ASSOCIATE INTERIOR DESIGNER JOB DESCRIPTION

Most people know what good residential design feels like. Few can articulate why it works. The Associate Interior Designer translates client preferences into structured space plans, sourced FF&E selections, and presentation-ready design concepts that make a home function as well as it looks. This role sits within a small design team or independent practice, accountable directly to clients and senior designers who rely on it to move projects from first consultation through final installation. The trade vendor network and workroom relationships this role manages are not shared with adjacent titles.

As the Associate Interior Designer, you own the client-facing design process for residential projects, from translating inspiration references into sourced furnishings and detailed drawings through to installation coordination. You work within a studio or platform environment, reporting to a Lead or Senior Designer, and serve a direct client base whose satisfaction determines project completion and repeat engagement.

Career Impact: Residential design experience at the Associate level, with exposure to FF&E specification, trade sourcing, and client presentations, builds the portfolio depth that separates candidates for Senior Interior Designer roles.

Business Impact: Every project this role completes translates a client's lifestyle requirements into a finished, livable space - the outcome the studio's reputation and revenue directly depend on.

Growth Opportunity: The sourcing relationships, client management experience, and construction drawing skills developed here expand your professional scope toward project leadership and independent practice.

• Develop space plans that address client lifestyle requirements and conform to budget parameters.
• Produce design presentations including mood boards, detailed drawings, and colors and materials palettes.
• Source furnishings, fabrics, lighting, and accessories from trade vendors and wholesale partners to meet project specifications.
• Coordinate with workrooms, subcontractors, and suppliers to ensure design intent is executed as specified.
• Manage project timelines and oversee installations from preparation through client walkthrough.
• Communicate with clients across multiple touchpoints to capture preferences, present concepts, and incorporate feedback.
• Prepare quotes and ensure full project workflow is followed through to closeout.

• Bachelor's degree in Interior Design or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 2 or more years of residential interior design experience, with direct client project responsibility.
• Demonstrated ability to develop space plans and design concepts from client brief through presentation.
• Experience sourcing furniture, finishes, and accessories from trade vendor networks and showrooms.
• Proficiency in drafting and technical drawing, including floor plans and construction drawings.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for client-facing consultations and presentations.
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and meet deadlines under varying budget constraints.

• Prior experience with luxury residential clients or high-end FF&E specification.
• Familiarity with procurement workflows including vendor coordination, punch lists, and installation logistics.
• Graphic presentation skills sufficient to produce polished client-facing design decks independently.
• Knowledge of trade resources, workroom relationships, and materials libraries within the residential sector.

• Project completion rate, measuring how consistently assignments reach installation and client sign-off.
• Client revision cycles per project, reflecting how accurately initial concepts capture stated preferences.
• Sourcing turnaround time, tracking how efficiently FF&E selections are confirmed within budget.
• Presentation approval rate on first submission to Lead Designer or client.
• Vendor and workroom coordination accuracy, measured by punch list items per completed installation.
• Typical tools: drafting and BIM software (commonly AutoCAD or SketchUp); presentation software (commonly Adobe Creative Suite or PowerPoint).

• Base Salary Range: $45,000 to $62,000 per year depending on experience and market.
• Bonus: Project-based or annual discretionary bonus, typically 5 to 10%.
• Equity: Not typical at this level in residential design firms.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage standard for full-time roles.
• PTO: 10 to 15 days annually plus standard holidays.
• Common Perks: Trade vendor access, continuing education stipend, mileage or travel reimbursement for site visits.

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process upon request. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. A background check is required as a condition of employment. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States prior to the start of employment.

The Associate Interior Designer delivers project support across all phases from Schematic Design through Construction Administration, working within an interdisciplinary team of architects, engineers, graphic artists, and technologists. Collaborating with real estate, procurement, and product teams, this role shapes the successful delivery of projects by conveying design intent and ensuring proper execution from design through opening and closeout.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute towards all phases of the building process from Schematic Design to Construction Administration.
• Work on fast-moving projects at scale and develop innovative and smarter delivery systems and processes.
• Work within an interdisciplinary team that includes architects, engineers, graphic artists and technologists across multiple projects.
• Work alongside development disciplines to cover coordinated schematic level handover packages.
• Document and convey design solutions to the design and construction team to ensure proper execution.
• Convey and maintain design intent during Design and Pre-construction phases, and support the selection of products and vendors.
• Coordinate and collaborate with the teams across real estate, procurement and product to ensure successful delivery of projects, from design through opening and closeout phases.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in interior design, architecture, or related field.
• 0–2 years of experience in a professional interior design and/or architecture setting.
• Experience in hospitality, real estate, commercial, or retail interior design.
• Knowledge of architecture, space planning, and project schedules.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign).
• Proficient in BIM (Revit) and Autodesk AutoCAD.
• Clear, concise, and effective written and oral communication skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with stakeholders.

