Interior designer

You would plan and supervise the decoration of people’s homes, offices, hotels, shops and restaurants so they are attractive places to live and work.

It would be your job to come up with designs for the inside of buildings. You’d ask your clients what they’re going to use the room for and create a scheme that is practical as well as beautiful.

You would:

• Meet clients to discuss their requirements and ideas

• Develop designs to suit clients' needs, their budget and the type of building

• Prepare initial sketches or models for the client to approve

• Advise on colour schemes, fabrics, fittings and furniture

• Work out costs and prepare estimates

• Create detailed drawings from the initial sketches, usually using computer-aided design (CAD)

• Find fittings, furniture, fabrics, and wall and floor coverings

The client may ask you to recommend or hire people to carry out the work on site.

If so, then you’d contact the necessary people, explain the requirements and schedule the work. You’d need to organise deliveries of the materials and supervise the progress of the work, sorting out unforeseen problems.

As well as being creative and artistic, you will also need to make sure you are organised and aware of building and safety regulations.

• British Institute of Interior Design - Professional organisation for interior designers in the UK

• Creative Choices - Help and advice for a career in the creative industry from Creative and Cultural Skills

• Chartered Society of Designers - internationally recognised body for the design profession, providing support and guidance for

• Design Council - organisation that encourages new design thinking, debate and informs government policy