Top Interior Design Salaries: What You Really Earn in 2025
When you think about interior design salaries, the income range for professionals who plan and decorate indoor spaces with function and style in mind. Also known as interior design earnings, it varies wildly depending on experience, location, and whether you work for a firm or run your own business. This isn’t just about picking paint colors—it’s about managing budgets, reading building codes, coordinating trades, and understanding how people live in spaces. And yes, some of the best in the field make six figures.
The freelance interior designer, a self-employed professional who takes on projects directly from clients without working for a design firm. Also known as independent interior designer, it’s one of the fastest-growing paths in the industry can earn more than someone in a studio—if they know how to price their work. A beginner might charge £30–£50 an hour, but a pro with a strong portfolio and repeat clients often hits £80–£150 an hour. In London and the South East, top designers working on luxury homes or commercial spaces regularly pull in £60,000 to £90,000 a year. Outside those areas, salaries drop, but so do living costs. The real difference? Clients who value design as an investment, not an expense.
interior design career salary, the total annual income earned by professionals in the interior design field, including bonuses, commissions, and project fees isn’t just about titles. It’s about specialization. Those who focus on high-end residential work, hospitality, or healthcare interiors tend to earn more than those doing basic renovations. Certifications like RIBA or CID qualify you for higher-paying roles, but even without them, a strong track record beats a piece of paper. One designer we spoke to in Manchester doubled her income by shifting from flat layouts to full-service renovations—handling lighting, storage, and even plumbing coordination. She didn’t need a fancy degree, just clear communication and reliability.
Don’t forget location matters. A designer in Glasgow won’t earn the same as one in Bristol, even if they do the same work. The UK market rewards those who understand regional demand. Urban areas with older housing stock—like Leeds or Brighton—are full of renovation projects. Rural areas? Less volume, but higher budgets for custom builds. And if you’re willing to work with commercial clients—offices, cafes, retail spaces—you open up a whole other pay tier. Commercial projects often come with bigger budgets, longer timelines, and repeat work from property developers.
What’s missing from most salary charts? The hidden income. Many top designers earn through product markups, referral fees from contractors, or licensing their designs. One designer in Surrey makes more from her curated lighting line than from client fees. Another gets paid by architects to handle the interior side of their commercial builds. These aren’t side gigs—they’re strategic moves that turn design skills into scalable income.
So if you’re wondering whether interior design can pay well in 2025, the answer is yes—but only if you treat it like a business, not a hobby. The top earners aren’t the ones with the fanciest Instagram feeds. They’re the ones who track their hours, set firm prices, and deliver results that make clients say, ‘I wish I’d done this sooner.’ Below, you’ll find real breakdowns of what designers actually make, where they make it, and how they got there—no fluff, no guesses, just facts from people doing the work.
Highest Paying US States for Interior Designer Salary (2025)
Discover which US states pay interior designers the most, see net effective salaries, licensing rules, and step‑by‑step tips to land high‑pay design jobs.
