Higher National Diploma in Interior Design

HND

Inhouse

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    HND

  • Methodology

    Inhouse

  • Duration

    3 Years

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Subjects

  • Interior Design

Course programme

About the Higher National Diploma in Interior Design

You can now achieve a Higher National Diploma (BTEC HND) in Interior Design with Limperts Academy of Design, working at a time to suit you and entirely by home study. This is the first time that this valued qualification has been available by home study.

The Higher National Diploma (BTEC HND) in Interior Design is an internationally recognised award that qualifies you to offer both residential and commercial interior design services. This course will train you to work with all the structural elements that define interior space so that you can practice as an Interior Designer/Interior Architect.

To be effective in this role, you must have a firm understanding of building construction techniques and the way that services are integrated within the structure of a building, so you can make provisions and specify accordingly. This all-inclusive knowledge and skill-set will enable you to control and design all the factors that affect internal space and layout, so that you can gut and rebuild an interior if required.

The HND in Interior Design course also encompasses project management techniques, marketing and other specific business skills to complement your design skills, so you can achieve measurable results for your clients and yourself!

Ordinarily, the BTEC HND program requires two years of full-time study. However, this distance learning course provides you with the opportunity to achieve this sought-after award in as little as two years, while continuing to work in your existing employment. The BTEC HND is divided into two stages as follows:

  • Stage One - The Diploma Course in Interior Design & Decoration forms the first part of the BTEC HND program, and it is usually completed within a 12 month period. On successful completion of this first stage, you will be awarded the Limperts Academy of Design Diploma in Interior Design & Decoration. At that point you may decide to begin your interior design career, gaining valuable experience as you continue your studies and while you still have the guidance of expert tutors on hand.
  • Stage Two - The second part of the BTEC HND program may also be completed within 12 months, however students are allowed up to 3 years in total for the entire BTEC HND program so you can set your own schedule to suit the amount of free time you have available. On successful completion of both stages, you will receive the BTEC Higher National Diploma in Interior Design which is jointly awarded by Limperts Academy of Design and Edexcel International.

What will you learn?

Full details of the curriculum for this course and examples of student work are included in our digital prospectus, which you may download by clicking on the link at the right of this page. The curriculum is also described below for your convenience...

This is a two to three year program that is divided into two important stages. Stage one of this program follows the curriculum of the Diploma in Interior Design & Decoration, and on successful completion of this stage you will be awarded the Diploma in Interior Design & Decoration. At that point you may decide to begin working in the design industry, as you continue with your studies by progressing onto stage two of the HND in Interior Design. Our course structure has been uniquely created to progress naturally from one level to the next, yet each stage is a complete course in itself. Practical experience is essential in interior design and this approach was taken to enable you enter the industry after completing stage one, if you choose, and gain valuable work experience as you continue with your studies. This is the only award that we know of that has been deliberately structured in this way and the benefits to you as a student are obvious.

There are 35 lessons in stage two of the HND program, which are grouped together under the following collection of modules:

  • Design history & period decor
  • Construction and structural renovation
  • Design communication
  • Design materials & furnishings
  • Commercial design
  • Professional practice

Design History and Period Decor
Throughout your design career, there may be many times when you are asked to recreate period interiors to various degrees of authenticity. Familiarity with historical styles and the movers and shakers of the design world is obviously important, and you should also be able to carry out investigative research and critical analysis of design styles when required.

In this module you will review the main historical events and their influence on design developments and movements. Topics covered include:

  • Critical Analysis - Exploring how social & political circumstances influence the design
  • Early Design Styles - From Egyptian to Rococo
  • Turning Points in History - How the past has influenced the way we live, contributing to the greatest shifts in design (The Dark Ages, Renaissance, The Industrial Revolution & The Information Age)
  • Global Design Styles - Looking at western and non-western design styles and understanding how and why regional variations developed over time
  • Review of Design Styles throughout the ages - From Baroque to Neo-Classical and the Victorian age onwards
  • Modernism - International Style and the regional styles of the 21 st Century

Construction and Structural Renovation
One of the main differences between an Interior Designer and an Interior Architect is that Interior Architects can make structural changes to a building, manipulating space and internal partitions to effect maximum design impact on any building interior. As an Interior Architect, you should be able to work with a newly built concrete shell and transform it into a restaurant, a real-estate office or a hair salon, and to do that properly you need to understand the fundamentals of construction and building design. This section of the course explores building construction in detail from the Interior Architect's perspective, so that you can communicate knowledgably with contractors and architects and so that you can basically gut and rebuild almost any structure to your own vision or design.

  • The Principles of Building Design - Understanding the how and why of building construction from Foundations to Roofs
  • Renovating Existing Interiors - How to make major structural alterations to an existing building and meet building & legal requirements
  • Planning Building Layouts - Planning commercial layouts and internal partitioning structures
  • Stairs & Disabled Access - Designing stairs & disabled access for commercial interiors
  • Building Services - Planning for Electrics, Plumbing and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) and specifying according to the order of work
  • Lighting & Security - Designing commercial lighting systems, and meeting regulations (emergency lighting & security systems)
  • Whole Building Design - Planning building interiors so that systems, layouts and finishes work together in synchronization to increase quality of life for the occupants

Design Materials and Furnishings
Interior Architects are often involved in structural design and they have a much wider choice in terms of the materials available and how they can be incorporated within a design. Creative and functional characteristics are a major consideration when selecting materials, and there are other important factors including economic and environmental issues.

