Interior Design

Online Certificate in Residential Interior Design

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Award: Certificate in Residential Interior Design
Duration: Self-paced study
School: KLC School of Design
Campus: Online
Course fees: £1,000 (12mths course access). Flexible payment options available. We also offer flexible study options, up to three years, for an additional fee. If you would like to spread out your study or have any questions, contact us at [email protected] or call +44 (0)1243 973050

Learn interior design with our online Certificate course and gain a professional, industry-recognised qualification while studying at your own pace.

Structured into four comprehensive sections and delivered through a combination of video demonstrations, narrated presentations with subtitles and self-assessed quizzes, this self-study course will support you with the knowledge and skills to create design propositions for existing residential spaces. From the principles of spatial planning and surface design to object curation, styling, and professional practice, you'll learn how to turn your creative passion for interior design into a career.

With 24/7 access to the course materials through our online learning platform, this course is designed to fit around busy work and home schedules. On average, students who commit 12 hours a week to study can complete the course in 12 months. Students have 12 months of online access to all of the course content.

Recent Online Certificate in Residential Interior Design graduate Monica, discusses studying the course whilst living in Hong Kong & Dubai, insights into setting up her own Interior Design business, and why she chose KLC School of Design to help her change career.

Course structure

This course is designed to support students in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to create design propositions for existing residential spaces.

Throughout the course, you will not only develop your ability to undertake creative design proposals and learn drawing techniques, but also gain a comprehensive understanding of business development, project costing, and sourcing skills. This broad curriculum, coupled with an understanding of colour, lighting and textiles, will prepare you for a successful entry into the industry.

End-of-section projects will progressively build skills and knowledge for a final large-scale project that combines everything learned. These projects will also provide you with a portfolio of work to present to future employers.

Course units

Section 1

Visual Inspiration and Sketching
- Visual inspiration and influential designers
- Sketching
Surveying and Technical Drawing
- Plans and elevations
- Taking a survey
- Scale
- Drawing a plan
- Drawing an elevation
- Drawing irregular room
- Surveying and drawing bay windows
- Technical drawing conventions
AutoCAD
- AutoCAD
- Shortcuts
- Exercises
Colour
- Colour Explained
- The Power of Colour
- Colour in Interior Design
- Writing Colour Rationales

Section 2

The Design Process
- The Design Process and your Project Journal
- Concepts and sample boards
Textiles and Textile Use
- Textiles
- Trimmings
- Blinds
- Curtains
- Upholstery
- Textiles research
Sourcing
- Sourcing directory
- Window treatments
- Window treatment specification
- Textiles rationales
- Estimating quantities
Sections and rendering
- Drawing sections
- Rendering
Materials and surfaces
- Paint
- Flooring
- Wall treatments
- Hard materials
- Sustainability and the environment
- Accessories

Section 3

Lighting
- Introduction to lighting
- Lighting principles
- Lighting room-by-room
- Lighting design
- Lighting symbols
Planning and perspective drawing
- Design principles
- Space planning
- Perspective drawing
Construction and mechanical systems
- Building construction
- Heating, ventilation and acoustics
Bathrooms and kitchens
- Bathroom planning
- Bathroom design
- Inspirational bathrooms
- Kitchen planning
- Kitchen design
- Kitchen trends
- A brief history of the kitchen
- Kitchen suppliers
- Kitchen materials and inspiration
3D Modelling
- SketchUp
Scheme, cost and specification sheets
- Scheme sheets
- Cost sheets
- Decorative specifications
Evolution of style
- The evolution of style lecture series
  - Revolutions in power and taste
  - History and imagination
  - Influences from the East
  - Modern living
- Design evolution and trends 1 – Overview & 17th Century
- Design evolution and trends 2 – 18th Century
- Design evolution and trends 3 - The French Styles
- Design evolution and trends 4 - 19th Century
- Design evolution and trends 5 – 20th Century
- Design evolution and trends 6 – Modernism and beyond
- History of window and bedroom treatments

Section 4

Professional practice
- Fees and charging
- Calculating fees
- Invoicing
- Professional practice, insurance and contracts
- Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E)
- Construction design management (CDM)
Presenting your ideas to clients
- Client presentations
- Furniture books
Beginning your career
- Interior design careers
- Creating a portfolio
- Example portfolios

Study hours

This course is designed to allow you to study at your own pace; working around your other commitments. On average, students who commit 12 hours a week to study can complete the course in 12 months.

Entry Requirements

No previous experience in interior design is required for this course.
Students should have basic computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets, and web/internet skills) and be confident using a computer.

Students must have a computer that is suitable to run the following applications:

AutoCAD - www.autodesk.com/uk/products/autocad
SketchUp - www.sketchup.com/en

Please consult the website for the above to confirm the minimum system requirements and ensure that your computer is suitable to the software.

We recommend that students have a PC/Windows-based computer. All of our videos and training materials are based on PC versions of the software. While the PC and Mac versions of the software are very similar, there can be interface and system-level differences. We cannot provide additional software support for students using Mac computer.

It is recommended that students have a reliable, high-speed internet connection. A broadband connection is necessary to access the videos and online training sessions effectively in this course.

English Language
A good command of written and spoken English is required.

The Online Certificate Course is an excellent study option for aspiring career changers who have work or family commitments. The appeal of this course is its’ flexibility which enables you to gain a professional qualification, which is highly regarded within the Interior Design Industry, by studying from home at a pace that suits you.

Recent Online Certificate in Residential Interior Design graduate Monica discusses studying the course whilst living in Hong Kong & Dubai, insights into setting up her own Interior Design business, and why she chose KLC School of Design to help her change career.

Recent Online Certificate in Residential Interior Design graduate Victoria discusses studying the course around her career in theatre design, and pursuing her interests in design history.

London campus

Facilities

Alumni

Funding

Fees & funding

Course fees are the same for UK and international students

£1,000 (12 months course access)

On average, students who commit 12 hours a week to study can complete the course in 12 months, but we also offer flexible study options, up to three years, for an additional fee. If you would like to spread out your study or have any questions, contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)1243 973050

This course offers flexible payment options:

Pay via instalments: enrolment fee of £200, followed by ten monthly payments of £80. To pay via instalments, please call +44 (0)1243 818310 or email [email protected]
Pay in full: please use the payment link below to pay in full for this course and gain immediate access.

We may routinely increase our course fees from year to year for one-year courses as well as courses lasting two or more years and may review and change such course fees without notice.

How to apply

Once payment has been made, your login details will be sent via email.

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Ask a question

Need more information? Have a question? Speak to our course advisors

Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 01243 818 300 and select option 1

Send an Enquiry

KLC School of Design

Our KLC School of Design offers industry-leading interior design degrees and garden design courses with unrivalled teaching, flexible learning and ongoing career support

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Tutors

Online Certificate in Residential Interior Design

Course structure