Year One - Term One

Design Project 1 - Pavilion
Design Project 2 - Pop Up Space

The BA Degree starts at the beginning of interior design training, with students exploring how they research design, channel creativity from their surroundings, and record these ideas in a sketchbook. Students will investigate how people use spaces and explore living rituals to understand spatial planning for interior design. Core skills include AutoCAD, technical drawing, colour rendering, one and two-point perspective drawing and freehand sketching. Sample boards, model-making and mixed media workshops are included, with digital collage and digital furniture boards. 

Year One - Term Two

Assessed Debate
Reflective Essay - Design Evolution & Trends
Design Project 3  - Show Apartment

Practical knowledge will continue to develop as students are introduced to SketchUp and the principles behind the kitchen and bathroom design, as well as colour and lighting, all of which will be applied within a residential project. Students get an introduction to Professional Practice and the essential abilities they will need to develop as interior designers. 

Year One - Term Three

Design Project 4 - Atmospheres

To generate slick visuals to communicate their design, students will learn Photoshop and develop new computer-aided design skills alongside AutoCAD and SketchUp. They will also explore lighting design at a higher level. Graphics for design are introduced to enhance students’ project presentations and develop budding portfolios. Professional Practice is developed through workshops on budgets and costings, as well as giving insight into building regulations. 

Year Two - Term Four

Design Project 5 - Exhibition Space
Reflective Essay - Comparative Studies
Design Project 6 - Detailed Working Drawings

Returning for their second year, students can look forward to focusing on different aspects of commercial design – starting with exhibition spaces. This term will include teaching materials and their applications, allowing students to conduct in-depth research on essential resources such as stone, wood, metal and textiles and the processes through which they are manipulated to create products. This naturally leads to teaching building and construction regarding sustainability and advanced Professional Practice. Essay research will help students understand precedent studies, branding and how design impacts commercial interiors.

Students eligible for work experience will be aided in getting placements over the Christmas holidays.

Year Two - Term Five

Design Project 7 - Large Commercial Design

This term introduces students to large commercial design projects – including retail spaces, bars and restaurants. Students will advance their lighting design skills in relation to commercial design and also learn two new software programmes – InDesign and EstiPC, which will benefit their professional portfolio development. 

Year Two - Term Six

Group Project - Design Changes Lives
Design Project 8 - Commercial or Residential Project

Evolving their skills to tackle more complex spatial solutions, this final term focuses on two large design projects – one is a group project with a social focus, working with the KLC Design Changes Lives Foundation, and the second is a choice of either a commercial or residential project (student's choice).

Optional Summer break work experience

Year Three - Term Seven

Design Project 9 - Design Concept and Commerical Development
Dissertation - 5,000 word historical and critical dissertation
Report 1 - Professional Practice & Business Administration
Report 2 - Construction, Technology and Environment

Lectures and workshops on professional practice and the legislative framework, which correlate with design projects, provide insight into working as a designer. The first term also covers topics such as the natural world, sustainability and the environmental impact of the building industry, and ethical design issues in relation to the built environment. Students will also learn the software programme REVIT, the latest drawing software in the industry. This is utilised with InDesign and Photoshop to communicate a design proposal in response to the first design brief. Lectures, seminars and tutorials help students approach the design dissertation by exploring creative ways of researching using different symbolic modes of representation, vis-à-vis images, moving images, movement, etc., to consider practice conceptually and how research is designed.

Year Three - Term Eight

Design Project 10 Design - Synthesis and Resolution - Social Design
Dissertation/Reports - Continued and finalised

This term starts with an advanced REVIT course, introducing students to 3D digital modelling. Seminars, pin-ups, peer reviews, lectures and workshops on construction, technology, the environment, professional practice and dissertations continue to inform and inspire students to progress within design practice. Many industry experts, such as site inspectors and quantity surveyors, describe their roles and responsibilities and how they work with designers and design teams on and off-site. This and the third term’s absorbing and challenging design project characterise a design proposal that aims to affect society positively. Design challenges will increase students’ skills, during which design solutions will evolve by demonstrating high levels of design literacy and critical thinking. Students will present work professionally through sketches, diagrams, visuals, drawings etc., using creative techniques coherent with the design proposal.

Year Three - Term Nine

Design Project 11 - Finalise Design Proposal

In the last term, students will develop and finalise their design proposal. On completion and presentation of the final project, they will be attending a series of introduction days with suppliers, manufacturers and professionals from the commercial interior design sector. The Career Service offers 1-2-1 sessions for portfolio and CV advice, internships and interviews throughout the course. The course culminates in a final celebratory Online Exhibition (live on the KLC website for 11 months) and Graduation Ceremony attended by prominent designers and professionals from the interior design industry.

Monday – Friday, 10.00–16.00
Additional 15+ hours study outside of directed study times

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

• 5 GCSEs at grade C or above
• A-Levels: UCAS tariff: CCC (96 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent
• or BTEC: National Diploma: MMM (112-96 points)

No prior art and design experience is required. 

We can also accept applications from mature students who do not hold the above qualifications but have a sufficient prior learning experience. In this instance, the School will review any short courses, internships or work experience undertaken.

English language requirements

• IELTS score of 6.5