Subsequent course materials will be sent to you as your assignments are received and accepted. A personal tutor is available to assist you with questions about your online class work. You can receive your Interior Design Institute diploma in as little as 12 weeks, although you have the flexibility to take longer if you prefer! The fee for this comprehensive online Interior Decorating class is $1099.

The 12 modules involve the following concepts:

The Visual Language of Design—a study of the philosophy of interior design and an introduction to its basic concepts.

The History of Style Decoration and Architecture—an overview of the decoration of human structures, from cave paintings to the present. Styles of Design – Speaking the Language Fluently—an introduction into creating a sense of ambience.

Scale – Space Planning and Proportion—a course dealing with renovation. Learn to develop structure and space in a residence. This is a specific assignment for your portfolio.

Light and Lighting—understanding the properties of light and orientation in a space. Its effects on color, fabrics, surfaces, and the values of artificial light.

Color – The Most Potent and Flexible Element of Design—the history and psychology of design’s most important tool.

Finishes – Surfaces of the Envelope – Floors, Walls, Ceilings—consideration of the finish of “the shell.” Focus on the use, practicality, functional requirements, and chronology of installation.

Fabrics, Window Treatments and Home Textiles—technical information on the possibilities, beauty, luxury, creativity of this versatile element.
Furniture Art and Accessories—instruction on placing beautiful objects.

Your Client – How to Listen and Create the Environment the Desire—creative knowledge supported by practical knowledge on this essential skill!
Communicating Accurately—understanding drawings and plans that document designs for clients and contractors.

Setting up your Business—professional advice and support on business development, practice and market positioning.

You may take as long as 6 months to finish the lessons if you choose. This is a way to learn the basic principles of Interior Decorating and Interior Design quickly and easily. This online class offers you an opportunity to acquire new skills without the hassle of applying to a college or university program. There is no long-term obligation or financial strain!

This online Interior Design class includes these lessons: Intro to Interior Design, Elements of Design, Decorating Styles, Flooring, Walls and Ceilings, Windows and Window Treatments, Furniture, Accessories, and Rules and Myths.

Although Universal Class’s Online Class: Interior Decorating Made Easy is not a substitute for any state or local Interior Design accreditation, it is an excellent option for anyone who is considering Interior Design as a career and needs an opportunity to sample the skill before committing to an expensive degree plan. If you are already enrolled in an Interior Design school and want a chance to get ahead before you begin classes, this online Interior Design class is an inexpensive way for you to achieve that goal.

This online class will most likely help you in your own decorating, and is certainly cheaper than hiring a professional Interior Designer. There is a possibility that you can use the skills acquired through this online class to begin your own small-scale Interior Design business! The bottom line is that this online Interior Design class is for personal enrichment.

You will always have materials—move forward quickly at your own pace! Instructional help is available toll-free, Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm (Eastern) or by email. Penn Foster Career School’s online Interior Design classes are convenient, affordable, and the classes can begin immediately. You work around your schedule—never worrying about commuting, your current work schedule, childcare, or parking. The cost for these online Interior Design classes is $498.

Your online Interior Design classes include Learning Strategies, Decorating Today, Meeting Your Client’s Needs, The Elements and Principles of Design, The Principles of Color, Indentifying Furniture Styles and Periods, Decorating with Furniture, Floors/Walls/Windows, Decorating from Building Plans, Fabrics, Lighting and Accessories, Special Purpose Rooms, The Skills and Methods of Selling, and Starting your Own Business.

Once you have completed the final certification exam of your online classes, you will receive your paid six-month Certified Interior Decorator (C.I.D.) professional membership, and be eligible for our Graduate Career Services, which include help with online job searches, interviewing tips, and use of our certified Professional Resume Writer free of charge!

This vocational course and your Interior Decorator Career will help you gain employment with homebuilders, retailers, hotels, and corporate clients or give you an opportunity to own your own business!
Penn Foster Career School is Regionally and Nationally Accredited by the following agencies: Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools, Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

MAKE SURE YOUR COMPUTER IS READY FOR THE NEW SOFTWARE

Your computer is your entire classroom when it comes to online classes. It’s your books, your desk, your notebook and your teacher. As such, you need to make sure your computer is in good condition. How do you do this? It’s simple – first you need to make sure your computer is not infected with any spyware. Programs like Ad-Aware and Spybot are excellent free solutions to the problem of spyware, which can slow or even damage your computer’s ability to function.

