Interior Design

32 Hours / Access Length: 180 Days / Delivery: Online, Self-Paced

Course Overview:

Our online interior design course will take you through a very current practical, inspirational journey of design and techniques. We take a look at what interior design is and the importance of how it embraces human needs and desires. You will be equipped with the skills to design and create functional, beautiful spaces as well as encourage & support you in finding your design style. We will take you through the key design programs, 3D-modelling software, and drawing for interior design. You will have our full support as you explore the business behind the design, and gain industry skills to market your company, pitch an idea, and manage clients. A strong focus on critical thinking will encourage the development of this skill throughout this course. The focus of the course is to provide a theoretical and practical platform for your interior design career. You are provided with a dynamic and vocational study opportunity.

Students will:

• Analyze trends and communicate through sketching
• Grasp core interior design principles and build your design skills with theory
• Understand various interior design computer-aided programs and how to use them
• Gain practical skills to be able to run an interior design project
• Present a professional interior design project and create your own portfolio of work

Course Outline:

Module 1:

Lesson 1: The sketchbook of interior design

Kick-start your interior design journey as we begin this course looking at what it means to be an interior designer as well as understanding the profession of interior design. We familiarize ourselves with the concept of communication in interior design as we look at communication tools and tricks that designers use daily. Did you know that there are various design personalities that we can align ourselves with? well in this lesson we tackle what design personality you are. From here we tackle some of the basic design terminologies before working your way through sketching and the critical elements we need to look out for when putting pen to paper. The importance of sketching is highlighted as we create some of our very own sketches by hand and online. Bring your sketchbooks along for this lesson as we start getting creative.

Lesson 2: The plan

Bring on the much-anticipated plan view. In our second lesson on our journey of interior design, we look at exactly what a floor plan is & why it is the building block to any project. We touch on space planning which is covered in module 3 as well, and why a plan assists with space planning. How to read a floor plan & its value in the Interior design industry is covered in detail. From here we assess what your floor plan should include as well as the tools that are needed to draw up your floor plan. Let's begin constructing our very own floor plans.

Lesson 3: Design section in elevation

What how and why of sections and elevations is where we start. Looking into how to draw up these detailed drawings and focusing on the tools and computer programs. These programs are then further detailed in modules 3 and 4. We highlight what these drawings should include building on from the floorplan in Lesson 2 - We take a look at a step by step approach on how to draw your very own communication elevation by hand is. This lesson is sure to leave your technical geek wanting more.

Lesson 4: The principles of design

In lesson 4, we differentiate between the 7 elements (line, color, form, light, pattern, texture, space) & principles of design (balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, scale and proportion, detail, harmony & unity) We take a deeper look into the understanding of how the elements of design influence these principals. You think lesson 1 taught you how to spot great Interior design, but these principles will blow your mind with brand new knowledge.

Lesson 5: A view in perspective

An absolute favorite, the perspective or 3-dimensional view. We will be learning how to create our very own 1 point perspective drawings by hand. First things first, what are Perspective views, and how do we use them? We blow your mind with types of perspective drawings and how you can use them to your benefit.

Lesson 6: Getting to grips with style

We have come to that part of the module where we look at the style. Importantly we look at your style vs your client’s style and how to implement style into a project. We jump into design influences and style categories within the Interior design industry at the moment. Some of the styles we touch on include contemporary, modern, minimalist traditional and many more.

Lesson 7: Lets get coloring

There is a big physiological impact on space when we look at the use of color. This is how to start the approach to Lesson 7. Do you know that there is a color wheel? We unpack what this looks like and show you how to use color together. You will create your own color wheel and show us your progress of lessons to date. We look at all things color before we jump into rendering. Rendering by hand and by computer is a little something that we have left till last, but possibly one of the most exciting lessons to date. Come and color with us!

Lesson 8: It's all in the timeline

I'm sure most of you are eager to understand how Interior design fits into a historical timeline and how it has evolved? We wrap up module one with an overview and examples of the timeline. We look at how each period in the timeline has influenced the design style to date. Get ready for a journey through time as we look at styles and periods such as Art deco, Mid-century modern, Colonial revival and many more.

Module 2:

Lesson 1: The designer

Kickstart your course by getting an overview of what an Interior designer is and what we are responsible for. Get familiar with what is expected of Interior designers as we tackle the roles and responsibilities of each project. Work your way through some of the most influential designers to date as we look at some of the characteristics that make each designer a prominent character in the design world. Before we end of the lesson, we relook at the design and project timeline to prepare us for lesson 2.

Lesson 2: The client

It's all about the belief in the second class of your module 2, who your client is and scenarios, you may find yourself in. We tackle how to set up your first client meeting and how to tackle the steps to setting up your meeting. We look at what your client expects in a client meeting and how to translate that into a brief. Next, we dive into the brief, which is the first step to starting your interior design projects. How to create a brief for the first project is one of the practical aspects we tackle in this lesson as well. A very exciting lesson and one that starts you off on the first step in your project timeline.

Lesson 3: The Architect

We start this lesson by understanding how interior designers and Architects work together. We get to grips with pivotal Interior designers and architects in the industry, such as Zaha Hadid, and how they have impacted the way we design today. We dive into prominent architectural styles and the characteristics of these style types to bring about interior and exterior harmony within our designs.

Lesson 4: The concept of it all

We get very practical again as we dive into the concept of a project. We understand the meaning of the concept in the project timeline and how a concept is developed. We look at what key factors from the client meeting will lead you to the perfect concept and how to create these concepts by hand as well as on your computer. This is where we create our very own concept boards using our client brief from lesson 2.

