Interior Design is a fascinating, interesting, and ever-changing field. The journey of design starts with creative concepts, realization, and lots of skills to get to what you’ve thought for the space. The space itself can be anything; kitchens, homes, restaurants, malls, wherever you’ve seen a space that was man-made, someone had thought of how it should look and feel.
If you’re interested, there are many ways to go about learning the field. YouTube videos, blogs, articles and publications of famed interior designers are some of the infinite possibilities. But more often than not, the easiest technique for today’s fast-moving world is online courses. They allow the choice, flexibility, and competitive pricing to become a widely considered option.
However, as with many things on the Internet, it’s necessary to work with the best tools for the experience to be worth it. Online design courses are a dime a dozen with the number of professionals available. There is much to learn from them all, but it’s necessary to see which options can offer the most valuable resources. So, let’s look at the best that the Internet has to offer!
1. Udemy
One of the most popular websites for online courses, Udemy offers many for the interior design field. Offering introductions to the field, as well as trusty design techniques, and the use of basic software like SketchUp, much of it is suited for beginners who want to have a peek into what goes into a project.
It’s also perfect for advanced designers who want to learn more about certain aspects of their design. They offer many courses on design theories and elements such as color, sustainable design, lighting, and materials.
Udemy is a great platform for learning since they have inputs from many professionals. Just make sure to check reviews before purchasing courses, and work with great instructors such as Erikka Fogleman and her series of courses.
2. Domestika
Domestika is an online learning platform, solely focused on creatives and the creative side of many art fields. It also promises great quality courses and lectures with hand-picked professionals and in-house content and media teams to make sure every lesson has a lot to absorb from. It is even available in a variety of languages, with most having English subtitles for anyone with whom many find unfamiliar. They offer free accounts where one must buy the courses they are interested in and then enjoy lifetime access to the course and its contents.
This platform offers courses on many aspects of interior design that you may not have thought of yet. It offers the Introduction to Interior Design by Masquespacio, but also courses on Furniture Design, Woodworking, Furniture Restoration, Resin & Concrete Art, and many more related fields. This will give any passionate learner a lot to chew on and get inspired by for future works or projects.
This platform is great for beginners to get a professional understanding of the work required, as well as be exposed early on to similar fields of work and how these arts work together hands-on during a project.
3. Alison Free Course
Alison offers many free courses to empower learners. They offer a free Diploma in Interior Design. It offers 13 modules with 43 topics to teach design principles and business lessons. It also teaches how to work with color and make the most of surface materials, textures, textiles, accessories, furniture, art, and more.
Accredited by the CPD, and with a duration of 10-15 hours, it is a steady foundation for many to start their experience and education in the Interior Design field.
4 The Interior Design Institute
This learning platform is solely dedicated to catering to interior design students. Their work is often seen to be an alternative to many offline courses, with a good array of tutors who have worked in the profession for many years, and also in many fields.
The basic course is offered with 12 modules and assignments, which are estimated to be completed within 24 weeks. However, many live busy lifestyles and hence are offered 12 months to run the course at their own pace and time. With a great community along with the course, each student is pushed to analyze designs, thoughts, and approaches as they learn more concepts and knowledge.
The IDI also offers many in-depth courses for more advanced interior designers where they teach software like SketchUp and AutoCAD, as well as website design and business lessons for those who want to upskill their practices.
5. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers a wide array of courses and walkthroughs to help upskill and upgrade your work. LinkedIn as a professional networking website offers tests and courses to help users gain a benchmark certification. Due to this feature, these courses are based on how to use software for visualization and concept creations for interior design.
There are courses available for Rhino, Revit, and SketchUp, and more can be seen coming up later. These courses are free with a LinkedIn Learning Membership, and most courses are up to 3-4 hours long with in-depth explanations and clear visual walkthroughs.
6. Indian Institute of Fashion Design
A premium institute based in India, they offer online courses from Chandigarh for fashion, textile and interior. The interior courses offer the following; Concepts of Kitchen Design, Store Layout & Visual Merchandising, CAD for beginners and advanced students.
