Teach Yourself Interior Design

Teaching yourself to learn any field takes a lot of discipline and a great deal of interest. You have to be a motivated person and have the ability to focus solely on your task, but it can be done. There are many Interior Designers that are working without any formal education. They are simply going on intuition and talent. It is rare to learn all of the things that you need to know by teaching yourself, but it a possibility. These are some of the things that you will need in order to teach yourself interior design:

• Learn the proper terms from various books on interior design.
• Observe the many techniques and trends from circulating magazines and catalogs.
• Teach yourself to calculate the amounts of paint and wallpaper need to per wall by talking to your local professionals.
• Get as much practice as you can in your own home or at others’
• Use your local library or bookstore to help you brush up on the proper ways of incorporating space and a balance of space. Books like Home Decorating Made Easy and The Decorating Bible can help.
• Don't underestimate the power of Feng Shui. Purchase books on it if you can because it is a great resource for this type of work.
• Get a job at a department or furniture store so that you can get a feel for the job, and the newest and most interesting design techniques. This method lets you earn while you learn.

The best way to teach yourself is to keep up on current trends through magazines and furniture catalogues. It may sound strange, but it is a good start. You will however have no choice but to take a drafting and blueprinting class. You cannot avoid this. Fortunately there are many adult classes available for free.

You will also need to create a portfolio. A portfolio shows a listings and photographs of your work to date. Your portfolio will help your future clients see what work you’ve done, which will give them an idea of what you are capable of doing for them. This is your best marketing tool, so make it look as professional as possible. You will also want to add letters of recommendation to your portfolio when possible, or you can request from clients that they allow you to list them in your portfolio as satisfied customers.