As most people know, it takes more than dreaming to achieve one’s dreams. For example, in order to achieve one’s career goals it takes careful planning, sacrifice and a good educational foundation. Thus, people who want to enter the exciting world of interior design have the best chance for success when they possess more than just the desire to turn empty spaces into something beautiful. Here are a few of our suggestions for how to prepare for entering design school and eventually achieving your goal of becoming an interior designer charged with properly selecting and placing items like a Saarinen chair or Saarinen tulip table.

• Education: Most interior designers require at least a bachelor’s degree to begin work. But what are some courses that can aid students prior to entering design school? Courses offered in high school that can increase one’s chances of design school success include: home economics, art, psychology and math. Home economics courses teach sewing skills. Art classes teach fundamental skills such as composition, color theory and perspective. Psychology teaches the effect color has on mood, etc. Finally, math courses – geometry in particular –helps students develop the ability to calculate angles, diameters and perimeters for furniture, fixtures and artwork.
• CAD experience: Computer-aided design (CAD) software helps students to draw, render and model objects in 3 dimensional spaces. A good technical background will help tremendously when preparing to enter design school.
• Research: Students endeavoring to make interior design their career should seek out all the information they can on various colleges. Check accreditation statistics, talk to faculty and staff and tour the institution before applying to a design school.

Finally, another way to prepare oneself for design school is to become familiar with a variety of styles. There is a wealth of information about various styles and designers online. Moreover, there are many local museums that contain displays by designers such as Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, Eero Saarinen, Mies van der Rohe and many others whose works are featured on our site.