There’s more to being an interior designer than creating unbelievably beautiful homes and comfortable living spaces. From sipping coffee to completing invoices, one day is never the same as the next.
Still curious what a day in the life of an interior designer actually looks like? Read on to see some of the daily tasks, including things you didn’t even think about!
Talking with Potential Clients
A huge part of being an interior designer is talking and meeting with potential clients. There’s nothing more exciting than the possibility of a new client and imagining how you can make their visions come to life. It gets you excited for a new job that you can add to your portfolio and exercise your creative muscles.
It’s your job to impress potential clients and show them why you’re the best person for the job. While a lot of your time is spent being creative, a huge amount is also spent showing off your impeccable design skills.
Completing Invoices
Yes—even the most exciting jobs must tackle administrative work. It’s an inevitable part of the job. With each client come a whole set of invoices, each for different parts of a job at varying costs and timelines. The more clients you carry, the more difficult invoice management becomes.
Many interior designers opt to work with business management software to help them run their business and stay organized. Working with these programs helps streamline the process of invoicing, allowing designers to focus on their clients and designs.
Creeping Pinterest
You guessed it! Pinterest is the site of choice for many interior designers. The site acts as a tool for both inspiration and showcasing work, not to mention it can help designers get a feel for what their clients are expecting. Whether its creating a page of your own work, or asking clients for inspiration, Pinterest can help bring traffic to your site, while also allowing you to communicate with your clients and create design schemes together.
Travelling
As with many jobs, interior designers spend a lot of time in transit. From design shows and client dinners, to furniture warehouses and storage lockers, designers are seemingly always on the go. While it can be exciting, it’s extremely frustrating if your project management software doesn’t move with you.
Working with a project management and accounting software that has mobile options allows you to check the status of projects or financial documents wherever you go. This helps designers do their job without restrictions.
Estimating Time and Costs
Once you know what your client wants, you’ll likely spend a portion of your day making time and cost estimates. This aspect of the job is vital, as it helps clients know what they can expect in terms of cost and timeline, helping you manage expectations. Working with a project management software can help make the process easier, allowing you to visualize your workflow and create estimates seamlessly.
Ordering Furniture and Decor
So, you’ve met with a client, scoured through Pinterest, estimated costs, and created a timeline. Now it’s time for the fun! Ordering furniture and décor for a client’s home or showroom can be one of the most exciting aspects of being an interior designer. You’re finally able to search for the perfect pieces to make your designs come to life.
From marble countertops to hanging lanterns, you have the reins and can decide which pieces of furniture are picture perfect. There are endless online sources of inspiration for you to search through, meaning sometimes your entire day could be spent searching for the perfect needle in a digital haystack.