Whether you decide to use stainless steel, glass blocks, concrete or marble, this module will examine the main types of materials available and analyse their relative advantages and disadvantages. In addition to seeing how these materials can be used creatively, you will also investigate industry standards and technical specifications to ensure your designs are effective and comply with regulations. Topics covered in this module include:

  • Designing for the Environment - What is "green design" and how our design choices impact the environment
  • Consumer response - Analysing beliefs and psychological associations to specific materials
  • Working & Design methods - How production, installation and maintenance factors influence your design decisions
  • Cost versus performance - Determining the long-term suitability of products and materials
  • Mass production and bespoke design - How the scale of projects and consumer demand influence design approaches
  • Regulations & Standards - Selecting materials that conform to legal and ethical standards

Design Communication
As the scale of your projects become larger, budgets and expectations will also increase proportionately and it becomes even more important to communicate your ideas effectively. With their ability to cross language barriers, drawings are widely accepted as the universal design language, and clear, accurate drawings are commonly considered contracts in themselves. This section of the course will show you how to produce professional working and presentation drawings that can be used to communicate your ideas at the early stages of a project, so that you can get feedback and approval before expensive construction begins...

It's important to remember that designers do not need (or necessarily want) to become artists, so this module will teach you specialist techniques to produce effective drawings quickly that demonstrate your creative ability and professionalism, helping to sell your design ideas in turn. You will also learn how to produce clear specifications and agreements for contractors to ensure the job is executed correctly, avoiding disappointment and expensive mistakes. Topics covered include:

  • Advanced Drawing Techniques - Techniques to help you achieve clarity & accuracy in your working drawings
  • Detail Drawings - Beyond layouts; communicating construction and installation methods through detailed drawings
  • Reproduction Methods - Recommendations for paper types, sizes and methods of reproducing working and presentation drawings
  • Specifications & Design Briefs - Instructions for creating clear specifications and finish schedules for contractors
  • Orthographic Projections - Various methods of design communication through drawings
  • 3 Dimensional Representations - Step-by-step instructions for creating detailed Axonometric & Perspective Drawings
  • Rendering - Specialist techniques to produce visually stunning drawings with maximum impact and minimum effort

Commercial Design
To be truly effective in the commercial design arena, you should understand how corporate identity and other key business strategies can be used to complement your design expertise; so that you can help clients to choose a style and image, which is appropriate for their business. Long-term the interior environments you create will impact on your clients' staff, their customers, and ultimately their business profits, and with tight deadlines and high budgets you need to get it right first time.

The commercial design cycle has several stages, and this module identifies them so that you can produce effective results for yourself and your clients without compromising your creativity. You will also review the latest research in neuroscience and architecture, and analyse how this knowledge can be incorporated to create more beneficial designs. Topics covered include:

  • Ergonomics & Universal Design - Creating effective designs for the wider community and the individual
  • Business & Design Psychology - The hard facts about what works and WHY
  • Designing for Industry - Identifying the various sectors and common design requirements
  • Establishing goals - What are your clients' goals and how can your designs help to achieve them?
  • Commercial Design Cycle - A proven method for working effectively on medium and large-scale projects
  • Working as a team - Identifying your role, establishing authority and co-ordinating with others
  • Effective selling - creating designs that help to sell your clients' products or services (and yours in return!)

Professional Practice
Interior Architects are often responsible for detailed planning and implementation of projects, which requires organizing and scheduling techniques and project management skills. This module teaches you those important techniques in the context within which they will be used and contains clear examples and templates that been specifically designed for your long-term use. Furthermore, this section of the course examines the many avenues available for your talents so that whether you decide to become an employee or an employer, you will have the knowledge to market yourself as a professional and start out confidently on your new career path. Topics covered include:

  • Defining Your Role - A close look at turnkey design & identifying the design services YOU want to offer?
  • Project Management - Effective techniques and templates for designers including schedules, work orders and time management
  • Budgeting - How to prepare a budget and plan effectively to prevent cost growth
  • Monitoring Projects - Overseeing successful design execution with progress reports and amendments
  • Marketing for Designers - Simple research techniques to help you find clients, SWOT analysis and the marketing mix
  • Contracts and Pricing Strategies - Using documents and agreements to protect you and your client
  • Professional Responsibilities - Meeting legal and ethical obligations, establishing a code of ethics...
  • Career Paths - What are the options available to you?
  • Effective Presentations - Techniques for presenting yourself & your portfolio to a variety of different audiences...
  • Building Contacts & Resources - How to build a core team of suppliers and contractors

Final Project

At the end of the course, students will be asked to complete a Final Project, which will involve designing and communicating their ideas for a number of commercial situations. Receipt of the Higher National Diploma (H.N.D) in Interior Design will acknowledge your proficiency and skill as in Interior Architect, and will give you the confidence to pursue a career in the lucrative world of commercial design.

Higher National Diploma in Interior Design

Price on request