1. Don’t Disregard Your Education!

Interior Design truly is an artform, but understanding the science behind it can only help you as you build your career as an interior designer. Technical and business skills that you learn in the classroom tend to prove invaluable in providing clients with the best service possible. Of course, education isn’t limited to the classroom. Taking online courses or “master classes” can also prove beneficial.

2. Go Take as Many Internships as Possible!

Some Interior Design Schools will require students to take internships as part of their curriculum. Why limit yourself to just that minimum requirement? Nothing beats hands-on, real-world experience. Every designer runs their business differently. At the same time, multiple internships helps open your eyes to a wide range of design philosophies. This allows you to pick the best practices from different firms to create a unique combination that suits your tastes.

3. Attend Interior Design Webinars and Online Conferences!

There are thousands of webinars for any given industry at any given moment. Take advantage of this and go learn from successful experts in the world of interior design! The best part? A good number of these webinars are free and open to the public. On top of learning from experts, webinars are a good way to meet other professionals in the industry. Building connections is important in any business, so it’s definitely a good idea to start meeting people even before you graduate

4. Design for Fun!

Do you often find yourself having a bit of free time during the day? Use that time wisely! Grab your sketch pad and design away! Be bold and creative! It’s more than just about “practice makes perfect”. Having the freedom to design a space for fun rather than by following a strict list of wants and needs is a great way to discover your flavor as a designer. Even if these designs start out as “fun”, you can always revamp and improve old sketches and potentially create stunning designs that you’d be proud to add to your portfolio!

5. Bookmark Popular Interior Design Blogs!

It’s often a good idea to keep yourself updated with the musings of thought leaders in the interior design industry, even if these experts may be from a different country. Again, this is about exposing yourself to many schools of thought, which helps you become more versatile. One of the best ways to accomplish this would be to follow interior design blogs and read several articles a week. Some of the top picks include Apartment Therapy, Interior Design Site, and The Spruce.

6. Keep Up with Trends–but Don’t Let Them Rule You!

Trends, despite the slightly negative connotation these get, are vital in the overall world of design. After all, being able to identify and predict design trends in your industry helps you stay relevant and top-of-mind amongst your target clientele. Naturally, this doesn’t mean that you should stick solely to trends. It’s important to study trends because there are certain elements and philosophies of trendy designs that can be adopted to create new trends or revamp more classic/timeless designs.

7. Let Everything Inspire Your Creativity!

Last, but not least, find inspiration anywhere and everywhere you go! One thing that young interior designers don’t fully realize is that a lot of designs were not inspired by staring at a beautifully designed space. In some cases, award-winning designs have been inspired by nature, spaceships, cultural temples, etc. Flipping through magazines and the like is important for sure, but don’t limit your sources of inspiration to the pages of a magazine. Get out there and get inspired!