What I’ve Learned About Failure in Interior Design (With or Without a Degree)

Being an interior designer, whether you went to school for it or not, means you’re going to mess up at some point. Full stop. A degree doesn’t protect you from that. Neither does experience, certifications, nor having “done this for years.”

I’ve seen designers with every credential imaginable make expensive mistakes. And I’ve made them too.

This post was inspired by a recent IG video where I walked through this setup in real time. You can watch it here.

I still remember one moment where a mistake made by someone on my team nearly cost my firm $60,000. That number sticks with you. And no, I didn’t have a degree backing me when I built a national commercial interior design business, so trust me when I say, I learned a lot of things the hard way.

The goal isn’t to build a career where nothing ever goes wrong. That’s not realistic. The real question is how you handle it when it does.

This is where mindset actually matters, not in a cheesy way, but in a very practical one. If you believe mistakes automatically mean you’re not cut out for this, you’ll either quit too early or constantly play it safe. A growth mindset isn’t about pretending failure feels good. It’s about understanding that mistakes are part of getting better, not proof that you shouldn’t be here.

And honestly, this is why I’m such a big believer in having systems and education before you’re learning everything under pressure. Not because they eliminate mistakes entirely, but because they shorten the learning curve. If you don’t have a clear workflow, you’re more likely to miss things, rush decisions, or repeat the same errors project after project. Having structure gives you something to fall back on when things get messy.

The next step, and this is the uncomfortable part, is honest self-reflection.

Not self-blame. Not spiraling. Just asking, “Where did I have influence here?” Maybe it was a decision you rushed. A detail you didn’t double-check. A boundary you didn’t set clearly enough. Even when a situation isn’t entirely your fault, there’s usually something you can learn that makes you stronger the next time.

That’s the difference between a mistake that haunts you and one that actually helps you grow. One keeps you stuck. The other becomes part of your experience, the kind you eventually pass on to someone else and quietly think, I’m glad I learned that when I did.

And honestly, this is also where having the right support before things spiral makes a difference. Not because it prevents mistakes entirely, but because it gives you context, structure, and a way to think through decisions when you’re still figuring things out.

This is exactly why I created the Degree-less Designer Crash Course in the first place. Not as a promise that you’ll never mess up, but because I wanted something that explained how projects actually work, especially if you didn’t come through a traditional design program.

I also ended up building the Complete Workflow Guide & Blueprint for Interior Designers later on, once I realized how many mistakes come from not having clear systems in place when working with real clients. It’s not flashy. It’s just the structure I wish I’d had earlier.

If either of those feels helpful where you are right now, you can use the code DDLIVE20 for 20% off.

XO

Shira