How to hire an interior designer

How to hire an interior designer, step by step

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

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

What does an interior designer do?

Post an interior designer job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the interior designer you need to hire. Certain interior designer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An interior designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, interior designers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

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

   Type of Interior Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Interior Designer	Interior designers make interior spaces functional, safe, and beautiful by determining space requirements and selecting decorative items, such as colors, lighting, and materials. They read blueprints and must be aware of building codes and inspection regulations, as well as universal accessibility standards.	$16-37
   Visual Merchandiser	A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans... Show more	$12-25
   Design Consultant	A design consultant is a professional who provides expertise incorporating functionality and aesthetics to a space or product based on the evaluation of the needs of customers or clients. Design consultants may collaborate with other professionals such as architects, graphic designers, or fashion designers to cater to the needs of their customers... Show more	$24-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Revit
   • Space Planning
   • Sketch
   • Design Concepts
   • Customer Service
   • FF
   • SketchUp
   • Healthcare
   • Design Development
   • Design Solutions
   • Design Projects
   • Schematic Design
   • Design Process
   • Visualization

   Check all skills

   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.

   More interior designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your interior designer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An interior designer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, interior designers' average salary in mississippi is 51% less than in north dakota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level interior designers 55% less than senior-level interior designers.
   • Certifications. An interior designer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an interior designer's salary.

   Average interior designer salary

   $52,482yearly

   $25.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level interior designer salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 11, 2026

   Average interior designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$67,277	$32
   2	Washington	$61,954	$30
   3	Oregon	$61,318	$29
   4	Colorado	$59,718	$29
   5	District of Columbia	$57,841	$28
   6	New York	$57,677	$28
   7	Massachusetts	$55,251	$27
   8	Utah	$54,134	$26
   9	Nevada	$53,704	$26
   10	Maine	$53,247	$26
   11	Arizona	$52,339	$25
   12	Minnesota	$51,706	$25
   13	Michigan	$50,934	$24
   14	Pennsylvania	$50,925	$24
   15	New Jersey	$50,312	$24
   16	Georgia	$49,980	$24
   17	Texas	$49,962	$24
   18	Maryland	$49,780	$24
   19	Ohio	$48,854	$23
   20	North Carolina	$44,037	$21

   Average interior designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	German International School New York	$83,942	$40.36
   2	Starbucks	$71,485	$34.37
   3	Tesla	$70,197	$33.75	32
   4	Faraday Technology	$70,067	$33.69
   5	Rivian	$69,308	$33.32	11
   6	Grainger	$68,906	$33.13	1
   7	Seres	$68,528	$32.95
   8	RH	$68,124	$32.75	105
   9	Kohler Co.	$67,216	$32.32	2
   10	Jacobs Engineering Group	$64,806	$31.16
   11	Wayfair	$64,365	$30.94	15
   12	Inter-American Development Bank	$64,289	$30.91
   13	Bbg	$62,754	$30.17
   14	Stellar	$62,638	$30.11	4
   15	Geisinger Medical Center	$62,498	$30.05
   16	Carilion Clinic	$62,489	$30.04
   17	DKT International	$62,231	$29.92
   18	Mitchell	$62,013	$29.81
   19	Rafael Viñoly Architects	$61,663	$29.65
   20	HLW	$61,581	$29.61	2

4. Writing an interior designer job description

   An interior 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an interior designer job description:

   Interior designer job description example

   As a designer in our Dallas office, you will join an experienced team of professionals providing creative and comprehensive design services to Fortune 500 clients. This position will require close interactions with clients and our multi-discipline team of architects, interior designers, and engineers during all design and construction phases of a wide range of workplace and healthcare projects. Job duties will include development of programming, space plans, design concepts, interior finish, lighting, and furniture selections, renderings, and construction drawings/specifications. Client interface will be required in day-to-day activities.

   If you are looking to make an impact within an organization that is committed to you and bringing extraordinary solutions to our clients through the promise of imagination, ingenuity, and innovation - apply today!

   Key Talents:

   • Excellent communication and collaboration skills
   • Strong proficiency in AutoCAD and/or Revit
   • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
   • Working knowledge of Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop is a plus
   • Rendering and visual communication skills are highly valued

   Qualifications :

   • Bachelor's or master's degree in Interior Design, Interior Architecture or a related field from an accredited university
   • 5-10 years of related design experience
   • NCIDQ certification preferred, or currently working towards certification
   • LEED and/or WELL accreditation is a plus

   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

   Please view Equal Employment Opportunity Posters provided by OFCCP here.

   #LI-JJ1

   The Team

   We are currently seeking an Interior Designer to join our Corporate Practice.

   We design facilities for Fortune 1000 clients with specialized expertise in financial services, health and science, workplace, and mission critical. Through an established national platform, our professionals offer full-service solutions proven to achieve a return on investment for our clients.

   The Company

   RS&H provides fully integrated architecture, engineering, and consulting services to help clients realize their most complex facility and infrastructure projects for land, air, and space. We are committed to bringing extraordinary solutions to our clients through the promise of imagination, ingenuity, and innovation. With a tradition of excellence that began in 1941, we are consistently ranked among the nation's top 100 design firms. We attribute our success to an unwavering commitment to our core values of: integrity, quality service, business success and valuing associates.

   We can recommend jobs specifically for you! Click here to get started.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find interior designers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any interior designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level interior designers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find interior designer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit interior designers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 interior designer

   Once you've decided on a perfect interior designer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 interior designer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an interior designer?