Embedded within the Com&In team, the Associate Interior Designer builds locally relevant home furnishing solutions across room settings, vignettes, and sales support areas by translating customer insights and trend knowledge into commercial range presentations. Working closely with store functions and cross-functional teams, this role owns the showroom matrix and department action plan contributions that sustain long-term store profitability and visual impact.

Core Functions

• Use home furnishing competence to create home furnishing solutions in room settings, homes, vignettes and sales support areas that reflect the identity.
• Actively contribute in the gathering of insights from home visit interviews and translating this knowledge into locally relevant, functional, aesthetic and commercial home furnishing solutions that exceed customer expectations and reflect home furnishing the way.
• Contribute to the creation of a Showroom matrix that reflects a wide variety of styles, living situations and price levels to create a good tempo with distinct visual impressions.
• Secure high quality, simplicity, efficiency and cost consciousness when planning and implementing all range presentation solutions using global tools and best practices.
• Stay up to date and knowledgeable about home furnishing, retailing and trends in order to contribute in workshops to generate creative ideas.
• Contribute to the content of the department action plan with initiatives that will grow the business and support long-term profitability and execute the agreed plans together with the Com&In team and other functions.
• Respect routines and responsibilities, work together with Com&In team and other functions, act quickly to exploit commercial opportunities and understand the impact of your actions on the financial results.
• Keep visitors in mind when working on the shop floor, ensure disruption is minimised and stay aware of the importance of safety and the visual impact for visitors at all times.

Qualifications & Experience

• Knowledge of home furnishing the way (living situations, style groups, store communication, furnish with light).
• Knowledge of range presentation the way (layout as a commercial tool, store media, display techniques).
• Understanding of life at home in the local market and the outcome of market research, e.g. Customer Satisfaction Survey, Brand Capital.
• Understanding of interior design trends, the work method for presenting the range, and Brand objectives as well as mechanical sales system.
• Ability to combine commercial, aesthetic and practical skills.
• Ability to generate, visualise and present new ideas.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and communicate clearly with different people in various situations.
• Flexible and hands-on approach to responsibilities with the ability to meet set deadlines.

Reporting to the Havenly platform's independent contractor network, the Associate Interior Designer builds a personal design business by creating beautiful residential designs for clients across the country and sourcing furnishings from retail and wholesale partners. Partnering with clients through video calls, phone, email, and in-app messaging, this role shapes client outcomes that translate directly into commissions and long-term brand growth.

Primary Duties

• Have the opportunity to build your own business and your personal brand, with the support of the largest online residential design firm in the country.
• Work remotely online through the Havenly platform as an independent contractor, to create beautiful designs for clients across the country.
• Receive a continuous stream of clients, without spending money on sales and marketing, and without having to ever commute for meetings and appointments.
• Earn additional commissions on sales, by creating designs that your clients love and will purchase from.
• Source furnishings and decor from our amazing network of retail and wholesale partners.
• Provide stellar experiences to each and every client, going above and beyond to meet their needs and bring their home design dreams to life.
• Build trusted relationships with clients by communicating through multiple mediums: video calls, phone calls, email, and in-app messaging.
• Actively keep up with trends in interior design and learn new ways to improve your brand and service.
• Deliver an amazing experience and design that your client will get to enjoy for years to come.
• Achieve flexibility and control over your schedule.
• Keep your clients happy, while working where you want, when you want.

Skills & Qualifications

• Passion for interior design and for providing delightful experiences for clients.
• Professional experience in interior design or comparable design experience working for clients.
• Interior Design degree strongly preferred.
• High proficiency working online with various software technologies and strong preference to embrace new technology.
• Creative approach to every design with the ability to push style boundaries and exceed client expectations.
• Driven, self-motivated mindset with excitement to work independently.
• Designers are Independent Contractors who provide their own tools and software and work on their own schedules.
• Must have equipment that supports video calls with customers.
• Must meet Havenly's service level agreement minimum standards to ensure projects conclude in a timely manner.

