Interior design jobs in Toronto pay a median of roughly $29.53 an hour, or about $61,400 a year, according to Job Bank Canada (NOC 52121, 2024 data for the Toronto region). The range runs from around $18.86 an hour at the low end to $45.65 at the high end. Below, the actual numbers, the kinds of roles on offer, and where to look.
This is the pay-and-market picture. If you want the qualification route instead, the title rules, the accredited degrees, the ARIDO and NCIDQ steps, read our companion guide on how to become an interior designer in Canada.
What interior designers earn in Toronto
An interior designer salary in Toronto sits near the top of the national range. Job Bank Canada reports a median wage of $29.53 an hour for the Toronto region (NOC 52121, 2024), above both the Ontario and Canada medians. The high end locally is $45.65 an hour. Here is the full picture.
| Region | Low | Median | High | Reference period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $18.35/hr | $28.85/hr | $48.72/hr | 2023–24 |
| Ontario | $17.60/hr | $27.40/hr | $50.00/hr | 2023–24 |
| Toronto Region | $18.86/hr | $29.53/hr | $45.65/hr | 2024 |
Source: Job Bank Canada, NOC 52121 (interior designers and interior decorators).
To turn an hourly rate into a yearly figure, multiply by 2,080 hours (40 hours a week, 52 weeks). On that math, Toronto’s median of $29.53 an hour works out to roughly $61,400 a year. Treat that as approximate. It assumes full-time, year-round hours, and many design roles run on contract, project, or studio schedules that do not.
What kinds of interior design jobs are out there?
Most interior design jobs in Toronto fall into a few familiar tiers and specialties. The classic ladder runs junior, intermediate, and senior designer, with pay generally rising as your hours, software fluency, and project responsibility grow. Beyond seniority, roles tend to split by what you design and who you design it for.
By specialty, you’ll see FF&E roles (furniture, fixtures, and equipment selection and procurement), plus designers focused on hospitality, residential, or commercial work. Each demands a slightly different skill set. Hospitality leans on durability and brand standards, residential on client relationships and finishes, commercial on codes, scale, and tight deadlines.
The employers split into a handful of categories. Independent design studios and larger interiors firms are the obvious ones. Architecture practices hire interior designers for in-house teams. Real estate developers staff design roles for model suites, amenity spaces, and condo programs. Retail and furniture showrooms hire for space planning and client-facing design. Each rewards different strengths, so it’s worth knowing which environment suits you before you apply.
Where to find interior design jobs in Toronto
The most design-specific place to start is the ARIDO job board, where Ontario studios and firms post roles aimed at qualified and aspiring designers. Pair that with Job Bank Canada, which lists openings under NOC 52121 alongside the wage data above. Between them you’ll cover both the trade-specific and the official channels.
General boards still pull weight. Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor carry plenty of Toronto design postings, and LinkedIn doubles as a way to follow the studios you admire. Searching “junior interior designer jobs” on these sites is often the fastest route into entry-level listings, since smaller studios lean on them to hire.
Don’t skip the studios’ own career pages. Many firms post openings only on their sites, or fill roles through word of mouth before a listing ever goes up. Build a shortlist of practices whose work you respect, including some of the best interior designers in Toronto, and check their sites directly.
Networking closes the gap that job boards can’t. Toronto’s design calendar gives you reasons to show up: the DesignTO Festival each January, and the Interior Design Show (IDS) Toronto. Both put students, junior designers, and established studios in the same room, which is exactly where quiet hiring tends to happen.
Does qualification affect what you earn?
Pay broadly tracks qualification and registration in this field. In Ontario, “interior designer” is a protected title, and using it legally requires Registered ARIDO membership (ARIDO Act, 1984). That status typically follows an accredited degree, supervised experience, and the NCIDQ exam, which is the path that opens the senior, better-paid roles.
We’ve kept the why and the how out of this piece on purpose. For the full route, the CIDA-accredited programs in the GTA, the ARIDO Intern stage, the NCIDQ exam, and the difference between a protected “interior designer” and an unprotected “interior decorator,” read our guide on how to become an interior designer in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
How much do interior designers make in Toronto?
The median is about $29.53 an hour, roughly $61,400 a year on a full-time basis, per Job Bank Canada (NOC 52121, 2024 Toronto region data). The range runs from around $18.86 an hour at the low end to $45.65 at the high end. The annual figure is approximate, since many roles run on contract or project schedules.
What is the starting salary for a junior interior designer?
Entry-level pay generally sits toward the lower end of the Job Bank range, near $18.86 an hour for the Toronto region (NOC 52121, 2024). Exact starting offers vary by employer, studio size, and your software and portfolio strengths, so treat the low end of the range as a realistic starting reference rather than a fixed number.
Are interior design jobs in demand in Toronto?
Toronto carries an active design economy across studios, architecture firms, developers, and retail showrooms, and its median wage sits above the Ontario and Canada figures per Job Bank Canada (2024). For current demand and outlook, check live listings on the ARIDO job board and Job Bank, since posting volume shifts with the market.
Do you need to be ARIDO-registered to get a design job?
Not for every role. Many studio and assistant positions hire designers who are still working toward registration. But in Ontario, using the protected title “interior designer” legally requires Registered ARIDO membership (ARIDO Act, 1984), and that status tends to unlock the senior, higher-paid roles. See our full qualification guide for the steps.
