Interior Design

Syllabus

The Diploma course contains the 44 modules shown below.
1. INTRODUCTION

The aims of this course
How to do the course About the modules
what skills do you need?
Assessing your strengths and weaknesses
How to do the assignments
Getting inspiration
Making use of local stores, and getting discounts 2. HOUSE TYPES
Victorian or Edwardian terrace
1930s Semi-detached house
Loft living
Rural cottages
Checklist of decorative features
Modern estate
3. HALLS AND STAIRS
Hall functions
Narrow halls
Lack of light
Twelve ways to improve a hall
The hall floor
Getting rid of the hall
Conversely - add a hall!
Five ways to enhance a staircase
4. TAKING STOCK
Think 'people' rather than 'rooms'
People's needs change
People Checklist
Changes needed in the house
Traffic flow
The need for structural or building work
Checklist for designing a room
Plan of action for designing a room
Considerations to bear in mind
5. DESIGN AND STYLE
What design and style mean
Design
Style
How fashion affects style
The effect of good interior design
Choice of styles
Architects versus interior designers
The modern look
The traditional look
The eclectic look
Working systematically
Start with the basics
Contrast and consistency
Empathy for the client
6. STARTING TO SKETCH
Looking at the structure of the house
Adding a window to your drawing
Add a fireplace
Putting in some actual sizes
Transferring the information to graph paper
Add features to your drawing
Let's add some furniture
Transfer your drawing to tracing paper
7. COLOUR, PATTERN AND FABRIC
Primary, secondary and tertiary colours
Dark/light versions of a colour
Colour schemes in decorating
Secondary contrast
Triadic
Cool and warm colours - and the room's aspect
Cool and warm colours - and their impact on apparent size
Putting colour into practice in interior decorating
Some useful colour schemes
Texture
8. THE LIVING ROOM
Functions of the living room
Ten factors that improve the design of your living room
Four ways to give your room more style
Problems of scale in the living room
Upholstery
Open plan living space
Accessories
Children in the living room
Lighting
9. USING A SAMPLE BOARD
What board to use
Elements of a sample board
Putting the samples on the board
Finishing your board
How to make your sample board effective
Disadvantages of a sample board
10. LIGHTING
Lighting issues to be considered
Setting the mood
Health and safety
The different types of lighting
The location of lights
Direct and indirect lighting
Uplighters and downlighters
Mood lighting
Task lighting
Eight ways to make your lighting more effective
Different types of bulb
Using an electrician
Producing a lighting plan
11. A VIEW FROM THE ROAD
Part of the local neighbourhood
Ten ways to improve the front of the house
Retaining period features
12. FLOORS
The four factors to consider when choosing flooring
Interior designer's checklist
Flooring style - hard or soft
Carpet
Rugs
Hard floors
Stone
Wood
Specific rooms
13. WALLS AND CEILING
A colour for the walls
Breaking up large slabs of wall
Paint effects
Preparation
Tricks and tips for walls and Ceilings
14. WALL DECORATION
Mirrors
Paintings
Tips about paintings
Wall coverings and tapestries
Collections of objects
Wall decorations room by room
15. DINING ROOM
The dominating dining table
Ten tips for better dining rooms
Dining in the kitchen
Dining with children
16. WINDOWS AND WINDOW DRESSING
Types of windows
Types of window treatment: curtains and blinds
Choice of fabrics and colour
Using a curtain maker
17. HEATING
Central heating
Hiding the radiator
Fireplaces
Using your fire
Adding a fireplace
Heat elsewhere in the home
Suggestions for improved warmth
18. FURNITURE
Sofas and upholstery
Wooden furniture: new or old?
The modern look
Buying new furniture
The antique or eclectic look
Different types of furniture
Buying from an antique shop
Buying at auction
19. KITCHEN AND UTILITY
Your role as the interior designer
Where to find kitchen designers
Where should the kitchen be?
The importance of size
Locating the ideal kitchen
Define your needs
Making sure the room is right
Flooring
Kitchen units and food preparation
Storage
Worktops
Washing dishes
Designing the layout
Eating in the kitchen
Display in the kitchen
20. STORAGE
Hoarding
Investigating your storage needs by room
Ways of adding lots more storage
Special storage problems
Storage outside
21. DRAWING MADE EASY
Plans and elevations
How important are drawing skills?
Our goal
Using software packages
Lettering
Using photographs
Using the photocopier
22. DISPLAY
Individuality
Colour
Items you could collect
Items that look interesting
Tips on displaying a collection
Things that have meaning for you
Collections to avoid
Where to place your collections
Lighting
Keeping your collection in check
23. EXTERIORS
Roof and chimneys
Walls
Pipes
Drainage
24. BEDROOMS FOR ADULTS
Functions of an adult bedroom
Storage
A dressing room
Mirrors
The bed
Lighting
Wall space
Window treatment
Design issues
Co-ordinating your colours and fabrics
25. ELECTRICITY
Electricity in your house
Tidying your electrical appliances
Why you should tackle electricity before choosing the wall-paper
How electricity works - a four-point summary
Lighting
Heating
Legal issues
Choosing an electrician
Dealing with an electrician
Preparing an electrical plan
26. ADDING MORE SPACE
Attic room
Cellar
Garage
Adapt an existing outbuilding
A room in the garden
Build an extension
Add a conservatory
Porch
Staying within the law
27. HISTORY OF INTERIOR DESIGN
Tudor
Early Classical
Georgian
Victorian
Edwardian
1930s
Recent years
28. BEDROOMS FOR CHILDREN
Infants' and toddlers' needs
Decoration for infants and toddlers
Young children's needs
Decoration for the 5-12 year old
Teenagers' needs
Decoration for the teenager
Eight safety points
29. PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE
How plumbing works
Emergency plumbing
Making plumbing work for you
Hiding the plumbing
30 . BATHROOMS
Bathroom functions
Layout
Colour scheme
Improving the bathroom
Fixtures and fittings
31. THE HOME OFFICE
Your office at home
Location
Outside or in?
What your home office needs
Layout
Giving your office personality
32. DISABLED LIVING
Types of disability
Needs of the disabled
Designing for the disabled
33. FENG SHUI
What is Feng Shui?
The compass
Ch'i
The Eight remedies
The Four Animals
How to apply Feng Shui in your home - or your client's home
34. THE CONSERVATORY
Managing the temperature
Controlling the junk
Layout
Furniture
Flooring
Plants
35. SETTING UP YOUR PRACTICE
Your home office
Equipment and material you may need
Your company name
Useful magazines

