Not all interior designers are created equal: What customers should consider when choosing one
Updated: Jul 29
Anyone wanting to design an apartment, house, or vacation property often looks for an interior designer. However, research quickly reveals that this job title encompasses very different career paths, qualifications, and services offered.
Some interior designers come from a background in architecture, interior design, or a comparable field of study. Others have completed vocational training, further education, or a specialized course. Still others have built a reputation through many years of practical experience, a good sense of aesthetics, and numerous completed projects.
All these approaches can lead to compelling results. However, it's important for customers to understand what kind of support they actually need.
Because selecting furniture and colors is only one aspect of professional interior design. Especially in new builds, renovations, and complete real estate projects, floor plan design, technical feasibility, and construction site coordination also play a crucial role.
Different training paths, different areas of focus
The field of interior design is diverse. Accordingly, the qualifications of the people working in this field are also varied.
A compact interior design course often focuses on topics such as:
Color concepts,
Interior design styles,
Furniture combinations,
Decoration,
Moodboards,
basic room design.
This knowledge can be particularly helpful when visually redesigning an already finished room.
An architecture or interior design degree typically delves much deeper into spatial and technical planning. In addition to design, the following areas are covered, among others:
Floor plan development
Proportions and spatial effect,
Construction,
Building technology,
materials,
technical drawings,
Lighting design,
ergonomic requirements,
Construction processes,
Communication with specialist planners and tradespeople.
The difference, therefore, doesn't necessarily lie in who has better taste. It lies primarily in the scope and depth of the planning.
Good styling and holistic planning are not the same thing.
A beautifully furnished room can be created through suitable furniture, colors, textiles and decoration.
However, additional questions need to be answered for complete interior planning:
Does the floor plan work in everyday life?
Are the walking distances sufficient?
Is there enough storage space?
Where should electrical outlets and switches be positioned?
How are the kitchen and bathrooms technically connected?
What type of lighting is needed for the different uses?
Is custom-made furniture feasible?
Do the materials, construction, and budget match up?
Can the planned details actually be built by the craftsmen?
A compelling image or mood board illustrates a design concept. Professional execution planning translates this concept into dimensions, connections, materials, and concrete solutions.
This is precisely where the biggest differences between various interior design offers often become apparent.
My background: Master's degree in Architecture
As the founder of AMAKU Interior, I bring a master's degree in architecture to every project.
This training allows me to view a room not only from a decorative perspective, but also from an architectural and technical one.
For my clients, this means that I don't start with the selection of sofas, lamps, and curtains. I first focus on the structure of the room:
How is the room used?
Which areas need to be connected?
What sight lines should be created?
Where are functional areas lacking?
Which built-in features improve the floor plan?
How do light, materials, and proportions affect the atmosphere?
The interior is not simply added as an extra layer to an existing space. It is developed in conjunction with the architecture.
Advantage 1: Early detection of planning problems
Many design problems arise long before the furniture is selected.
A light fixture is not centered above the future dining table. There are no electrical outlets behind the planned bed. A door collides with a wardrobe. The air conditioner is mounted on the only possible wall for the television. Insufficient clearance was provided for the curtains.
Such details may seem small at first, but can later lead to visible compromises and additional costs.
My architectural background allows me to analyze floor plans and technical drawings early on. This makes it possible to identify many problems before they arise on the construction site.
This is particularly valuable in the case of:
New apartments,
Real estate under construction,
complete renovations,
Renovations,
custom-made built-in units,
turnkey projects.
Advantage 2: Planning beyond the individual room
An interior should not consist of many independently designed rooms.
Living area, kitchen, hallway, bedroom and bathroom should be interconnected without appearing identical. Materials, colors, lighting and shapes must be repeated or deliberately complement each other.
As an architect, I therefore always consider the entire property.
A stone surface from the kitchen, for example, can be echoed in a vanity unit. The wooden surface of a built-in wardrobe can continue into the TV wall. The lighting in the hallway can set the tone for the living space as soon as you enter.
This overarching planning creates a calm and coherent overall picture.
Advantage 3: Technical drawings for precise implementation
A design idea can only be implemented convincingly if it is documented in a way that is understandable for the companies carrying out the work.
A complete plan can include, for example:
dimensioned floor plans,
Furniture plans
Electrical diagrams
Lighting plans,
Wall views,
Kitchen drawings,
Bathroom planning
Drawings for the carpenter,
Material and product lists,
Detailed drawings.
