Interior Design Careers Shaped by Boomer Retirement

by Sarah Clark
Career Training Directory Columnist

The 80 million or so baby boomers heading into retirement are fueling a range of industries, including the interior design business. Designers, get ready to decorate and design group living facilities, second homes, and primary residences of aging boomers.

Over the next couple of decades, numerous independent living, assisted living, and similar group retirement facilities will be built to accommodate the growing number of boomers who will be retiring. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “[interior designer] demand from the health care industry is expected to be especially high because of an anticipated increase in demand for facilities that will accommodate the aging population.”

Mapping Out Your Interior Design Career

So if you’re thinking of pursuing an interior design career, it may not be a bad idea to specialize in retirement facilities. You may find yourself designing less conventional retirement homes, like Beacon Hill just outside of Boston. Beacon Hill is organized as a cluster of townhomes around communal spaces such as a clubhouse. Boomers won’t retire the way their parents did—they want to retire with more panache, and interior designers can help them do that.

InteriorDesign School: Getting Skills for a Niche Market

To get the skills needed for a career in housing for seniors, carefully and thoroughly research interior design schools. Some may focus on commercial design and others, residential. Others may have faculty who specialize in retirement living design—such programs might offer a particularly unique opportunity to study with someone who is leading the thinking about how people are choosing to live in their later years.

So get ready to launch an interior design career that makes aging a more beautiful, humane experience. Find an interior design school that can help you achieve that.

About the Author

S. Clark is a freelance writer who specializes in postsecondary education and career development.

Source(s)

“Interior designers,” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics