Article: While there are no specific training requirements to become an interior decorator, people are more likely to use your business if you have concrete training and experience. Taking some classes in design or a certification course in home staging or interior decorating will add credibility and also give you an opportunity to network. Search the course offerings at a local college or university to see if there are any adult education or continuing education courses focusing on decorating and design. In order to work as an interior designer, you'll need a bachelor's degree. Help friends and family when they want to do a redecorating project. Find out about offering your services at social service organizations, like fundraising offices, group homes, community nonprofit locations, and others. Offer to decorate for local fundraising events and festivals. Volunteering will help you get your name out in the community as a decorator, and it is also a great way to practice your decoration and design! Whenever you decorate a space, whether in your own home, a friend's home, or something that you are commissioned to do, take pictures of it for your portfolio. Your portfolio should be an example of all the work that you've done. If possible, have a professional photographer take these pictures, or take them with a quality camera. Your portfolio is an important part of starting a decorating business as it will show off you talents and design abilities to potential clients. Make sure you include pictures of the rooms you decorate from various angles and take close-up photos of any special details. Include before-and-after photos of your work. This is a powerful way to show your potential. Place your photos in a leather presentation case or have them professionally mounted on art board. Create an online or digitized portfolio. If you end up making a website for your decorating business, you will want to include this presentation on your site. Add letters of recommendation if possible from those whose homes you have decorated. Estimating the price of your decorating project is going to be one of the most important parts of starting your decorating business. You neither want to price your services too low or too high, so it is essential to make sure that you are pricing your work correctly. The median hourly rate for interior decorating work is $18.89 per hour, but rates may vary in your location. In order to properly estimate the price of a job, consider: The size of the job (this includes the number of hours that will be required to complete it) The cost of the products used for the job The number of outside helpers you will need to hire (for example, carpet layers, painters, etc.) The deadline of the job (bill higher for a rush job) Your personal markup, typically 15% of the total fee.

What is a summary?
Get relevant training. Volunteer your decorating talent. Develop a portfolio. Practice your estimating.