Professional Interior Design

This is an in-depth 12-module course providing a comprehensive introduction to the area of interior design. The course is ideal for the keen amateur designer and also a strong foundation for a career in this area.

The course explores the whole design process from initial consultation with the client to producing working plans and a final sample board. It contains detailed practical advice on putting together and presenting a workable scheme. The course also contains lots of professional tips on client liaison, project management and budgeting, with practical guidance on presentation techniques, as well as practical advice on plans, elevations, perspective drawings and sample boards.

Other subjects covered include: room-by-room analysis, selecting colours and soft furnishings, and key styling ideas – from Scandinavian to American Colonial and Modern. The course is packaged in an attractive A4 binder and printed in full colour. It includes full tutorial support and course book – The Interior Design Course.

Students have up to three years to complete this course, allowing them to work through the modules at their own pace. On average, however, it takes students around 12 – 18 months to complete the course, based on 4 – 6 hours study time per week.

Qualification

• Diploma in Interior Design

Payment Alternatives

You can also enrol by telephone or we can invoice your workplace – please call an adviser on 01896 860661 for more information.

Working Professionally as a Designer

Our course is designed to prepare students to work professionally as Interior Designers. We recognise the importance of continuing professional development and recommend that our students join the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) as student members. BIID is the only professional interior design association in the UK. Once Learning Curve students have completed their course they may apply to BIID to become a Qualified Designer Member after one years’ work experience. Achieving designer membership of BIID involves attending for an interview and presenting a portfolio of work. For more information about BIID and the requirements of membership please see their website: www.biid.org.uk

Why Choose Us?

Our tutorial support is second-to-none! You’ll be assigned a personal tutor as soon as you enrol who will work with you all the way through. You can contact your tutor directly at any time if you have any questions or problems, or if you would just like a chat about how the course is going. Tutorial support is by e-mail and/or telephone.

Tutors can also offer advice on developing your portfolio, working as an Interior Designer, and your continuing professional development.

Course Outline

Each module averages around 30 – 40 pages in length, and there is an assignment at the end of each one. During the course you will also complete a project. Many of the assignments and modules include practical exercises – all of which can easily be completed by the home study student.

Students have the opportunity to create a number of designs, including one full-length design project.

Includes course book, The Interior Design Course, as well as booklets – Introduction to Presentation Tools for Interior Designers and Drawing Skills for Designers.

Module 1: The World of Interior Design. An introduction. Working as an interior designer. Developing as a designer. Key principles. Understanding colour. Working with lighting. Beginning your style and design notebooks.

Module 2: Planning Space. Working with clients. Developing negotiation skills. Presentation techniques and tools. The survey – understanding and using a survey sheet. Planning the space: room-by-room analysis. Understanding ergonomics. Working to a client brief.

Module 3: Foundation Work. More on colour theory, including colour perception. Sensory experience. Designing to include utilities – water, electricity, gas. Windows and light: selecting window dressings for problem windows. Understanding unique client needs.

Module 4: Design Principles.1. More on soft furnishings: key features of fabrics; selecting the right fabric. Surface treatments: wallpaper; wood; stone; slate and marble; stone flooring, tiles – natural stone options, composites, linoleum, cork, rubber, and vinyl, glass, terracotta, metal; carpets and natural fibres. More on lighting. Daylighting and well being, including seasonal affective disorder. Sources of inspiration. Feng shui.

Module 5: Design Principles 2. Patio Areas. Outdoor living. Indoor planting. Plants in interior design. Selecting and maintaining plants. Psychology of interior design. psychology of space. Enhancing well being.

Module 6: Rules and Regulations. Building and planning regulations. Listed building status and interiors. Understanding building regulations for the interior design project. Identifying and selecting suppliers. Creating a sense of place. New trends.

Module 7: Furniture. Furniture and interior design – establishing function, seating groups. Understanding space – balance and functionality. Creating a traffic plan. Choosing furniture – upholstered pieces, non-upholstered pieces. Selecting materials. commercial interiors. Disability discrimination act 2005. Practical considerations when designing a commercial interior. Names to remember: Alvaar Aalto, Antoni Gaudi, Charles Mackintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright,Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, Salvador Dali, Le Corbusier, Josef Hoffmann, Philip Webb, Louis Sullivan, John Ruskin, Frank O. Gehry. Glossary of Furniture terms.

Module 8: The History of Interior Design. Beginnings – Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, revival influences. Medieval furniture and decor – early design, Byzantine design. Early Medieval. Renaissance design. High Renaissance. English Renaissance. Elizabethan interiors. The Jacobean era. Georgian interiors. Regency furniture. Early Victorian. The battle of the styles. The Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau. Edwardian furniture. The Modern Movement. Gropius and the Bauhaus. Art Deco. Post-modern design.

Module 9: Green Design. Understanding green design. Health issues – identifying hazards. Sourcing materials and supplies. Understanding air quality. Climate change and home design. The home as a system – thermal comfort, lessons from the past, sunlight and the home, daylighting, passive solar energy, ventilation and the home, heat loss and wind chill, water and the home. Energy use in the home – energy options, including renewables. The low-impact home.

Module 10: Running Your Own Design Practice. Client contracts. Understanding professional insurance. Record keeping – client file, job-tracking worksheet. Planning your business – working alone or with others. Why new businesses fail. Planning your business. Introduction to marketing and advertising. Understanding PR. Marketing your business successfully. The coaching section – defining your business goals, the difference between goals and dreams, using a goals board. Design project part 1.

Module 11: Your Business Plan. Creating a business plan. What shall I charge? Understanding expenditure. Cashflow. Sources of funding. Contingency planning. The coaching section – working towards your goals, step out of your comfort zone. Design project part 2.

Module 12: Marketing your Design Practice. Your marketplace – understanding the competition (detailed assessment). Valuing existing clients. Marketing and the Internet – your website, harnessing the power of search engines, e-mail marketing, affiliate marketing, raising your profile. The coaching section – the power of belief, self-belief, beliefs for success. Design project part 3 and final assessment.

Online Study Option Now Available

This course is also available online. Our online courses are delivered as pdfs direct to your email inbox. Our online courses are exactly the same as the postal version, but include a range of supporting study material instead of textbooks.

Learning Curve is one of the UK’s leading distance learning providers. All of our home study courses include study material, which is sent out in an attractive, hardwearing folder, essential course books and full tutorial support. We are accredited by the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council and registered as providers with the Learning Skills Council.