The number of topics/subjects covered in a design school are extensive and help you develop an eye for analyzing and designing awesome looking interior spaces that are beautiful as well as functional for providing maximum comfort. If you are planning to join an interior design school then you can make use of this list as a “checklist” to compare what’s being offered there.
Please note that the syllabus will change for every particular institute but the core knowledge under all these remains the same. You'll find some topics covered in groups in some colleges and even completely dropped in some, so while picking up your college or design schools make sure to match this list of subjects to what they are offering so that when you graduate you'll have the most up to date knowledge at your hand.
Let's get started.
1) Design basics - There are certain aspects of design which remain the same whether you are designing home interiors or clothes/fashion or jewelry. That's why it's necessary right at the beginning of the course that the student gets a clear understanding of the basic design principles.
- Basic design includes making use of points, lines, planes to form volume and space. You'll also learn solid geometry and the concept of "massing".
- The student will learn meaning of space, proportions, positive and negative space, visual balance, symmetrical and asymmetrical balance, habitat and more.
2) Color Theory - Colors are one of the most important aspects of any design not just interior design. In Interiors colors play a major role in defining mood of the space. The student will learn
- Primary colors and their impact in interiors
- Secondary colors and their effectiveness
- Tertiary colors
- Color wheel
- Colors and it's effect on human mind and emotions to form relaxing spaces.
- Design and decorating themes.
3) Drawing techniques - One of the primary reasons for joining an interior design school is to learn the perfect technical drawing techniques so that the skilled labor on the site can execute exactly what you have designed.
It's great to have great imagination and ideas in your mind, but unless you can put them on paper in the form of technical drawing they are useless. That's why students must learn drawing techniques to express their ideas based on universal standards that can be followed by anyone anywhere in the world. Drawing techniques include
- Free hand sketching
- Drawing plans
- Orthographic projections (Elevations and sections)
- Technical working drawings
- Perspective drawing (technical method)
- 1 point, 2 point and 3 point perspectives
- Isometric projections
- Axonometric projections
4) Anthropometry - Anthropometry is the study of various dimensions with relation to human body. For example there are standard dimensions for window openings, door openings, double bed sizes, chair sizes so that while designing interior spaces, respect is given to various design elements to create comfortable and habitual spaces.
The student of studying interior design must have these dimensions perfectly fitted in his mind. Anthropometry makes it easy for the student to get familiar with the most common dimensions that he’ll be using while designing furniture and interior spaces.
5) Design materials - Materials include everything you need to create, shape into forms and create visual impact. Some of the most commonly used materials in interior design will be
- Fabrics - Silk, wool, cotton, etc
- Wood and it's varieties - Teak, mahogany, pine etc
- Glass - Stained, plain, glass itching, colored, etc
- Stone - Marble, granite, limestone, etc
- Brick
- Metals of different types - Steel, wrought iron, copper, Cast iron, etc
- Rubber
- Concrete and it's variants
- Painting materials
- Structural glazing
- Aluminum partitions
- Plastic
- Acoustical materials
By studying materials the student becomes conversant with it's properties and sustainability. Every material has it's own quality, texture, color, strength and visual impact. By learning about these the student can pick the right ones during the interior design stage to form visually appealing spaces that are functional and even affordable.
6) Interior lighting - Lighting is an integral part of every home. If lighting is poor then your beautiful design is a complete waste of time and money. The student will learn lighting from two different point of view
- Natural lighting and it's control using curtains, drapes and blinds etc
- Artificial lighting using lighting fixtures of different types. Some of the topics covered under this important subject are.
- Different types of light fixtures
- How many light fixtures are enough for a room?
- Calculating energy requirement of the room
- Creating mood using special purpose lighting
7) Construction technology - This is the foundation of quality designs that must be learned in detail. Students are taught different types of construction techniques such as
- Brick walls
- Stone walls
- Arches
- RCC structures
- Steel structures
- Flooring
- Construction of doors/windows
- Joinery details
- Wooden structures
8) Building services – A building only becomes a habitable space if you provide “Services” for healthy and comfortable living. Here are some necessary modern building services that the interior designer must deal with while designing residential or commercial spaces.
- Electrical connections and their types
- Plumbing and sanitation services
- Air conditioning and types of air-conditioners
- Building security and alarm systems
- Solar systems and their importance
- Alternative energy resources.
- Firefighting equipment
- Sprinkler alarms
9) Designing Interior Spaces - Once the student is well conversant with the design basics it's necessary to learn how to use them to form interior design of any space. For that it's necessary that he gets a good grasp of the space and how it relates to other connecting spaces in a home layout.
The next and the very important topic is to actually design an interior space based on all the above mentioned topics combined. Here are some of the topics that you'll learn in creating amazing and efficient spaces.
- How to create a furniture layout?
- How to pick up/design the right furniture units to avoid congestion in the room and add visual quality as well as efficiency. This is where the study of “anthropometry” plays an important role and moves into other major areas of design such as color schemes, design themes and even budget.
- Which home decorating accessories will add life to your space and why to use them. Some of the most commonly used accessories are curtains, drapes, area rugs, interior plants, statues, fountains, wall hangings, wall paintings, artifacts etc.
- Analyzing lighting conditions and providing the best and affordable solution.
10) Many colleges also focus on much advanced topics that are a part of professional practice such as
- Advanced professional practice
- Ethics of profession
- Building regulations and rules of regulatory authorities
- Project management / Time management
- Budget decorating
- How to prepare tender documents
- Working and planning in a professional interior design firm
11) Apart from these subjects many institutions also focus of widening the scope of the subjects by providing extra exposure to students by the following means
- Study tours to art museums / art galleries.
- Visits to popular buildings where interior design has created an impact.
- Workshops, slide shows, seminars and guest lectures by professional interior designers to encourage creativity.
- Visits to trade shows and exhibitions in the interior design and architectural industry.
- Encouraging the students in participating in interior design competitions.
12) Computer aided design
This includes
- Introduction to computer aided design and it's use in architecture and interior design
- Learning to use 2 D drafting software (e.g., Autodesk AutoCAD)
- Learning a 3D modeling software ( eg. Autodesk 3DsMAx)
- Creating an architectural walkthrough using a 3D modeling software
- Learning to use computer graphics software such as Photoshop/ Corel draw.
- Creating presentations using the output from the above mentioned software and creating a portfolio that you can present to interior design firms.
So you can see there are a lot of topics that are covered under the interior design course and to make it easy for the students, most colleges cover these topics in a 2 years interior design diploma or degree program.
Depending upon which degree you need to pursue the depth and complexity of the subjects will differ. Normally you'll find a 2 year program with 2 semesters each to complete the entire course.
One important thing to consider is, not every interior design school will cover all of these topics in your course, but I’ve tried my best to create this list so that you get an idea of how the schools will deal with it. The more the school covers the topics amongst these, better it is for you.
What you cannot learn at interior design schools?
This is an important question to answer. As you can see there are a lot of things that are covered in the syllabus in most of the design college but there is one that you'll never learn at the design school.
Do you know what it is?
IMAGINATION
Yes. That’s correct you can't learn "how to imagine" in a school. You either have imagination or you don't. The course at school will help you develop your ability to imagine, but for that to happen you must have your own “spark” to start with, that you can develop and grow further.
Interior design requires a culmination of art as well as usability and it takes efforts to make this work using the skill you'll learn in the design school.
The design school will teach you how to transform your imagination into technical drawings that can be used to execute your design in reality so that real people can make use of this space for comfort or whatever the purpose is.
I hope this article has helped you to get an idea of what they'll teach you at the interior design school.
