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Interior Designer

Creative

Plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings. Design interior environments or create physical layouts that are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purposes. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.

Creative Arts & MediaArchitecture & Built Environment

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
  2. 2Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
  3. 3Research health and safety code requirements to inform design.
  4. 4Confer with client to determine factors affecting planning of interior environments, such as budget, architectural preferences, purpose, and function.
  5. 5Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
  6. 6Coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
  7. 7Review and detail shop drawings for construction plans.
  8. 8Inspect construction work on site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
  9. 9Render design ideas in form of paste-ups or drawings.
  10. 10Subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, art work, furniture, and related items.
  11. 11Select or design, and purchase furnishings, art work, and accessories.
  12. 12Estimate material requirements and costs, and present design to client for approval.
  13. 13Research and explore the use of new materials, technologies, and products to incorporate into designs.
  14. 14Design spaces to be environmentally friendly, using sustainable, recycled materials when feasible.
  15. 15Formulate environmental plan to be practical, esthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity or selling merchandise.
  16. 16Plan and design interior environments for boats, planes, buses, trains, and other enclosed spaces.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Stylist
  • Designer
  • Decorator
  • Bath Designer
  • Home Designer
  • Room Designer
  • Home Decorator
  • House Designer
  • Kitchen Designer
  • Project Designer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Technical Comm. GraphicsDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Civil Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Design98%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Customer and Personal Service90%
  • Building and Construction85%

    Civil Engineering StudiesEngineering DrawingDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • English Language82%

    English

  • Sales and Marketing75%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Administration and Management73%

    BusinessEconomics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentRarely
  • Time spent sittingMost of the time

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Review contractor bids to subcontract fabrication, installation, and arrangement of carpeting, fixtures, accessories, draperies, paint and wall coverings, art work, furniture, and related items.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

14%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Graphic Designer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Interior Designers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue