Aspiring Interior Decorator Needs Advice To Get Into School!?

Congratulations on your decision to go back to school. Having just graduated with my Interior Design degree I feel comfortable in telling you that the those that will be evaluating you for acceptance are not looking for a professional design portfolio. The idea here is to ess your ability to succeed in the program. Clearly, if you had magazine quality photos of spaces you had already designed you wouldn't need the diploma. KT gave you good advice about creating a client and then designing a space specifically for them. Interior design is about solving problems and therefore it's important to understand your client and their needs. You'll definitely want to write up a profile of the client, your concept for the design, and then perhaps a bit about why you chose what you did. Don't worry about getting too technical or too elaborate. Mostly you want to justify your selections. In addition to the sketches you could also create a display board or two (the kind like you'd see on HGTV's Designer's Challenge). In fact you can even do this electronically. You can select images from anywhere on the web and combine them collage style to create the look and feel you're going for. Check out www.polyvore.com. It's easy and fun. Best of all is that you can then either print or send the finished products wherever you like. This will give you the chance to show how you might combine fabric, furniture, lighting, artwork, etc. Also for your portfolio, it needn't be only interior design. Are you an artist? Can you sketch? Do you sew? How about a photographer? Any of these things will also show your creativity. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't sell yourself short. If the admissions committe is looking for specifics they'll let you know, otherwise submit those things that show your creativity. Good luck.