What an interior designer does
An interior designer plans and documents interior spaces for offices, stores, restaurants, hotels, clinics and homes. The work goes well beyond finishes: space planning, millwork design, lighting and furniture layouts, accessibility, fire and life safety considerations, and drawings a contractor can build from. Designers meet clients, present concepts and material boards, coordinate with architects, engineers and trades, and visit sites during construction to resolve issues as they arise.
In Ontario, the title Interior Designer is reserved for registered members of ARIDO, the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario, and the protection extends to job titles that include it. Registration requires education, supervised experience and passing ARIDO's examination requirement, which the NCIDQ exams satisfy. Finch confirms registration status, then screens portfolios and software skills against your sector, whether commercial, hospitality, healthcare or residential.
Typical responsibilities
- Meet clients to define needs, budget and project requirements
- Develop space plans, concepts, and material and finish selections
- Produce construction drawings, millwork details and specifications
- Coordinate with architects, engineers, contractors and furniture dealers
- Support permit submissions with interior drawings where the project requires them
- Review site conditions and resolve construction and installation issues
Qualifications and credentials
- A degree or advanced diploma in interior design that meets ARIDO's education standards
- ARIDO registered membership for roles using the Interior Designer title, or intern membership for junior roles
- Successful completion of the NCIDQ exams or another examination route ARIDO accepts
- Proficiency in AutoCAD or Revit, plus SketchUp, Enscape or Adobe tools for presentations
- Working knowledge of the Ontario Building Code and accessibility requirements for interiors
Who hires an interior designer
- Interior design studios
- Architecture firms with interiors groups
- Furniture dealers and workplace consultancies
- Hospitality, retail and restaurant groups
- Developers and residential builders
Where we recruit interior designer candidates
We fill interior designer roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- ARIDO membership status, confirmed with the association
- Portfolio review that identifies the candidate's own role on each project
- Sector experience, such as workplace, retail, hospitality, healthcare or high-end residential
- Technical documentation skills, not just renderings and concepts
- Eligibility to work in Canada and availability for site visits and client meetings
Interview questions to ask
- Show me a project where the client's budget forced you to change the design. What did you keep and what did you let go?
- How do you make sure your millwork drawings are buildable before they go to the shop?
- Tell me how you handled a contractor substituting a material you specified.