jobfacts

Interior designer

Interior designers — SOC 2020 3421

Interior designers plan, direct and undertake the creation of designs for interior spaces, procure materials and oversee implementation of the plans.

Also calledFurniture designerShopfitting designerDesign consultantTeam leaderKitchen sales designerWallpaper designerand 15 more titles
Typical full-time pay£36,5002025 Provisional
People in the job41,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month643↑ 6%on last year · 239th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time interior designers earn, 2025
£36,500 typical£30,000lowest 20%£31,30025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
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Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£30,000
25%£31,300
Median£36,500
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Many (35%) of interior designers work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed interior designers earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £36,500
East of England!£39,200
North West!£37,800
London!£36,600
South West!£34,600
West Midlands!£34,000
East Midlands!£33,800
Yorkshire and The Humber!£31,600
South East!£31,300
North EastNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
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UK median, £36,500
East of England£39,200 (small sample)
North West£37,800 (small sample)
London£36,600 (small sample)
South West£34,600 (small sample)
West Midlands£34,000 (small sample)
East Midlands£33,800 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,600 (small sample)
South East£31,300 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £34,400
  • 2024 £35,200
  • 2025 Provisional£36,500
↑ 6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 643 jobs for interior designers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
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Aug 2026Not published
Jul 2026618
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026712
Apr 2026807
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026619
Jan 2026699
Dec 2025310
Nov 2025686
Oct 2025705
Sept 2025635
Aug 2025675
Jul 2025728
Jun 2025727
May 2025830
Apr 2025585
Mar 2025609
Feb 2025667
Jan 2025605
Dec 2024321
Nov 2024526
Oct 2024610
Sept 2024591
Aug 2024733
Jul 2024644
Jun 2024678
May 2024817
Apr 2024843
Mar 2024681
Feb 2024607
Jan 2024743
Dec 2023453
Nov 2023604
Oct 2023633
Sept 2023492
Aug 2023665
Jul 2023681
Jun 20231,045
May 2023942
Apr 2023712
Mar 2023735
Feb 2023661
Jan 20231,003
Dec 2022775
Nov 20221,006
Oct 20221,010
Sept 2022935
Aug 2022971
Jul 2022982
Jun 20221,176
May 20221,249
Apr 2022952
Mar 20221,230
Feb 20221,084
Jan 20221,222
Dec 2021832
Nov 2021987
Oct 20211,090
Sept 20211,018
Aug 2021968
Jul 20211,083
Jun 2021931
May 2021976
Apr 2021786
Mar 2021820
Feb 2021497
Jan 2021443
Dec 2020405
Nov 2020518
Oct 2020636
Sept 2020637
Aug 2020547
Jul 2020444
Jun 2020321
May 2020273
Apr 2020375
Mar 2020915
Feb 20201,120
Jan 20201,020
Dec 2019647
Nov 2019986
Oct 2019968
Sept 2019929
Aug 2019848
Jul 2019986
Jun 20191,019
May 20191,056
Apr 2019769
Mar 2019859
Feb 2019886
Jan 2019830
Dec 2018540
Nov 2018696
Oct 2018806
Sept 2018866
Aug 2018796
Jul 2018759
Jun 2018840
May 2018897
Apr 2018867
Mar 20181,192
Feb 2018916
Jan 20181,110
Dec 2017662
Nov 2017847
Oct 2017924
Sept 2017960
Aug 2017972
Jul 2017924
Jun 20171,278
May 20171,094
Apr 20171,096
Mar 20171,288
Feb 20171,122
Jan 20171,223
Is there a shortage of interior designers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
20%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for culture, media and sports occupations, which includes interior designers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London541
Manchester44
Leeds34
Birmingham32
Bristol, City of30
Glasgow City25
Buckinghamshire21
Liverpool21
Somerset19
Newcastle upon Tyne16
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where interior designers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 16 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from France, China, Turkey, ranking it 194th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of interior designers
n/p
28%!
25%!
17%!
18%!
8.5%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
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16–24Not published
25–3428% (small sample)
35–4425% (small sample)
45–5417% (small sample)
55–6418% (small sample)
65+8.5% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent62%
Higher education below degree!4.3%
A levels or equivalent!18%
GCSEs or equivalent!15%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
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Degree or equivalent62%
Higher education below degree4.3% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent18% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent15% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: specialised design activities (48%), retail sale of furniture, lighting equipment and other household articles in specialised stores (17%), joinery installation (4.1%), manufacture of other furniture (3.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
62%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 6
Apprenticeships take
3 years
typically
Self-employed
35%
of people in the job

Routes in

Interior designer

You can get into this job through:

University

You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like:

  • interior design
  • art and design
  • interior architecture
  • spatial design
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could complete a college course, which may help you afterwards with applications for design assistant jobs or university courses. Examples include:

  • interior design
  • art and design
  • T Level in Craft and Design
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Furniture Design Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, which may lead into an interior design assistant role.

Entry requirements

To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Work your way up

You could start as an interior design assistant with a company. With further training and qualifications you could become an interior designer.

Registration and professional bodies

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the British Institute of Interior Design for professional development and to make contacts in the industry.

Further information

You can get more details about careers and training in interior design from the British Institute of Interior Design and The Society of British and International Interior Design.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for interior designer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Furniture designer

You can get into this job through:

University

You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

  • product and furniture design
  • 3D design crafts
  • interior design
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • a foundation diploma in art and design
  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do a college course in furniture design or furniture making, or a T Level in Craft and Design.

Courses like these would teach you some of the skills you'll need and could help you to get a job as a design assistant or trainee with a furniture making company.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You may be able to apply for a place on a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, such as:

  • Fitted Furniture Design Technician
  • Bespoke Furniture Maker

These can take around 2 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You'll need to create a portfolio of work to showcase your design skills to potential employers or customers.

You can go to design fairs and exhibitions to keep up to date with current trends in furniture design.

You can also follow organisations and designers that interest you on social media and through online design and craft forums.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Chartered Society of Designers to get access to professional development training, technical advice and information about setting up your own business.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for furniture designer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • liaises with client to determine the purpose, cost, and scope of the project, which may include the entire building or one room such as the kitchen or bathroom
  • prepares designs to meet the client's needs and draws up sketches for consideration by the client
  • advises on colours and the materials to be used,
  • establishes estimated costs, specifies materials and provides detailed drawing of the agreed design
  • sources fixtures, furniture and other necessary materials
  • hires staff and oversees project progress
  • ensures building and safety regulations are adhered to

Skills

  • meet deadlines
  • translate artistic concepts to technical designs
  • understand artistic concepts
  • use personal protection equipment
  • work ergonomically
  • work safely with machines
  • adapt sets
  • adapt to artists' creative demands
  • analyse a script
  • assess visual impact of displays
  • carry out sales analysis
  • change window displays
  • create set models
  • develop design concept

Knowledge

  • merchandising techniques

Suits people who like

  • Creating and designing
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for culture, media and sports occupations, a group of 13 jobs that includes interior designers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 10%about 79,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035442,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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