Interior Design Degree at Christian Colleges

By Calli Wolfenden, Staff Writer
 

Interior Design is more than hanging photos or picking a pretty couch for your living room. It’s everything to do with the design of a space, from paint color and curtains to furniture shape and accent pieces. How a room or an entire home comes together surrounding a cohesive theme, vision, or feeling falls under the scope of interior design and the artists behind it. Interior design is just as much about promoting function and comfort in a space as it is about aesthetics and expression. Understanding how to use lighting, room shape, complementary colors, furniture and accent pieces, and more to make a room the best space it can be for the function it is meant to serve while adhering to building codes and regulations is the duty of the artist and is integral to purpose of an interior design degree.

Choosing to major in interior design at a Christian College allows you the opportunity to nurture and grow in your faith while honing your craft and skills. You’ll be taught all the important industry trends, secrets, and regulations. Your eyes will be trained to see potential in a room, and how to make a vision come to life. At the same time, you’ll be encouraged not only to learn about but to engage with the original creator, who designed the world and everything in it. You’ll see how your skills in interior design reflect the creative aspect of God and how using the skills He’s given you glorifies Him.

Here’s a list of potential careers for someone who chooses to major in interior design:

• Interior Designer: An interior designer focuses on designing and planning out the use of space, furnishings, and light in an interior space. They plan out the use of light, color schemes, furnishings, materials, and plan the flow between rooms to ensure it meets the client’s needs and identity and enhances their quality of life. Interior designers work closely with clients, architects, and contractors, and adhere to safety codes and regulations in order to bring out the desired vision.
• Event Designer: Event Designers handle the aesthetic and thematic aspects of an event, dealing with things like décor, lighting, furniture, and some technological effects (if they are part of the even design). They work with outside contractors, such as florists, furniture rentals, production teams, and, of course, clients, to bring their design ideas to life in events like weddings, parties, and company/business functions.
• Furniture Designer: A Furniture Designer crafts aesthetic, functional, and comfortable furniture pieces for a myriad of settings and purposes. Their work involves creativity, knowledge of materials, ergonomics, and understanding of what people want in different furniture pieces. They may collaborate with craftsmen, work with technology and design systems, and potentially partner with manufacturers to mass produce their designs.
• Set Decorator: Set Decorators work in show business, whether that be movies, theater, or TV. They help tell the story or round out characters through the scene designs, making sure that the elements of the scene match the setting and time period. In addition to designing the set, they also acquire or create pieces, items, or furniture to match the desired look and make the setting feel authentic and complete.
• Graphic Designer: Graphic designers are artists who work with technology to create virtual pieces related to branding, websites, advertisements, or many other electronic visuals that inform, educate, or bring users to the desired platform. They work closely with marketing departments or clients to execute their vision and create designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and on-brand. Graphic designers have a strong grasp of both artistic design and technology.
• Construction Manager: Construction managers oversee construction projects from start to finish, ensuring safety of work environment, keeping to the budget, managing schedules, and working with contractors. They work closely with architects, engineers, and clients to make sure that the vision is being met by the construction crew while also complying with regulations. Construction managers are vital to the completion of the project and making sure that things progress according to schedule and plan.

Placement rates for those who choose to major in interior design vary heavily by school, but according to the BLS the field is projected to grow on track with most employment fields. With a competitive median salary of $63,490, landing a career job is largely going to depend on you and what steps you take while in college to pursue success.

The first key thing that you’ll want to prioritize while in college is internships. Search for and chase internships that are not only relevant to interior design but also to the specific direction you want to go with your career. If you haven’t figured that part out, no worries; anything interior design related will give you a good idea of what the career field has to offer and perhaps show you different areas that you may want to pursue further.

From these internships, takeaway experience in the field (of course), but also make connections, contacts, and network with the professionals around you. Ask a lot of questions, defer to their experience, ask for comments and criticisms on the work you do for them or (if they have time) work you’ve done on your own. Be the person who pays attention, is in their good graces, and shows sincere interest and passion for the work and improving in it. These are the qualities that they can make genuine recommendations on and potentially get you an opening with their company or a job they know about in the future.

The next big priority is building your portfolio. Keep big projects you work on in class, make time to organize things for friends, yourself, or even as volunteer work, and include projects that you were a part of at your internships. Anything that shows your creativity and potential contribution, consider for your portfolio. Ideally, you want it to be your best work but also show variety and some experience and learning. It’s a tough balance to find, so use the connections that you make along the way to give you suggestions and recommendations about how to best piece together your portfolio for your goals in the field of interior design.

Obviously, creativity is a necessary trait for someone who wants to major in interior design. Being able to walk into a room and see the possibilities and the potential to create something functional, aesthetic, and cohesive is both an art and a talent—and crucial to cultivate in yourself if you want to succeed with an interior design degree. Being technologically savvy is also important, as you’ll want to have a good grasp on the different design programs that are popular in the field. Good communication is key for successfully understanding a client’s vision, as well as attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and organizational acumen to juggle all the moving parts of different projects. Someone with these qualities is well suited to a career with an interior design degree, whether that be for an agency, business, or in a ministry setting.

Work Cited:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Interior Designers, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/interior-designers.htm (visited May 15, 2025).

By Calli Wolfenden, Staff Writer
 

Interior Design may not seem altogether that related to faith or the Church but remember that when God gave the task of building a temple for His name, He had it planned out, designed, and detailed. There was intention in the design and purpose behind each room and how it was set up. While the Lord may not be handing down floor plans anymore, why would intentionality and purpose in Church designs be any different today?

1 Chronicles 28:11-12
“Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.”

Proverbs 24:3-4
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”

The environment doesn’t make the Church… but it can help. Someone with an interior design degree can help create sanctuaries, counseling rooms, offices, and more that encourage openness, comfort, and safety in those who enter. We may not need a room to worship, but when we’ve been blessed with a space for it, someone with an interior design degree can be very helpful in organizing the space for the most functional, comfortable, and effective purposes.

For worship spaces, lighting, seating, decorations, and technology/placement can play an important role in how congregants connect with the worship service or the pastor. For counseling spaces, the use of lighting, décor, furniture, and placement can have a profound effect on someone feeling safe and open, impacting how effective the sessions are. The layout of a building or room can change how welcoming a space feels, so someone with an interior design degree can be the difference between many newcomers returning and few.

Interior design is much more than just decorating a room. The potential career options and ministry opportunities open to someone with an interior design degree mean that the future is wide open with your choice of many ideal paths. If you are someone artistic and creative, with a tech savvy side, great communication skills, and the organization to juggle it all, then perhaps the Lord is calling you to pursue an interior design degree.