Looking to launch a career in Interior Design but don’t have enough insight into jobs in the field? Read on to learn all about different interior design roles in 2025 as well as average salaries and scope in each role.
With so many job roles in the interior design industry, making a decision about which particular route to take can be tough. If you’re not sure which interior design career is ideal for you, then you’re in the right place to get answers. This in-depth guide will take a deep dive into some of the key roles on offer in this exciting and creative field, and let you know the key skills and salary expectations of each.
Here’s what we’ll be covering:
- 1) What is interior design?
- 2) Why pursue a career in interior design?
- 3) Interior design jobs in 2025
- 4) Conclusion
1. What is interior design?
Interior design is the enhancement of a living or work space that involves the creation of an attractive, functional, and accessible environment for its inhabitants. To inform their work, interior designers use the principles of balance, unity, rhythm, proportion and scale, emphasis, contrast, and details. Guided by these principles, as well as interior design best practices, current trends in the field, and their client’s specifications, an interior designer will select and arrange furniture, lighting, fabrics, colors, and accessories to create an interior that is not only visually delightful but also highly functional.
2. Why pursue a career in interior design?
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of this rewarding and creative career path.
There’s a growing demand for interior designers
Although the interior design industry is already sizable, it is still growing rapidly on a global scale. With governments worldwide increasing their spend on residential and commercial construction, there are numerous opportunities for interior designers to work on residential, publicly-owned, and commercial properties. In addition, growing interest from homeowners in home renovation, fuelled by social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, has boosted interest in hiring interior designers for personal renovation projects.
Interior designers have a lot of creative freedom
As creative industries go, there are few that can offer the level of creative freedom that interior design can. While interior designers will always seek to create an environment that meets the needs and preferences of the client, there are still many opportunities within those boundaries for them to explore their creativity, experiment with trends, and delve into the versatility of different fabrics and materials. For those who are brimming with visual design ideas, this is the perfect setting to work in.
Interior design offers work flexibility
Have you always wanted to run your own business? Or perhaps you just want to work for yourself? Whether you love working in big companies, family-run businesses, or you dream of working for yourself, interior design is a career path that offers all of these career options. While many start off building up their experience within an interior design firm, there are so many different routes a trained interior designer can go down, be it part-time, freelance, working in the public sector, setting up their own firm, or taking on projects for big corporations.
Learn More: The Ultimate Interior Designer Salary Guide for 2025
3. Interior design jobs in 2025
Let’s take a look at some of the key roles in the field of interior design in 2025, the average salaries for each role, and the key skills required to excel in each one.
Sustainability designer
A sustainability designer, also known as a sustainable interior designer, seeks to create interior spaces which are not only designed in accordance with the core principles of interior design but additionally focus on environmental considerations. Due to a shift in public consciousness regarding the environment, increasing numbers of clients seek interior design and construction solutions which cause minimal damage to the planet. Sustainability designers advise on how this can be best achieved, design spaces that predominantly use sustainable materials, and oversee the construction and implementation of sustainable interior design projects.
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Key skills required:
- A passion for the environment
- Knowledge of sustainable materials and practices in interior design and renovation
- Ability to convert knowledge of sustainability into practical solutions for clients
- Average annual salary:
- US: $70,788 (Glassdoor)
- India: Insufficient data
Interior design assistant
The role of the interior design assistant is to support an interior designer or interior design company in managing multiple projects. This might involve replying to emails, running errands, creating presentations, or carrying supplies. Some interior design assistants will be required to have knowledge of computer-aided design (CAD) programs in order to create visual presentations for clients, while other interior design assistants might be asked for their opinions on the company’s latest designs. This is a varied role with tasks depending greatly on the assistant’s own experience and the needs of the designer or company they are working for. It is usually a role filled by those looking to become interior designers themselves as it provides an opportunity to learn directly from industry professionals.
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Key skills required:
- Creativity
- Attention to detail
- Eagerness to learn
- Flexibility
- Office administration skills
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Average annual salary:
- US: $44,507 (Salary.com)
- India: ₹2.6 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
Interior decorator
An interior decorator is concerned with beautifying an interior while simultaneously meeting the needs and preferences of their client. Typically, they are focused on furniture selection and placement, color palettes, light fittings, and decorative accessories which visually enhance the existing space. In contrast to an interior designer who is required to meet accessibility, usability, functionality, and safety standards, the interior decorator is concerned primarily with the aesthetic of a room and is not expected to address these additional elements.
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Key skills required:
- Creative and artistic skills
- Project planning and management capabilities
- Interpersonal and collaboration skills
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Average annual salary:
- US: $60,205 (Glassdoor)
- India: ₹3.34 Lakhs (Indeed)
Interior designer
An interior designer seeks to design and create attractive, accessible, safe, and functional indoor spaces for the individuals who live or work in them. Following the principles of interior design closely, the interior designer makes key decisions regarding how the space is decorated through the choice and placement of furniture, textiles, color palettes, and lighting. In addition, the interior designer collaborates with the client to fully understand the motivations behind the project and to ensure their goals can be met in the space. Finally, an interior designer ensures the environment complies fully with health and safety legislation and accessibility standards.