You should also install good anti-virus software – I would suggest using AVG, as it’s free, and provides excellent protection. Finally, clear your hard drive and desktop of any unnecessary files – you’ll want your drive running as smoothly and quickly as possible in order to take advantage of all the classroom modules you’ll be downloading and homework you’ll be uploading to your online interior design class.

CLEAR THE SPACE AROUND YOUR COMPUTER

A good way to prepare yourself for the rigors of online class work and distance learning is to make sure the space around your computer is as clean and tidy as possible. If you treat the space around your computer as just another desk to drop your keys and wallet on, it’ll make the process seem a lot less special and respectful. You want to look forward to your classes every day – not treat them as an inconvenience – so make sure you pay the experience the respect it deserves.

HAVE FUN!

Remember, this is supposed to be fun. Sure you’re here because interior design is one of the fastest growing fields in America, but it’s also a really good time, you’ll meet cool people, and have a lot of fun. Don’t ever lose sight of this!

Interior Designer

Interior designers are people who are responsible for the decoration, functionality and interior design of a client’s space, be that space residential, industrial or commercial. The interior designer works hand in glove with their client and the architect to determine the total structure of the space in question, what those occupying the space need, and a style that conforms to and best suits both desires.

As an interior designer, you’ll need to be good with more than just furniture, fabric and color – you’ll need to have budgeting knowledge, know your materials, be a good communicator and be able to successfully oversee the installation, ordering and maintenance of all the various objects that occupy and define the space in question. Interior designers also need to know about things like construction, safety and electrical capacity. This is what makes the big difference between interior designers and interior decorators – interior designers are responsible for everything – everything – in the room in question.

Interior designers have to have the skills it takes to work with contractors, and, with the client, implement and plan all functional and aesthetic directives of the space – from little things like door handles to big things like paint and carpeting – and all within the client’s budget! Truly an interior designer can work wonders, wonders indeed!

?Furniture Designer

A furniture designer is someone who shapes the decisions and directives of furniture – from the fabric used to the shape of the furniture to the pattern on the fabric to the furniture’s eventual use.

Set Designer

A set designer designs the sets you see in popular television shows and movies. Guess what – they’re interior designers, too!

Lighting Designer

A lighting designer helps shape the overall look of a room – or a set – through the lighting choices they choose.

1. COMMUTE TO CLASS? WHAT COMMUTE TO CLASS?

There is nothing worse than commuting. Except, of course, commuting to a college campus. Parking is unbelievably expensive, the lots are often full, monthly parking passes cost an arm and a leg…then there’s the expense of gas, the miles and miles of traffic…could anything sound less appealing? That’s why taking interior design classes online makes so much sense – you skip the traffic and commuting game entirely, and head straight to class, which is the whole reason you’re attending college! Nobody goes to college to sit on the bus or in their car all day, so why should you?

2. HOME SWEET HOME

Working from home is great, but learning from home is even better! You’re free from the distractions of a classroom – students chatting, annoying each other, being annoying – in an online classroom there’s nothing to come between you and your studies. That’s really important, as accomplishing your dream of becoming an interior designer through taking interior classes online is a noble one that should not be squashed or squelched!

3. ONLINE CLASSES ARE CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!

When it comes to saving money, you’ll find that online classes are the best possible way to save money on your education. Think about it! A four year college could end up costing over a hundred thousand dollars! That’s an amazing amount of money – online schools give you the same great education at only a fraction of the cost How can they do that? It’s simple – there’s very little ovberhead when it comes to an onlie classroom. No endowment, no annual property tax, no dorms or insurance – online classes cost less tuition because the university as a whole costs a lot less money.

4. IT’S MORE FUN!

Could anything be more fun than learning interior design from your computer? I don’t think so. Interior design is all about layout and computer aided designs anyway, so why not take classes through the very medium you’ve learned those skills al these years? Thanks for reading, and take care!