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Interior Decorator salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an interior decorator is $72,800 per annum, before tax, up $15,100 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on whether you are employed or freelance. Salaried decorators in studios, showrooms and property styling usually work to an award or enterprise agreement with set bands, while freelance decorators set their own rates and carry the quiet months between projects. Over time, the scale of the jobs you run matters more than the hours you put in, because decorators who manage larger projects and keep their own client list charge more for the work.
Roles that pay more than interior decorator
The largest typical pay rise is $38,000 a year, moving into Project Coordinator.
- Project Coordinator+$38,000/yr
- Production Designer+$26,000/yr
- Interior Designer+$15,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher interior decorator salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time interior decorator salary is $72,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Visual design and Spatial and interior design tend to command a premium over general interior decorator experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Project Coordinator pays a typical $38,000 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Interior Decorator salary questions
How much do interior decorators earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an interior decorator is $72,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is interior decorator pay rising or falling?
The median interior decorator salary is up $15,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than interior decorator?
Project Coordinator pays a typical $38,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to interior decorator.