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Interior and spatial designer: Job description and activities

Job description

An interior and spatial designer is involved in the design or renovation of internal spaces, including structural alterations, furnishings, fixtures and fittings, lighting and colour schemes. Designs and feasibility studies are produced for commercial, leisure and domestic properties, and the designer oversees the project from beginning to end.

Interior/spatial designers work in a range of different commercial or domestic settings. The job combines the efficient and functional use of space with an understanding of aesthetics. Some designers, particularly in the domestic market, are concerned solely with the appearance, rather than the structure, of the interior.

Typical work activities

Projects may take place in a range of settings:

• office spaces and industrial premises;
• retail locations, e.g. shops, cafes, forecourts;
• leisure spaces, e.g. hotels, cinema foyers, holiday complexes;
• residential developments;
• domestic properties;
• museums and civic buildings.

Typical work activities include:

• acquiring key information about potential projects, discussing requirements in detail with clients and setting project schedules;
• understanding individual clients' needs, developing design concepts in consultation with the client and establishing final briefs;
• considering materials and costs according to set budgets and negotiating project fees;
• conducting feasibility studies for projects;
• researching and gathering information and photographs relating to the project ;
• producing 'sample' or 'mood' boards for presentation to clients;
• sourcing products and providing samples for clients;
• preparing detailed working drawings, designs, plans, models and schemes, often using computer-aided design (CAD) software;
• surveying buildings;
• working in a team with other designers;
• supervising work at the design stage and on-site;
• working closely with quantity surveyors to establish costs and work schedules on larger projects, with architects to determine the best use of space, and with manufacturers and contractors;
• identifying new business and selling services to potential clients;
• keeping up to date with new developments in the design industry.

AGCAS

Written by Wendy Reed, AGCAS

Last updated:

October 2008

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