So you’re thinking of pursuing a career in the home furnishings business – congratulations! With more than 30,000 home furnishing retailers in the U.S., and that number rising, it’s clear that home furnishings is a booming industry. So, it is not uncommon to see people ask, ‘is home furnishings a good career path?’ because they want to get into the industry.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Martha Stewart. Well, she’s not the only person who is well known for her skills in home furnishings and interior decorating. There are many other successful people that made a career out of this field, including Jackie Warner from Bravo’s “Workout”, the host of HGTV’s “Restoring or Renovation.” Another person is Tommy Hilfiger, a stylish designer in the fashion world.
So, if you are considering a career path in this field, this article will help. Here, we will show you some interesting things about the industry and why you can consider choosing a career path there.
Table of Contents
What Is Home Furnishing
Home furnishings is the term used to describe everything from furniture and bedding to cooking utensils and dishware, which are used to make a house or apartment feel like a home. These include furniture, art, rugs, window treatments, bedding, and various accessories.
With the ever-growing demand for modernizing homes, homeowners, restaurants, offices, and hotels are all looking for creative people with special eyes to help beautify their space that expresses their unique and personal style. So there is an increased demand for interior designers – people working in different positions in the home furnishing industry.
What Do Workers In the Home Furnishings Do?
There are lots of job positions in the industry, and the roles of each position. However, they are all working together to add beauty and class to the interior of a building. This could be residential, commercial, hotels, or restaurants.
There are a lot of different jobs available in home furnishings. If you have an eye for design, you can get into interior design and decorating or even be a fashion stylist. If you’re more interested in furniture repair and restoration, there are plenty of opportunities there as well. And if you just like to work with your hands and make things look good, consider something like woodworking or welding (which has many applications in both residential and commercial settings).
Is Home Furnishings A Good Career Path; How Many Jobs Are There?
It is okay to wonder how many jobs are even in the home furnishing industry and what type of position should you aim for. Well, there are tons of job openings in the field, with each job role having its own unique responsibilities. While some of these roles are highly paid, there are also some that are just decently paid.
In the later section of this post, we will still look at some high-paying jobs in home furnishings. But right now, let’s look at some common career opportunities in the industry.
#1: Interior designer
Of course, this is the most common job position in the industry and of course, one of the best paying. They are always in high demand. So what do interior designers do? They handle and understand what a customer wants and create suitable designs that match up with the taste of such a customer.
While you can get a degree to become an interior designer, there are also many informal training that can get you started well in the path. One thing about it is that the more experience you get, the more popular you will be.
#2: Sales Manager
A sales manager is responsible for analyzing financial goals and some other important things that have to do with sales. That includes measuring sales, efficiency, and profit. The role of sales managers is important in the industry, so there is always a lot of work there to do.
#3: Space planner
These people are in charge of meeting and communicating with clients. Their role is kind of similar to that of an interior designer. They also must have an eye for good designs and know how to relate well with clients to satisfy their needs. A space planner should have excellent knowledge about spaces and how to figure out the measurement of space.
#4: Residential furniture salesperson
This is perhaps the most common way through which people enter the professional side of the industry. You can become a sales rep at a home furnishing store or showroom. That means you will be responsible for meeting new customers to know their needs and the furniture they need. You will also be recommending suitable furniture to meet their needs.
One interesting about being a residential furniture salesperson is that you don’t need specialized training to get in. You only need some sales and customer service skills.
#5: Furniture technicians
These are very important people in the home furnishing industry. They work with merchants and are usually the ones championing production. You may need to get a degree in Wood Science and Forestry to get a job as a furniture technician. At the same time, some companies will require that you have some levels of experience.
#6: Freight/material mover
We don’t want to round up this section without mentioning some of the entry-level jobs in the industry. When many people ask, ‘is home furnishings a good career path,’ they want to know some easy positions they can secure jobs into.
Freight/material movers help convey furniture from manufacturers to stores and warehouses. They also move them from stores to the customer’s homes. So they are an important entity in the industry too. They are most responsible for moving, loading, setting up, unloading, and transporting the furniture in the industry. Therefore, the role requires that you are physically fit and able to lift and carry large, heavy items.
Is Home Furnishing A Good Career Path?
- Job security: The home furnishings industry is one of the most stable industries in the country, with no signs of a downturn on the horizon.
- High salary: Not only will you be able to earn a good salary but there are also many opportunities for advancement, which can lead to even more money in your pocket.
- Work-life balance: If you’re looking for a career that allows you to spend time with family and friends as well as make enough money to pay bills and buy things like food without worrying about being able to afford them, then home furnishings is the job for you!
- Good working environment: Most companies in this field offer comfortable surroundings that make it easy for employees to enjoy their time at work while they’re not making sales calls or setting up displays at events around town (or even traveling).
Because these companies know how important it is that their employees feel happy and productive while they’re on the clock, most offer benefits such as free meals during business hours or discounts on products sold within those businesses’ walls (and sometimes outside too).
- You can work your way up to a leadership position: When you start out in the home furnishings industry, you can work your way up to a leadership position. There are many different kinds of jobs in home furnishings, from sales associates to marketing managers. The time it takes to become a leader varies depending on where you’re working and what kind of work you are doing.
These perks may seem small but when combined together over several years become quite significant – especially since many people actually start working part-time until graduating from college before moving on full-time once they’ve had enough experience under their belts.
What Is the Educational Requirement for Getting a Job in Home Furnishings?
To get a job in home furnishings, you will need training in design and business. You can get formal training at a community college or university. For instance, if you want to become an interior designer, you will need a bachelor’s degree in interior design, drawing, and computer-aided design (CAD). You will also need good communication skills.
Is home furnishings a good career path; highest-paying jobs in the industry
If one of your concerns is the pay in the industry, of course, it should be. Then you might want to take a look at some of the top-paying jobs there. Some of them are:
- Space planners. They earn an average salary of $64,723 per year
- Operations manager. They make up to $63,540 on average every year
- Interior designers. They earn an average of $49,800 per year, which is about $23.95 per hour.
- Furniture technicians. As a furniture technician, you can earn an average of $43,430 per year.
- Home furnishing consultant. As a home furnishing consultant, you can earn as much as $34,255 per year. That is around $16.47 per hour.
How to Get Started In Home Furnishing
Lastly on the question, ‘is home furnishings a good career path,’ let’s talk about how to get started in the industry. Home furnishing is a great career path because you can get started in many different ways. The most common way to get started is by getting a job at a retail store. But you can also work at home furnishing stores while you are in school.
If you are not in school, there are still many different jobs to choose from at home furnishing stores. For example, if you want to be an interior designer and make sure all the furniture looks good in each room, then this could be a good job for your career path.
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