Lesson 5: The design scheme

The core of what Interior designers create starts with the scheme. In this lesson, we learn what is the design scheme is in a project and where it fits onto the project timeline. We look at how to Link your project with your design scheme and how to create your very own scheme based on your client brief. An important factor to a scheme is the inspiration and where to draw ideas from. We tackle where to find the inspiration for your design project along your design journey.

Lesson 6: Let's get sourcing

Material and products are a huge part of what Interior designers do daily. In this lesson, we look at materials their value and usage on your projects. We investigate where and how to use them & how to source them. Suppliers are a group of people that interior designers deal with daily, so we dive into the process of dealing with suppliers & the contracting team.

Lesson 7: Sample your design

Fabric and material are, in fact, quite a complex subject especially when it comes to the intended use for each material. That starts us off on a journey of fabric as we look at fabric and material application. We investigate what types of fabrics we would typically use and where they would be suitable. I bet you didn't know that there are fabrics that should not be used in a corporate environment and fabrics that can only be used in domestics spaces? well not to worry that is why we look at some examples of fabric & wallpaper installations. We gain practical experience in estimating quantities and choosing fabrics and materials for specific projects and their spaces. A very creative and exciting lesson.

Lesson 8: Specify the design

Where would we be if we didn't look at the professional side of Interior design? This could be one of the most important topics to look at and that’s exactly what we are going to do. We journey through some of the key tips and tricks to practicing the Interior design profession. We take an in-depth look at the business side of Interior design as we look at some of the most important documentation that you will need during your interior journey. At this point in your projects, you would have likely needed to set up a quotation for your design fees. We are going to guide you along this process as you start setting your design contracts as we touch on the fee structure.

Module 3:

Lesson 1: The scale of measurements

Lessons 1 and 2 are lessons that go hand in hand. as we make our way to learning to set up our site surveys for our very first project. In this lesson, we focus on understanding what measurement means and the importance of scale. We look at some of the processes right from taking down a measurement to adding them to a drawing. From here we move into scale and how to read and set up an accurately scaled drawing. A fundamental lesson for any project.

Lesson 2: Survey your site

As we begin this new module we start with the extremely existing topic and an important one at that "the site survey". The site survey is a method of gathering information on your project and importing it into your drawings to ensure accurate and realistic space planning and projects. We start by asking what the site survey is, following that with some important terminology you will need to complete the process and end the lesson off with conducting our very own site surveys for your clients. Bring your sketchbooks along as this is promised to be a practical lesson.

Lesson 3: A technical touch (Part 1 )

Bring on your technical drawing, an important aspect of any design project. In today's lesson, we are going to look at what computer-aided software is (CAD) and some of the vital programs to look at on your journey as an Interior designer. From here we navigate through some key setup tools of the AutoCAD program, looking into a free trial version, downloading the program ending off with a sneak peek into the AutoCAD dashboard and how to start creating your 2D technical drawings right here.

Lesson 4: A technical touch (Part 2 )

In this lesson, branching off from lesson 3, we dig deeper into the drawing tools and editing commands that are available to you in this AutoCAD software.

Lesson 5: A technical touch (Part 3)

Our last lesson of this 3 part lesson, the technical touch. We are going to build up your skillset as we break down the drawing ribbon even further, looking into annotating, layering and properties of our AutoCAD drawing. This lesson will equip you with the basics of setting up a basic technical drawing using some of the key AutoCAD tools and tricks.

Lesson 6: Space plan your project

To plan the space that you are working on is a foundation for a great project. Welcome to your lesson on space planning. We are going to look at what space planning is as we investigate some of the important features and methods of accurate space planning. We will look at how to bubble diagram and color block to optimize your space before ending off with looking into how to space plan your very own interior project.

Lesson 7: Sample your design

The sample board, a crucial element to any design project, and guess what? That is what today's lesson is all about. We investigate what the sample board is, how to gather your samples and how to set up and apply the best principles to create your own sample board for an upcoming client.

Lesson 8: Specify your design

We are finishing up our project, coming to the end of design and getting closer to construction. The client has approved your sample selection. We need to start specifying the finishes that we looked at in our last lesson. Learning to set up a specification schedule is vital to any project. In today's lesson, we break up what the specification schedule is, how it works and some of the important elements that you need to add to this document. We end off by creating our very own specification schedule for a client.

Module 4:

Lesson 1: Practicing the profession (part 2)

We are back and looking into practicing the profession round 2. This lesson is dedicated to looking at the pros and cons of setting up and running your own interior design business from scratch. We look at some of the best business principles, highlighting specific set-up concepts to think about before ending off with the all-important SWOT analysis, how that can assist and push you to growing the best interior design business out there.

Lesson 2: The construction pack

We are going to look at exactly what the as-built drawing pack is and where it fits into our project timeline. Did you know that you as the designer is responsible for putting these construction packs together? Do not fear, we have you covered as we look at what these packs are made up of, why they are important and a step by step guide on how to set these packs up. We Tackle some of the important drawings in construction (Furniture layout, plumbing and networks, joinery details, electrical and lighting, flooring, elevations) from here we look at a typical process of sending these drawings out to tender. You are almost ready to get onto that construction site. Welcome to the journey into the world of interior design.

All necessary course materials are included.

• Cable and DSL internet connections are recommended for the best experience.

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 2 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone (Webinar / Live Online sessions)

• Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is denoted in the above course outline.