How to Become a Home Decor Consultant

Home design and decorating is a great way to enhance home spaces by increasing their visual appeal and maximizing their comfort and functionality. If you have an eye for depth, and enjoy executing home decorating projects to perfection, a career as a home decor consultant could be a great way to convert your passion into a profession. In addition to exercising your creativity, you will get the satisfaction of helping people get the most out of their real estate purchases, and turn their houses into homes.

• Start by studying home design concepts in detail – you can either do this yourself by buying books and reading online, or by community college courses in interior design. Learn about the relevance of elements like texture, pattern, space planning and color, and light application. Consider investing in books like “Complete Home Decorating Book” by Nicholas Barnard, and subscribing to magazines like Interior Design Magazine and Home & Design Magazine.
• Look into becoming a certified consultant – this way you will be able to attract more clients, as opposed to being a self-taught home décor consultant who decided to convert a hobby into a career. Certifications will help people take you more seriously, and help you establish yourself as a credible expert. Home decoration certification and diploma programs are widely available at community colleges and universities, and you can also look into associate and bachelor degree programs in interior design.
• Once you start working, focus on developing and building a portfolio of all the design work you have done. This can be used to show potential clients samples of your work, and convert them into customers by drawing them in. Choose samples of your best work, and if possible, get professional photographs taken of the interiors you have designed. You might also consider entering home decoration contests as these serve as publicity, and add to your reputation and experience.
• Work on building a base of loyal clients. Print out professional brochures and fliers, keep business cards handy, and put up a website so you can develop a strong online presence and thus market your business on the internet. It is also a good idea to maintain a blog, in which you detail all your assignments, and your methods for tackling them.
• Grab any networking opportunities you can get, to mingle with other home décor consultants. Build a network of professionals who belong to the same field as you – you never know when contacts might come in useful.