Help! I’m Hiring Interior Designers in a Shrinking Talent Pool

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Finding good people has always been hard in design, but lately it feels almost impossible. Fewer young designers are willing to embrace junior roles, and more are branching out on their own. In fact, last year’s ASID study from December 2024 found that “the total number of interior designers, both employed and self-employed…[was] nearly 128,800 in 2024, increasing 4.1% year-to-year.” However, only 55% of those designers were employed and a whopping 45% were self-employed. 

Interestingly, some more advanced designers don’t want to accept leadership roles when prompted. It now seems like firms are competing for a smaller pool of experienced candidates, while trying to hold on to the ones they’ve already trained. For many studio owners, the question isn’t just who to hire but how to structure the job so anyone wants it at all. So how do you find the right talent when nearly half of all designers are already self-employed? Let’s discuss.

What the Data Says

When you look at the numbers, the picture of the design workforce depends on who’s counting. As noted above, in its 2024 State of Interior Design Outlook Report (December 3, 2024), ASID estimated the total number of interior designers at nearly 128,800. This was up 4.1% from the year before. Importantly, only 55% of these designers were employed by firms, while 45% were self-employed. This broad view captures both payroll employees and independent practitioners.

On the other hand, official government data paints a leaner picture. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (last updated August 28, 2025), the number of interior design jobs in 2024 was 87,100. That’s about a third lower than ASID’s total, because BLS counts only wage-and-salary jobs and typically excludes most self-employed and freelance workers.

This discrepancy highlights the structural challenge firms face: while the profession is growing overall, nearly half of practitioners are outside the traditional job market. For studio owners, that means the pool of candidates available for hiring is significantly smaller than the headline ASID numbers suggest.

The Hiring Reality

The data tells us the profession isn’t shrinking, but the available hiring pool for firms is. ASID’s 2024 outlook counts roughly 128,800 interior designers nationwide, with 45% working for themselves, which is a big reason traditional payroll roles feel harder to fill. 

Meanwhile, the BLS lists 87,100 jobs in 2024 because it focuses on wage-and-salary employment, not independents. As Gail Doby told Business of Home back in 2022, “the biggest thing that has created such havoc for so many companies is the hiring piece.” Here’s how that gap presents up inside studios.

Fewer juniors are opting in

Entry-level roles have become a tougher sell. Business of Home’s coverage of a 900-firm survey (Pearl Collective + Interior Talent) captured the post-pandemic whiplash: lots of firms tried to hire, but ran into candidates with higher expectations for benefits, flexibility and pay. 

Many applicants with just 1 to 3 years’ experience asked for salaries that used to be mid-level territory, and owners reported the scarcity of candidates who were simultaneously qualified, affordable and a good culture fit. Pair that with ASID’s finding that nearly half the field is self-employed, and you get a thinner pipeline of graduates willing to start in traditional assistant/junior roles at a firm. 

The compensation pressure also feeds pricing pressure. As BOH noted, rising pay has nudged many studios to re-evaluate hourly vs. fixed fees (with some shifting toward set fees to manage client pushback and margin squeeze). Those economics make “hire a class of juniors and train them up” harder to justify for smaller firms.

The leadership gap at the top

Even when firms grow, senior designers don’t always want management. BOH’s “business blueprint” column argues a counterintuitive but pragmatic rule of thumb: when you do hire, hire the most senior person you can afford; they make fewer mistakes, need less supervision and pay for themselves faster. 

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That advice reflects a pattern many owners see: creative veterans often prefer design time over people-management time. But that produces a bottleneck: principals can’t hand off leadership without compromising either delivery or culture. BOH also highlights that overlooking experienced (including older) talent is a common mistake; seasoned hires bring stability and lower turnover in roles where continuity matters. 

Recent BOH “Trade Tales” reinforce the point from the field: when San Francisco designer Noz Nozawa was ready to level up, the key move was a senior-level hire via a recruiter, which expanded the firm’s capacity for larger, more complex projects. And designer Lisa Gielincki describes how building a leadership team (ops, design, marketing) and implementing EOS gave structure, faster decisions and clearer accountability, which is exactly what principals struggle to create alone. 

Retention pressure in the middle

With fewer juniors feeding the pipeline and some seniors resisting management tracks, mid-career designers have maximum leverage. Owners feel compelled to raise comp, add flexibility and accelerate titles to keep the people they’ve trained, moves that protect delivery but can strain margins. 

BOH’s reporting depicts the cascade: higher payroll outlays → fee model adjustments → ongoing tension with clients around pricing and scope. BOH’s hiring columns caution against two costly errors that worsen retention risk: waiting too long to hire and hiring too junior for essential responsibilities, both of which increase burnout for principals and high performers. 

Oh, and let’s add just one more wrinkle: if you’re tempted to “bridge the gap” with contractors, BOH reminds owners that 1099 compliance isn’t trivial; it’s a useful option for start-ups but not a simple substitute for a staff hire.

Building Your Dream Team (and Keeping It)

If the hiring landscape feels daunting, you’re not alone. The data shows the profession growing overall, but the available labor pool inside firms feels tighter than ever. BOH’s surveys and columns illustrate the ripple effects.

Juniors want mid-level pay, seniors prefer creative work over management, and mid-level staff are the hardest to replace. Add in fee pressure and client expectations, and suddenly running a design firm can feel like a soon-to-topple balancing act you never trained for.

The good news is that you can build a team that fits your vision and keeps your business profitable as long as you do so with intention and focus. That means knowing who to hire next, how to structure roles so they actually attract candidates, and how to align salaries and fees so growth doesn’t eat your margins.

Join Us at High Point to Make Real Change

Which is exactly what we’ll be tackling at DesignDash’s Build Your Dream Team workshop at High Point Market on October 24, 2025. In one day, you’ll learn how to…

• Use Delegate2Elevate and Accountability Charts to identify your next critical hire
• Build a future-ready org chart (whether your goal is three people or thirteen
• Align salaries with fee structures so every role supports your profit goals
• Write job descriptions and onboarding checklists that set hires up for success
• Create a culture and workflow that retains talent long after you’ve trained them

High Point is where many firm owners already gather each October, so it’s the perfect setting to step back, connect with peers who share these struggles, and walk away with a plan.

We know the truth. You didn’t start your firm to manage every email, every invoice, every CAD drawing, and every client crisis. You started it to design. The only way back to that focus is through a team you can trust—and a structure that supports them.

Walk in overwhelmed. Walk out with a clear plan, powerful tools, and the confidence to finally scale on your own terms.

Reserve your spot now!