home interior design business

How to Start a Home Design Business

There’s a good reason why cable TV networks like HGTV, The Learning Channel and DIY Network have such a huge following from coast to coast: The home design and improvement industry is hot, hot, hot and is showing no signs of cooling off. There may be no better time than the present to tool up your skills and fire up your enthusiasm for a career in this creative and fulfilling field.

Opportunities Abound

But while Americans are keenly interested in home improvement and home design and have made household names out of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s” Ty Pennington, professional organizer Peter Walsh from “Clean Sweep” and other home design show hosts, the fact is many don’t have the time, talent or inclination to undertake such projects themselves. Or they enthusiastically take up a paintbrush, rearrange the furniture or make a stab at organizing their lives, then toss up their hands in defeat when they realize it’s not as easy as it looks. (They don’t put those disclaimers about contacting a professional for help at the end of shows like “Weekend Warriors” for nothing.

All this means there are plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs like you to start what we are broadly calling a home design business. In Home Design Services Start-Up Guide, we’ll give you the advice you need to start five different home design services: interior design, interior redesign, professional organizing, building preservation/restoration, and faux painting. Read on for a closer look at starting these businesses:

Interior Design

If you have a knack for planning spaces and coordinating furnishings and accessories, then this is the field for you. Interior designers (aka decorators, if they don’t hold a degree from an accredited university or college) beautify, improve and update the appearance and functionality of interior spaces in both residential and business settings. Many specialize in a particular type of design, like kitchen design or lighting solutions, and many augment their income by selling decorative products like accessories and furniture.

According to the 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), there are approximately 60,000 interior designers in the United States, one-third of whom are self-employed. This is the only design field regulated by the government-nearly half the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and seven Canadian provinces require licensing for interior designers. To become licensed, designers must pass a rigorous certification exam, which they can only take after they’ve accumulated six years of experience in the field and a college degree. But this is not to say that you can’t become a designer if you don’t have these qualifications. Rather, if you live in one of the jurisdictions where licensing is required, you can call yourself a decorator instead and do all the same things a designer does and still be in compliance with local laws.

Employment prospects for designers are excellent, according to the OOH, which says, “Overall employment of designers is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2012.” So if this is your preferred trade, now is the time to launch a business.

Home Interior Design Business Plan

Executive Summary

The city of Claremont has been growing by 6% annually for the past five years. Currently, the city’s population is 700,000. Most importantly, the greatest population increase is in southwest Claremont which is the city’s most affluent area. The population of southwest Claremont has grown by 20% the past two years. The 80,000 residents of the area have an average income of $200,000 and the average home is valued at $350,000. The new construction in southwest section of the city is valued at 600 million dollars in home sales next year alone. Growth in the area has also generated increase remodeling of existing homes. Last year, remodeling projects were up 20% over the previous year and accounted for $20 million paid for remodeling services in the area.

The building and remodeling in southwest Claremont has increased the demand for interior design services. Last year, residential interior design companies generated $4 million in sales in the greater Claremont area. Forecasts for next year predict that there will be an increase of 11% in sales.

Hamlin and Park Design will offers a wide range of interior design services to meet any client’s needs in southwest Claremont:

Start an Interior Design Business

Interior Design is the process of making the inside of homes or other structures more comfortable and attractive; and those that enjoy that process will find interior design to be a rewarding business – both in terms of finances and in personal satisfaction. Interior design works toward creating a space that meets the client’s needs. Every building needs assistance in interior design, whether it is a home, an office, or even an airport. A person with a home-based interior design business is responsible for assisting clients in making the space both attractive and conducive to its purpose. For example, office space should be pleasing to the eye, yet easy to maneuver through. Similarly, a retail store should be welcoming in order to draw customers in.

When most people think of interior design, however, they think of home interior design. The thought of making a home more beautiful and unique to a person’s taste and style is what draws most people to the business. Nonetheless, those wishing to start their own interior design business have several different avenues they can explore.

No matter what area a person with an interior design business chooses to focus upon, it is necessary for him or her to be able to work collaboratively with a number of professionals. Throughout the day, an interior designer may be called upon to work closely with electricians, architects, building contractors, and plumbers. These collaborations are necessary in order to ensure building codes are met and that interior design plans are safe and secure. Once these basics are attended to, the interior design professional can focus on colors, textures, lighting, furniture, and décor in order to make the space aesthetically pleasing.

Owning an interior design business makes it possible for an entrepreneur to set his or her own hours. In addition, the job can be very exciting as interior designers get to meet new people every day and are often invited into beautiful homes in order to help make them even more beautiful. The need for qualified interior designers continues to grow as more and more people desire having the “best” and are willing to pay to have it done for them.

Home Based Business Ideas

Interior designers are typically licensed, degreed professionals who decorate homes, offices and entire buildings. They juggle environmental, legal and aesthetic concerns in conceptualizing their plans. Interior decorators, who may or may not need professional licenses or as much formal education, often focus on the finishing touches, such as furniture, curtains and color. Both can build a home business but with different salary and job-scope expectations.

Pros of an Interior Designer Home Business It’s a viable artistic outlet.

It can attract a wealthy clientele. Fees can range between $60 and $300 an hour. The hours are flexible.

A job well done creates positive word of mouth, which is essential for building your business.

Finding discounted goods can create greater profit for you and lower prices for your clients. But that puts a premium on building solid relationships with suppliers.