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Interior Designer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an interior designer is $88,000 per annum, before tax, up $18,100 since 2018.
- An interior designer's income changes most with the sector and the size of the practice, so commercial fit-out and hotel work generally pays better than residential styling, and larger firms offer more structured salaries than a two-person studio.
- Freelance designers set their own fees, which can mean quiet months between projects, so it pays to keep a cash buffer and a steady client list.
- Ask how a studio handles overtime during a fit-out and what a salary figure is meant to cover, because site visits and evening client meetings often fall outside the hours you're paid for.
The median salary rose by $18,100 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than interior designer
The largest typical pay rise is $32,000 a year, moving into Architect.
- Architect+$32,000/yr
- Landscape Architect+$32,000/yr
- Graphic Designer+$8,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher interior designer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time interior designer salary is $88,000; 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 Spatial and interior design and Visual design tend to command a premium over general interior designer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Architect pays a typical $32,000 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 Designer salary questions
How much do interior designers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an interior designer is $88,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is interior designer pay rising or falling?
The median interior designer salary is up $18,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than interior designer?
Architect pays a typical $32,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to interior designer.
Related salaries
- Architect salary
- Building Designer salary
- Architectural Drafter salary
- Landscape Architect salary
- Graphic Designer salary
- Interior Decorator salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.