36. LAUNCHING AND PROMOTING YOUR PRACTICE
Who will use your services?
Techniques for generating enquiries
Getting experience
Handling the initial enquiry
Obtaining a meeting
37. MEETING THE CLIENT
Meeting the client, the initial meeting
Body language
Listening skills
Defining the client's need
Identify the problems
The client's needs and lifestyle, the client's style preferences
Taking a brief
Charging
Ending the meeting
Letter of Agreement
Presenting your proposals
38. FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS
How much should you charge?
Invoicing
Statements
Going to court
Tax and VAT
Accountant
Indemnity insurance
Business systems, record keeping
Book keeper
39. MANAGING A PROJECT
Implementing the project
Payment methods
Writing a specification
Estimating, costing a job
Ordering
Dealing with contractors.
Project management - Contact report
40. OTHER WAYS TO EARN MONEY AS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER
Carpets and curtains service
Personal shopper
Room arranger
'Sell your house faster'
Niche consultations
Write an article
Become a window treatment specialist
Paint effects service
How to charge
41. COMMERCIAL INTERIORS
The three sectors of commercial interiors
Commercial versus residential designs
Projects that don't fit into one of these categories
The main differences between domestic and commercial design
Special factors in commercial designs
New building versus refurbishment
Finding clients. What kind of clients?
Understanding the brief
Questions to ask
Designing the space
Fire and fire safety precautions
The conceptual design meeting
Getting paid
42. OFFICE DESIGN
Starting off in office design
Building a portfolio
Understanding the client's needs
What to consider when using the colour chart
43. RETAIL DESIGN
Starting off in retail design
Getting work as a retail designer
Understanding your client's needs
Key factors in retail interiors
Doing the design
Last minute preparation
44. HOSPITALITY DESIGN
Starting off in hospitality design
Breaking into hospitality design
Understanding your client's needs
Discussing the kitchen
Key issues in bar design
Key issues in restaurant design
Key issues in hotel design
Developing your flow diagram
Approaching the completion date
CONCLUSIONS, NEXT STEPS AND ACTION PLAN
Next steps
Action Plan