The eligibility is a High School Diploma, and the courses range from 3 weeks to a year. The benefit of having a university-accredited course diploma is that it assures world-class faculty and tutors, access to a whole university’s worth of resources and community.
7. New York School of Interior Design (NYSID)
NYSID’s online courses mix the best of both worlds. They offer self-paced courses, as well as real-time lectures with interactions with professors and classmates. The beginners’ courses offered are Basic Interior Design certificate, and Associate in Applied Science in Interior Design, both of which give weekly assignments.
They create an online learning environment with the concept of maximum flexibility to ensure that maximum exposure for students. These courses run from 6 weeks upwards and follow the academic calendar schedule.
The college itself is a very established institute with reputable professors and is one of the top 5 interior design colleges in the United States.
8. British College of Interior Design
The British College of Interior Design is a division of International News Syndicate Limited with its directors and principals involved in all aspects of distance learning for over 30 years. Their online training program introduces students to a variety of major concepts and aspects of the industry.
It can take from 12 weeks to 24 weeks. However, to accommodate different students and lifestyles, they allow for 2 years to complete the course and get the certification.
Compiled by working interior designers and design writers, the course encompasses their skills and experience to cover all industry areas. They cover many topics from history, to color theories and more.
9. New York Institute of Art & Design (NYIAD)
Established as an online school for art and design, they offer accredited courses in many fields. From interior design, and fashion design, to graphic and UI UX design. Created with only the online medium in mind, these courses are effective for those willing to spend time and learn through videos and online resources.
The interior design course teaches about design trends and history, furniture styles and fabrics, color theory, and lighting. With over 13 hours of teaching, these classes cover both the design and business aspects of being an interior designer.
Additionally, the platform hosts many articles for design readers, as well as benefits for students or the military.
10. Open Colleges
One of the leading learning platforms in Australia, this established online college is also a center for many courses. Offering a Certification in Interior Decoration, and a Diploma in Interior Design, the flexibility is greater with this platform due to their short videos.
The course covers all areas of interior design, from design principles and dealing with clients, to understanding and interpreting briefs, working with suppliers and drawing up documents, and identifying and recommending materials and furniture. They make sure to cover the technical, creative, and conceptual skills needed to succeed in the industry and build your knowledge from the ground up.
The course also helps to prepare a complete portfolio over the maximum 30 months of access.
Bibliography
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- Anand, Shikha (2021). Part Time Online in Interior Design [online]. (Last updated: August 23 2022). Available at: https://www.shiksha.com/design/online-interior-design-chp
- Balasubramanyan, Usha (2021). Free Interior Design Online Courses and Certification [online]. Available at: https://www.homelane.com/blog/free-interior-design-online-courses/
- Arch2O. Top 10 Online Interior Design Courses for Beginners [online]. Available at: https://www.arch2o.com/top-10-online-interior-design-courses-for-beginners/
- Udemy. Interior Design Courses [online]. Available at: https://www.udemy.com/courses/design/interior-design/
- Rowan, Nick (2022). What is Domestika? Is it worth it? Mini review and more [online]. Available at: https://tinyworkshops.com/domestika/
- Domestika. Online Interior Design Courses [online]. Available at: https://www.domestika.org/en/courses/area/40-interior-design
- Alison. Diploma in Interior Design [online]. Available at: https://alison.com/course/diploma-in-interior-design
- Interior Design Institute. Interior Design Course [online]. Available at: https://www.theinteriordesigninstitute.com/
- LinkedIn Learning. Interior Design [online]. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/topics/interior-design
- Indian Institute of Fashion Design. Advanced CAD – Interior Design [online]. Available at: https://iifd.in/advanced-cad-interior-design/#
- New York School of Interior Design. Online Learning [online]. Available at: https://www.nysid.edu/online-learning
- British College of Interior Design. Home [online]. Available at: https://britishcollegeofinteriordesign.com/
- New York Institute of Art & Design. Online Interior Design Course [online]. Available at: https://www.nyiad.edu/courses/interior-design
- Open Colleges. Diploma of Interior Design [online]. Available at: https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/courses/design/interior-design/diploma-of-interior-design
