Journal · Guide
Interior Designer vs. Decorator: What's the Difference?
Interior designer, decorator, furniture curator: three roles that are often confused, yet solve entirely different problems. This guide sets the record straight.
The interior designer: space and architecture
The interior designer works on the space itself: layouts, lighting, cladding materials, sometimes construction work. Their territory is interior architecture, and their work is usually tied to a renovation.
The decorator: atmosphere and style
The decorator works on a space that already exists: textiles, colour, accessories, furniture arrangement. Their goal is atmosphere — the emotional layer of an interior.
The furniture curator: the right piece
The curator is independent of shops and studios: they don't sell furniture, they find it. They select, negotiate and manage the purchase of designer, vintage or bespoke pieces from showrooms, manufacturers, dealers and auctions.
This is the right figure once you already have the space — with or without an interior designer — and want every piece to be an investment decision, not a catalogue one.
Which one do you need?
Renovating with layout changes? An interior designer. A finished space that needs warmth? A decorator. A home or hotel that needs exceptional furniture, bought with discernment and without shop middlemen? A curator. At Marklecio & Co. we often work alongside the other two.