FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator (FabJob Guides) [Paperback]

Tag Goulet (Author), Catherine Goulet (Author)

Book Description

Series: FabJob Guides | Publication Date: May 1, 2005

As an interior decorator you will have a rewarding, high-paying job that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable.

As long as you have the desire, you can become an interior decorator. No special education or experience is necessary to break into interior decorating and succeed. (Unlike becoming a certified interior designer which has strict requirements including two to five years of post-secondary education in interior design.) You can start interior decorating and become an interior decorator immediately.

If you would like to be paid to decorate homes or businesses, the FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator is for you! In this book you will discover how you can get started and succeed in the exciting career of interior decorating.

This FabJob guide focuses on information that is difficult to find elsewhere – how to get hired as an interior decorator. However, if you also want to learn interior decorating, this guide can save you many hours of research time, because it includes step-by-step interior decorating instructions. The book explains how to get hired as an interior decorator with a retailer, home builder or other industry employer. It covers how to find job openings, prepare a resume and portfolio, and do well in an interview.

It also provides step-by-step instructions on how to start an interior decorating business, set your fees, find clients, and get discounts of up to 50% on furniture and materials. The CD-ROM that comes with this book includes sample forms, checklists, furniture cut-outs, etc., plus links to interior decorating resources (including many free resources).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Step-by-step instructions tell everything you need to learn, from designers' tricks to the nitty-gritty world of business." -- Jill Florio, Bella Online, August, 2003

"This information-packed guide teaches all you need to know to start getting hired to decorate." -- International Association of Professional Interior Decorators, June, 2003

About the Author

The guide offers insider tips and expert career advice from successful interior decorators and interior designers such as Debbie Travis, whose popular television show, Debbie Travis' Painted House, is seen in over 50 countries by several million viewers a week.

"Interior decorating is a fab job because you are being creative and making people happy." – Debbie Travis

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: FabJob.com (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894638484
• ISBN-13: 978-1894638487
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #669,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for all the basics, February 1, 2005

By 

C. Carpenter "scarletrose_81" (Temple Terrace, fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator (FabJob Guides) (Paperback)

This is great for anyone getting started in the decorating business. It's quick and easy reading, and briefly covers all the important concepts, such as styles, design elements, working with customers and shopping for products, and includes many references to websites and books for more detailed information you might want on a given subject. It touches briefly on a surprising amount of information, but shouldn't be used for in depth how-to advice on things such as floors, fabrics, window treatments, etc. This is great, though, if you're just getting started, as it gives you what you'll need without being long winded or confusing.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bare bones advice for those without a clue, December 7, 2007

By 

Reenie (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator (FabJob Guides) (Paperback)

This book is geared toward people with absolutely no clue how to go about becoming a decorator (and that's fine - I was clueless!) and as such it's ok if you intend solely to use this as a springboard to more in-depth research on the field of interior decorating and how to break into it.
PROS: this book scratches the surface of every facet of the field of interior decorating.
CONS: lack of anything in-depth. FOr example,
1. I would have appreciated more information on the different types of educational programs (i.e. a 4-year degree versus a certificate, versus an online course) and how they are percieved in the field, and whether a further education is even considered necessary. The authors shy away from making any judgement whatsoever on the programs available, even those that appear to be little more than diploma mills.
2. Lacks visual aids: More illustrations and/or photos would definitely have helped. After all interior decorating is a visual art. If you don't know the difference between brocade and matelasse, a photo might help.
3. The writing is terrible. Run-on sentences like there's no tomorrow.

I would have given this book 2 stars, but I must admit that at the very least, this Fabjob Guide has shown me how much more I have to learn by touching on just about every facet of the trade. FOr this, I give it 3 stars.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for aspiring decorators, May 18, 2006

By 

KDiNobile "Style With Comfort" (NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator (FabJob Guides) (Paperback)

This book provides all the ins and outs of becoming an interior decorator - primarily starting your own business. There are a few brief sections on how to decorate, but the real value is in the very thorough information provided for getting into this field. It's an invaluable resource for those wanting to start their own decorating business.