These documents reduce the scope for interpretation on the construction site.
The carpenter identifies the required dimensions and connections. The electrician knows where sockets, switches, and light fixtures are located. The stonemason receives information about the material, thickness, and edges. The individual trades can better coordinate their work.
Visualizations show how a room should look later. Technical drawings explain how it needs to be built.
For me, both are essential components of professional planning.
Advantage 4: Combining design and technical feasibility
Not every good idea is easily implementable.
Some details require specific wall constructions, substructures, or connections. Large stone slabs have technical requirements. Floating furniture must be securely fastened. Indirect lighting requires sufficient space, a power supply, and an accessible location for technical components.
My architecture studies allow me to combine design wishes with their feasibility at an early stage.
This does not mean limiting creative ideas. On the contrary: a good technical solution often makes it possible to implement a special design cleanly and permanently.
Advantage 5: Communication with tradespeople and specialist companies
Numerous coordination processes take place between a design and the finished property.
Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, painters, stonemasons, fitters, and suppliers work on different parts of the same project. Small changes in one trade can affect several other jobs.
An example:
Changing the position of a kitchen island may affect the floor connection, the electrical system, the lighting, the extractor hood solution, and the movement areas around the kitchen.
Thanks to my education and practical experience, I can communicate with the companies involved on a technical level and explain design requirements in an understandable way.
This is particularly important for customers who do not live permanently on-site and cannot handle every coordination themselves.
Advantage 6: Realistic planning from the start
A good interior design concept should not only look beautiful, but also fit the budget, the timeframe and the actual use.
A vacation rental may require different materials than a privately owned home. A property for families needs durable surfaces, ample storage space, and flexible sleeping arrangements. A high-quality rental apartment should look impressive in photos but also be easy to maintain and long-lasting.
As an architect, I already incorporate these requirements into the design phase.
This avoids creating a concept that later needs to be completely adapted because products were unavailable, details were not feasible, or costs were unrealistic.
Does a degree automatically mean better design?
No. An academic degree alone guarantees neither good taste nor a convincing result.
There are talented interior designers who do not have an architecture degree and create outstanding spaces through creativity, experience, and a strong sense of color, furniture, and atmosphere.
Similarly, studying architecture does not automatically mean that every person develops the right style for every project.
For customers, the decisive factor should therefore always be the combination of:
Education and professional background,
realized projects
technical understanding
design style,
Working method,
Communication,
Scope of services offered.
The advantage of my master's degree is not to devalue other career paths. It lies in the fact that I can offer my clients an additional layer of architectural and technical planning alongside the design work.
What kind of support do you need?
Not every project requires the same scope of services.
For those who simply want to change an already finished room with new furniture, colors and accessories, a pure styling consultation can be very helpful.
However, those who are building a new property, completely renovating it, or having it furnished remotely often require more comprehensive support.
In this case, an interior designer should be able to answer the following questions, among others:
Are floor plans also optimized?
Are there any technical drawings?
Is the electrical and lighting design taken into account?
Can custom-made furniture be planned?
Is there coordination with tradespeople?
Are materials technically tested?
Is there support available for ordering and assembly?
Can the project also be monitored on-site?
The scope of services should be clearly defined before the project begins.
AMAKU Interior's approach
At AMAKU Interior, I combine architecture, interior design and practical implementation into a holistic process.
My services can include – depending on the project – the following:
Floor plan and room design,
Interior concept,
Material and color selection,
2D and 3D visualizations,
technical drawings,
Electrical and lighting design,
Kitchen and bathroom planning,
Design of custom-made furniture,
Product selection,
Coordination of suppliers and tradespeople,
Support during implementation,
final setup.
My goal is not just to design a room that looks beautiful in pictures.
It should function technically, be carefully implemented, and be a good long-term fit for the property and the people who use it.
The right qualification depends on the project.
Interior designers differ not only in their personal style. They also differ in their education, experience, technical knowledge, and scope of services.
A short course can provide a good foundation for styling and decorative advice. Practical experience can develop a strong sense of furniture, color, and trends. An architecture degree broadens this perspective to include spatial, structural, and technical expertise.
Therefore, for customers, the crucial question is not which training path is fundamentally the best.
The crucial question is:
Does the designer's qualification and working style match the requirements of my project?
In complex real estate projects, my Master's degree in Architecture offers a clear advantage: design, technical planning and implementation are not considered separately, but are developed as a coherent whole from the very beginning.
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