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Interior decorator, painting vs interior designer

The differences between interior decorators, painting and interior designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become an interior decorator, painting, becoming an interior designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an interior designer has an average salary of $52,482, which is higher than the $46,033 average annual salary of an interior decorator, painting.

The top three skills for an interior decorator, painting include faux finishes, exterior painting and caulking. The most important skills for an interior designer are revit, space planning, and sketch.

Interior decorator, painting vs interior designer overview

Interior Decorator, PaintingInterior Designer
Yearly salary$46,033$52,482
Hourly rate$22.13$25.23
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs5,79448,020
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4242
Years of experience-4

Interior decorator, painting vs interior designer salary

Interior decorators, painting and interior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Interior Decorator, PaintingInterior Designer
Average salary$46,033$52,482
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $73,000Between $35,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City-Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state-North Dakota
Best paying company-German International School New York
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between interior decorator, painting and interior designer education

There are a few differences between an interior decorator, painting and an interior designer in terms of educational background:

Interior Decorator, PaintingInterior Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorFine ArtsInterior Design
Most common college-Cornell University

Interior decorator, painting vs interior designer demographics

Here are the differences between interior decorators, painting' and interior designers' demographics:

Interior Decorator, PaintingInterior Designer
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 53.7% Female, 46.3%Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 27.2% Asian, 2.0% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%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 Percentage5%23%

Differences between interior decorator, painting and interior designer duties and responsibilities

Interior decorator, painting example responsibilities.

  • Work on a short term building refurbishment.
  • Abrade surfaces between coats of paint or primer to remove flaws and enhance adhesion for subsequent coats.
  • Apply designs, lettering, decals, stencils or other identifying or decorative items to finish products.
  • Complete roofing material removal and replacement including exhaust fans/vents and plywood.
  • Repair surfaces to be paint including plastering and sheetrock finishing.

Interior designer example responsibilities.

  • Establish and manage firm's account on NYC DOB website; fulfill office duties and manage office.
  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Project management, interior design, transition planning, and furniture specification for military healthcare projects.
  • Participate on leer certified projects.
  • Put together client invoices in QuickBooks.
  • Design email using HTML and inline CSS/CSS3.
  • Show more

Interior decorator, painting vs interior designer skills

Common interior decorator, painting skills
  • Faux Finishes, 28%
  • Exterior Painting, 14%
  • Caulking, 13%
  • Decorative Finishes, 10%
  • Coats, 9%
  • Drywall Installation, 8%
Common interior designer skills
  • Revit, 12%
  • Space Planning, 8%
  • Sketch, 6%
  • Design Concepts, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • FF, 5%

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