Interior decorator vs interior designer: what’s the real difference?

Hello, I’m Myriam, the founder of ALNA DESIGN®, an online school dedicated to interior decoration and interior design.
Our mission is to help students learn interior design online through clear fundamentals, professional logic, and accessible education.

In this article, I want to clarify a question that confuses many people who want to work in space design:

What is the real difference between an interior decorator and an interior designer?

Understanding this distinction is essential if you want to study interior decorating online and choose the right professional path.

What we’ll cover in this article

To fully understand the difference between these two professions, we need to look at:

• The differences in skills and responsibilities, to help you decide which career suits you best
• A brief history of interior decoration and interior design

The interior decorator: the origin

The term “interior decorator” appeared in Europe in the mid-19th century, during a period of strong industrial growth and major social change.

A new wealthy social class emerged and wanted interiors that reflected elegance, comfort, and social status. Many sought to reproduce the refined interiors of Napoleon III’s imperial court.

This growing demand led to the birth of a new profession:
interior decorator, often coming from artisan backgrounds.

The role of the interior decorator

From the beginning, the interior decorator’s mission was to:

• create a coherent interior atmosphere
• organize circulation and flow in each room
• arrange furniture and objects
• combine elegance with functionality

At the beginning of the 20th century, the profession crossed the Atlantic

In the United States, Elsie de Wolfe is considered the first professional interior decorator.
In France, this role was embodied by Eugène Lami.

The interior designer: a more technical evolution

The profession of interior designer appeared later, mainly in the first half of the 20th century.

This evolution coincided with:

• the decline of heavy ornamentation
• the rise of mass production
• a stronger focus on functionality and use

• space planning
• drawing plans
• understanding construction constraints

They began to call themselves interior designers.

A change in terminology

For example:

• the magazine Interior Design and Decoration gradually dropped the word “decoration”
• the American Institute of Decorators (AID), founded in 1931, became the American Institute of Designers in 1936

Originally, an interior designer was simply an interior decorator with deeper technical training.

Interior decorator vs interior designer: differences in job skills

As I just explained, the profession of interior designer is an evolution of the profession of interior decorator.

An essential point to remember

Even in countries or U.S. states where interior designers are allowed to sign certain plans, these plans usually concern:

• non-load-bearing interior partitions only

Any modification involving:

• load-bearing walls
• structural elements
• major construction work

must be validated and signed by:

• an architect
• an engineer
• or a licensed contractor

This depends on local building codes and city regulations.

In practice, professionals work together

In practice, professionals work together

Whether you choose to become an interior decorator or an interior designer, you will almost always collaborate with:

• architects
• engineers
• contractors

Interior design is a collaborative profession.

The real difference

In simple terms:

• the interior designer has deeper technical knowledge
• the interior decorator focuses more on space composition, atmosphere, and furnishing

But in real projects, both rely on other licensed professionals for structural validation.

Which path should you choose?

Your choice depends on the type of projects you want to work on.

Choose interior design if:

• you enjoy technical drawings
• you like advanced planning software
• you want to deepen construction knowledge

Choose interior decoration if:

• you enjoy rethinking interiors
• you focus on furniture, layout, and atmosphere
• you prefer creative and spatial decisions without heavy technical constraints

And the good news:
this choice is not final. Many professionals start as interior decorators and later expand their skills with technical training.

How to move forward

If you want to learn interior design online, the most important thing is not the title —
it’s understanding how spaces really work.

With the right fundamentals, you can:

• evolve gradually
• collaborate with the right professionals
• grow your career step by step

That’s exactly the approach we teach at ALNA DESIGN®.
 

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