It’s easy to assume that there’s no difference between interior designer and interior decorator services. Interior decorating and interior design are two different careers, although the two professions share certain features. Interior designers provide interior decorating services as part of their interior design services. Interior decorators, however, cannot offer the same services as interior designers.

Confused? Don’t be. It’s easy to understand the difference between an interior decorator and an interior designer. It’s also important to distinguish between the two professions, so that you can decide which professional is best suited to your interior design project.

Interior Decorator Services

An interior decorator is concerned solely with a room’s décor. She produces a room that looks attractive. Interior decorator services typically involve a variety of objects and furniture that affect the room’s appearance and comfort, including:

• Artwork
• Drapes and curtains
• Fabric choices
• Flooring
• Furnishings
• Light fixtures
• Paint
• Plants and other decorations.

A home decorator does not need formal education to provide interior decorating services, although there are training opportunities. In most states, anyone with an eye for decoration can set up a business offering interior decorator services. There are few licensing requirements or other regulations in the interior decorating industry.

Interior Designers and Home Decorating

Interior designers provide home decorating services, but surface decoration of a room is only one aspect of an interior designer’s job.

An interior designer’s primary concern is how a space affects human behavior and human interaction. A good interior designer improves how people function and feel within a room. As such, interior designers provide much more than home decorating services.

While a home decorator is only concerned with how a room looks, an interior designer is concerned with multiple issues, with decoration as only one of them. The goal of interior design is to provide a healthy, comfortable and functional space for human interaction. An interior designer must be familiar with the following:

• Acoustics
• Building codes
• Construction
• Design analysis
• Fire safety
• Space planning.

Unlike a home decorator, an interior designer should have a degree in interior design. An increasing number of states require interior designers to be licensed. This license is usually obtained through successful completion of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam.

Home Decorator or Interior Design Specialist?

Before you hire a professional for your interior design project, give some thought to whether or not you need a home decorator or an interior designer. If you’re mostly concerned with surface decorations, interior decorating services may be all you need. If, however, you want to improve a room’s functionality or safety while simultaneously improving its aesthetics, you’ll need the skills of an interior designer.