Interior Designer Salaries in United Kingdom

The average salary for an Interior Designer is £37,166 per year in United Kingdom. Salaries estimates are based on 733 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by an Interior Designer employees in United Kingdom.

The highest salary for an Interior Designer in United Kingdom is £50,497 per year.

The lowest salary for an Interior Designer in United Kingdom is £27,677 per year.

Interior designers earn salaries similar to the salaries of exhibition designers, visual merchandisers, and model makers. They are paid slightly below architects and industrial designers. A bachelor's degree in a related field is usually required in order to take on clients. To increase their earning potential, interior designers can gradually build up their portfolio and eventually take on high-profile clients. They might also choose to specialise in a particular area, such as set design or furniture design in order to become more competitive to clients.

As an interior designer, it's essential to have a quality portfolio that showcases your best work and reflects your unique design style and personality. This will be your calling card and your primary marketing tool throughout your career, so it's essential to continuously update and improve it. Aim to showcase your best work, using your natural flair for design to your advantage, and demonstrate your highest level of capability. More experience generally correlates with a higher salary as an interior designer, but if you can demonstrate your worth, you can still progress in your career faster than those with greater experience. Consider selecting a niche, such as commercial spaces or home interiors, and work from there to build your expertise. Professional certifications, such as the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) credential, are also valuable to prove your level of expertise and lead to higher earnings.

Interview questions for interior designer roles tend to include questions such as, "What is your design process?" and "Describe your style." You'll need to describe how you contributed to each project in-depth, and a quality portfolio is a must. Before hitting the negotiating table for a higher salary as an interior designer, develop solid answers to these questions, and do your research to learn what the client or employer is looking for. What sets you apart will score you more money, so you'll need to describe your vision, what brought you there, and how you'll progress through each project. Depending on your talent and level of expertise, you can earn considerably more than the advertised salary, so if you really know your value, make sure you know how to sell yourself effectively.

About 60.48% of Interior Designer professionals feel satisfied with their salary, according to anonymous Glassdoor ratings. An additional £2,062 in potential pay per year, among other factors, can qualify the annual pay of an Interior Designer in United Kingdom as a good salary.

Interior Designer professionals in United Kingdom have a wide total pay range, between £21,374 and £67,515 depending on experience, with an estimated total pay of £37,166 following the average career path of an Interior Designer.