Interior design classes about architecture and design are often part of an overall program goal for a degree in interior design. As students progress through interior design school, they learn the fundamentals and advanced principles of design. Interior design classes such as architecture and design bring together some of the advanced skills learned so far while leaning heavily on the foundation knowledge earned earlier in the degree program.
Interior design and architecture classes combine skills, concepts, and the experience of previous projects to help students understand how interior architecture design fits into the interior design discipline. Students in these classes learn how to design interior architecture using computer generated graphics as well as hand-drawn models. Classes also include principles and execution of interior design presentations and research.
Typical interior design and architecture classes begin with an introductory project outline on which students will work throughout the class duration. Project analysis skills learned earlier in the interior design schools program are put to heavy use during this phase of the class work. Usually, the classes will cover commercial interior design as the primary source for project work and includes concept designs and developing a plan for commercial interior architecture.
Planning for spaces in a commercial structure and designing all interior elements of a commercial structure will often be the foundation of the class work throughout the remainder of the class. Students are often broken into project groups and each group is tasked with creating a unique commercial design.
Details covered in the project include elevation, construction, documentation, materials, finishes, and presentation of the design to a “client”. The perspectives of each room will be discussed and the small, but critical details in the project design are often exhaustively critiqued and discussed by the entire class.
Class materials for this type of interior design class can be extensive. However, many of the items required to successfully complete the course are often purchased for earlier classes and do not need to be purchased again in most cases. These items include typical interior design tools such as rulers and triangles, mechanical colored pencils, cutting mats, and similar drawing tools.
Textbooks in the subject of design standards for commercial planning and efficiency standards are often required for class as well. Some schools may require software purchases, but most of the work conducted in the class is hands-on and interior design schools typically have the software on-hand for students in this class.
At the end of interior design and architecture classes, students are able to design medium- to large-scale commercial spaces, consider the architecture requirements and standards for doing so, and present design plans to a client. Complicated design concepts and drafting skills are fine-tuned, as are skills in selecting lighting, finishing materials, furniture, and fixtures. The interior design class will reinforce principles about project deadline management, self-critiques, and terminology used in interior design and architecture.