Sitting at the intersection of furniture specification and project coordination, the Associate Interior Designer leads FFE projects from start to finish, speccing furniture, custom artwork, window treatments, flooring, lighting, and accessories across multi-family and hospitality settings. Operating across procurement, installation, and client service functions in collaboration with project managers and designers, this role delivers high-quality FFE outcomes that directly support project opening milestones.

Duties

• Manage multiple small-scale FFE projects or components of larger projects from start to finish in collaboration with the project manager and other designers.
• Coordinate with the entire project team on furniture space plan specifications, material selections and SD/DD presentations.
• Assist team with materials, finishes, and product/vendor research and selections.
• Create FFE digital presentations and prepare FFE price and dimension plans based upon procurement software budgets and AutoCAD plans.
• Manage local and remote FFE installations, perform client walkthroughs, and provide high level client service.
• Prepare punch lists for FFE and supply information to the Project Manager on punch-related items.
• Assist with inventory and returns following completion of installations.
• Support the FFE team on custom furniture design, special projects, and paint color selections.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design or Architecture from an accredited institution, or combination of education and experience.
• 2–4 years of work experience in a related role.
• Experience specifying FFE for a wide variety of project types such as model, clubhouses, pools, etc.
• Experience in multi-family, commercial, and/or hospitality industries.
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office, particularly MS PowerPoint and Outlook; strong skills in AutoCAD; moderate skills in Adobe Photoshop.
• Experience in procurement software or Studio WebWare is a plus; experience with Bluebeam is a plus.
• Ability to travel 25–50% of the time is required.

A key member of a small creative studio, the Associate Interior Designer leads luxury residential projects from concept through final installation, producing detailed design intent drawing packs and managing all aspects of FF&E procurement. Collaborating across clients, contractors, and suppliers, this role builds the design and quality outcomes that define the studio's reputation for functional and memorable high-end interiors.

Functions

• Lead numerous projects from concept to completion, with the support of the Director.
• Produce detailed design intent drawing packs, including millwork detailing, and review supplier technical drawings prior to production.
• Plan, source, and procure FF&E and coordinate all aspects of the procurement and final installation process.
• Create detailed specifications and manage client budgets.
• Work with contractors and suppliers to ensure design and quality are executed as per specifications.
• Work on and eventually lead client presentations with the support of the team.

Experience & Qualifications

• 2–5 years' experience working on interior design projects, including projects from concept to completion.
• Previous experience or keen interest in luxury residential design with extensive knowledge of suppliers for finishes and FF&E.
• Confident engaging with clients and suppliers; proactive, positive, and able to take initiative with a problem-solving attitude.
• Comfortable working both independently and collaborating as part of a small, creative team with varying budgets and deadlines.
• Fully proficient in AutoCAD, SketchUp, Excel, and Adobe Suite.
• Fluency in English and Cantonese; Mandarin is ideal.

A store's ability to position itself as the first choice for home furnishing depends on the Associate Interior Designer, who applies extensive home furnishing knowledge to create up-to-date room settings, store media, and visual impact across all commercial and co-worker areas. Based within a retail environment and leading a direct team, this role delivers the creative execution and action plan contributions that sustain long-term store profitability.

Accountabilities

• Contribute to positioning the store as the first choice for home furnishing in your local market.
• Apply extensive home furnishing knowledge to create up to date room settings and other store media, thereby creating vitality throughout the store.
• Reflect the identity and create visual impact in all commercial, sales support and co-worker areas.
• Recruit, develop, motivate and lead your team.
• Our co-workers bring unique ideas and talent to work every day and we offer a variety of benefits that suit their and their family's everyday needs.

Technical Qualifications

• Significant experience working as an interior designer with an interior design-based degree.
• Experienced in working in a fast retail environment with a proven customer-focused mindset.
• Visual competence with a keen eye for aesthetics and a passion for home furnishing, design, and how people live at home.
• Able to work in an agile way in a fast-paced environment with clear verbal communication skills.
• Able to confidently set and implement action plans, set expectations, provide clear direction, and follow up goals.
• Proven success in leading creative processes with the ability to prioritise and organise work efficiently and create a trustful and creative environment.
• Computer proficient with knowledge and experience of relevant software (e.g. REVIT).