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Key skills required:
- A love of visual art and design
- An imaginative approach
- Excellent listening and communication skills for a complete understanding of the motivations behind a project
- Knowledge of interior design principles
- Knowledge of trends in furniture, color schemes, textiles, and lighting
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Average annual salary:
- US: $66,030 (Indeed)
- India: ₹3.0 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
Visual merchandiser
The visual displays used by retail outlets to showcase their products and services are designed and created by visual merchandisers. This is a creative role that requires imagination and visual design skills as well as knowledge of space optimization. Visual merchandisers use their knowledge of shopper psychology to place items in a way that it catches the attention of customers and inspires them to buy.
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Key skills required:
- A creative flair and imagination
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- An interest in design trends
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Average annual salary:
- US: $44,890 (Glassdoor)
- India: ₹3.5 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
Residential interior designer
Residential interior design is probably the area of interior design that most commonly comes to mind when one thinks of interior design. Residential interior designers are concerned with designing, redesigning, or renovating the homes of homeowners or renters in residential settings. Working freelance or for interior design companies, residential interior designers work to create aesthetically pleasing and functional interiors that also meet the specific preferences and needs of their clients, collaborating closely with them at each stage of a project. In addition to a deep knowledge of color palettes, furniture, lighting, textiles, and accessories, residential interior designers need to be aware of current trends in interior design and the specific accessibility or usability concerns of their clients.
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Key skills required:
- Interest in and knowledge of the latest trends in interior design
- Knowledge of common accessibility and usability concerns that arise in residential buildings
- Ability to collaborate closely with both clients and contractors
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Average annual salary:
- US: $66,030 (Indeed)
- India: ₹3.0 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
Commercial interior designer
Commercial interior designers are concerned with designing indoor spaces that are used or inhabited by the general public, such as cinemas, shopping centers, stores, and gyms. The goal of the commercial interior designer is to use their knowledge of consumer psychology to create an environment that can help consumers easily achieve their goals while ensuring that a brand’s identity is fully represented. Commercial interior designers will work closely with individual brands to create welcoming atmospheres for specific customers, clients, and visitors, and collaborate with contractors to ensure all safety, accessibility, and functionality concerns meet legal requirements.
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Key skills required:
- Deep understanding of the role of brand identity in commercial spaces
- Collaboration and communication
- Understanding of how design influences consumer decisions
- Average annual salary:
- US: $51,844 (Zippia)
- India: ₹5.5 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
Healthcare designer
Healthcare interior designers are employed by hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities to create highly functional and calming environments for patients, visitors, and those working in the healthcare sector. With a deep knowledge of ergonomics, accessibility legislation, and health and safety regulations, healthcare designers seek to design interiors that enhance the well-being of patients, through the usage of carefully-chosen color palettes, visual art, furniture, textiles, and natural lighting. Healthcare interior designers work closely with healthcare professionals when designing the interiors of medical practices to ensure that their ideas do not impede or restrict the work that goes on in such establishments and that all design choices are appropriate for the setting.
- Key skills required:
- Deep understanding of the interior design needs of the health sector
- Diplomacy in communication
- Full understanding of accessibility and health and safety regulations
- Average annual salary:
- US: $84,505 (Glassdoor)
- India: ₹7.6 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
Kitchen designer
A kitchen designer collaborates closely with clients to design kitchens that reflect each client’s personal taste while still enabling them to seamlessly achieve their goals. The designer does this by maximizing the available space, creating more opportunities for natural light, increasing accessibility, and creating sufficient space to use electronic equipment. Finally, they will incorporate color palettes, textiles, and accessories that coordinate with the style of the rest of the home or office, are in keeping with current trends, and align with the client’s own preferences.
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Key skills required:
- Knowledge of kitchen appliances
- Collaboration skills for working with contractors
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Average annual salary:
- US: $47,805 (Salary.com)
- India: ₹3.3 Lakhs (AmbitionBox)
4. Next Steps
In this article, we’ve run through some of the most popular interior design jobs in 2023, as well as the benefits of working in the field. If you’re considering learning about interior design and launching an exciting new career in the field, check out AND’s Interior Design Course which comes with dedicated placement support and a job guarantee.
Designed to provide hands-on learning, the courses come with several mentor-guided student projects for portfolio building. Here are a few handpicked portfolios for your reference:
For further assistance, refer to the following resources:
- Watch this session by Snehanshu Mukherjee, Founding Partner at T.E.A.M and Mansi Almadi, an Interior Designer at Studio Lotus
- Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
- Check out our Interior Design courses - all courses are taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts.
- Take advantage of the scholarship and funding options that come with our courses to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.
Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.
