companies expect recent interior architecture/design graduates to be proficient in a variety of computer programs, such as AutoCAD, Revit, and SketchUp. Alumni can stay current and add software programs to their resumes by watching online tutorials and improving their projects for their portfolios.

Professional exams demonstrate leadership and help candidates rise to the top of the resume stack. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and WELL accreditation demonstrate knowledge of sustainable design practices and a commitment to designing interiors that positively affect human health and wellbeing. In addition, passing the Interior Design Fundamentals Exam (IDFX - the first section of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) Exam) confirms acquisition of interior design knowledge that is essential to the profession. Interior architecture/design majors can take all three of these exams prior to graduation.

What hard/technical skills are most important for interior decorators?

Bill Morgan

Coordinator, Undergraduate Program — Interior Design, Lecturer, Interior Design, University of North Texas

-Drawing Proficiency (drawing of all types, includes 3D visualization)
-Technical Proficiency (detailing)
-Project Management

What interior decorator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Tasoulla Hadjiyanni Ph.D.

Northrop Professor of Interior Design, University of Minnesota

Centering themselves - when "Cancel Culture" and the fear of making a mistake are over-powering decision-making processes, graduates need to be able to examine their reactions to tension and be more aware of their values priorities. With such awareness, they can move toward "Consider Culture," forming impactful coalitions, mediating conflict, and being open to dialogues. With a stronger sense of self, they can embrace humility and a willingness to unlearn exclusionary practices-both on personal and collective levels. They can do that through mindfulness practice, reading the stories of people they know little about, and engaging with difference.

Do you want to know more?

List of interior decorator skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an interior decorator resume and required skills for an interior decorator to have include:

Customer Service
In-Home
Space Planning
Custom Furniture
Trade Shows
Design Projects
Design Concepts
Design Ideas
Real Estate
Photography
Clients Homes
Event Planning
CAD

Overall Design
Design Trends
Place Orders
Residential Clients
Color Schemes
Inventory Control
Design Process
Model Homes
Product Knowledge
Design Options
Faux
Subcontracts
Design Services

Design Elements
Presentation Boards
Project Completion
Sales Process
Residential Projects
Residential Design
Window Coverings
Design Presentations
Color Selection
Residential Homes
Color Coordination
Furniture Selection

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Interior Decorator Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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