As the Associate Interior Designer, this role focuses on creating attractive design proposals for clients on an online platform, developing space plans and sourcing furnishings that reflect each client's lifestyle, taste, and budget. The platform relies on this work to generate monthly project-based earnings plus commission, with additional bonus opportunities tied to client satisfaction and design quality.

Activities

• Work online to create beautiful residential designs for clients who submit projects on our platform.
• Translate inspiration photos and concepts into design choices.
• Communicate with customers and team members effectively to capture customer preferences and make revisions accordingly.
• Develop space plans that are responsive to and conform to client lifestyle requirements.
• Work independently on sourcing furnishings and decor based on project requirements from our vendor system as well as outside vendors.
• Take initiative, problem solve, collaborate and communicate effectively with the team when needed.

Position Requirements

• At least a bachelor's degree from an accredited program in Interior Design or related field.
• 0–3 years of experience in interior design, residential decoration, or related industry; experience in online interior design or e-commerce a huge plus.
• Knowledge of all aspects of the design process including color, material, and systems selection.
• Strong design and/or technical portfolio.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work well in a team and under pressure to meet deadlines efficiently.
• Retail sales background a huge plus.

Associate Interior Designer owns client consultations and full-cycle renovation projects, developing design concepts, space plans, mood boards, and detailed drawings while liaising with workers and guiding clients through the entire process. The work directly supports successful project delivery and client satisfaction across residential job sites in Singapore.

Operational Focus

• Arrange consultations with leads to understand requirements.
• Develop design concepts, space planning and propose suitable layouts and ideas to clients.
• Generate quotations.
• Produce materials such as mood boards and detailed drawings.
• Oversee projects from start to end, arranging works and liaising with workers.
• Work closely with clients to guide and advise them through the entire renovation.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Minimum Diploma required.
• Proficient in basic computer skills including MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint; knowledge of AutoCAD preferred.
• Must be able to work independently and multi-task in a fast-paced environment with good time management skills.
• Responsible, with good interpersonal and communication skills and a passion for design and willingness to learn.
• Must be comfortable with travelling to job sites around Singapore.

The Associate Interior Designer delivers attractive designs and layouts across a variety of projects, creating construction drawings, colors and materials palettes, and AutoCAD presentations in direct response to client objectives. Collaborating with clients, vendors, and the internal team, this role shapes project outcomes by maintaining current industry knowledge and ensuring full workflow execution from quote through completion.

Key Deliverables

• Create attractive designs and layouts for various projects.
• Create and review construction drawings.
• Develop a colors and materials palette.
• Meet with clients to understand their objectives and desires and communicate effectively with clients, vendors, and team to address their needs.
• Prepare presentations in AutoCAD and PowerPoint for clients.
• Create quotes for clients and ensure full workflow is followed.
• Maintain industry knowledge in order to stay relevant.

Professional Experience

• Bachelor's degree in interior design.
• 3–4 years of experience in interior design.
• Proficient in AutoCAD and Microsoft Office suite.
• Strong creative skills with demonstrated ability to execute.
• Strong communication skills.

Embedded within a luxury residential design firm, the Associate Interior Designer builds and maintains project timelines, prepares artfully designed presentations, and manages installations by sourcing furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories and liaising with workrooms and subcontractors. Working closely with the Lead Designer and trade partners, this role delivers the procurement and installation coordination that upholds the firm's standard of client service.

Areas of Ownership

• Create and maintain project time-line.
• Draw floor plans.
• Prepare artfully designed presentations (per Lead Designer's direction).
• Source furniture, fabrics, lighting, accessories and introduce new relevant lines to the firm.
• Help maintain the samples library.
• Liaise with workrooms on custom pillows, draperies, and upholstery.
• Liaise with subs including painters, carpenters, and electricians.
• Manage installations.

Education & Experience

• Degree in Interior Design.
• Valid US Driver's License required.
• Experience specifying furniture, lighting, materials, and finishes.
• Knowledge of trade resources and showrooms.
• Clearly demonstrated graphic presentation skills.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD and SketchUp.
• Strong communications skills and a clear understanding of customer service in the luxury sector.