Online Interior Design Courses for All Designer Levels

Whether you’re interested in interior design for your own home or as a business, find the online interior design course for your level here.

Spoak

If you want to make a career change into interior design but don’t know how studying for a bachelor’s degree at a university with the right accreditation would even work in your life right now, you’re not alone. (Even that sentence was a confusing mouthful.) Or maybe you have an interior design certificate but aren’t sure how to begin building your business. Whatever the reason might be, the good news is there is an answer to your problem.

Many modern-day designers (some you probably already know and love!) are coming into their own by skipping four-year degree programs for the less traditional but more flexible route of online interior design courses. Whatever stage you’re at in the process, an online interior design course can help you move forward.

What Can You Learn From Online Interior Design Classes?

An online course allows you to study in-depth modules at your own pace, which is great for someone who’s on the go and needs more flexibility in their lives. Coursework goes beyond the scope of an interior decorator’s role. Designers will learn about space planning and design concepts, along with the business practices needed to launch an interior design career.

Some courses start with the fundamentals and work forward. Others, like BeSpoak School, allow you to tailor your coursework to the areas of focus you need right now, be it basic design theory or interior design business planning.

The Fundamentals of Color Schemes

You probably have an instinctive understanding of some color theory, like how to follow a monochromatic color scheme in your living room and what colors give you a sense of calm while others stir you up.

Expanding on that “gut instinct” with the science behind color usage (concepts like split complementary and triadic color palettes) and a deeper look into the blending of colors will bring depth to your interior spaces (and a whole lot of joy).

All About Patterns

Your coursework on color would be incomplete without studying its relationship to patterns and how the two work together to bring texture to your interior space. You’ll learn how to use patterning, like stripes, to enlarge the dimensions of a room and bring energy to a home.

Designers need to know how certain patterns will impact a space. They should be able to clearly explain to their clients how, hypothetically, adding more pattern elements (say, matching the fabric of curtains with the couch) will affect a living room. They can advise clients if an elaborate art nouveau wallpaper print is too bold and steer them to something more palatable. Even just learning to consider the way a pattern printed on fabric may drape and change the effect on a room has helpful real-world applications.

Design Styles

No doubt you’ve noticed, as you mood-board like crazy, certain recurring themes of design coming up again and again. We’ll be the first to tell you that we’re not big on labels, but a solid course on design styles will help you spot those overarching themes in your or your client’s tastes and give you clues as to what pieces would be appropriate for the space.

As a designer, you should also know national and global trends, but perhaps most importantly, know how to cater to homeowners in your area. The most prevalent design style varies from state to state, and honestly from person to person.

For example, in Maine, Tuscan aesthetics are the most popular, while people in California tend to ask for modern spaces. If your client’s home is Spanish Revival, will that Victorian-era sofa seem out of place, or is it all about balance and proportion? Training in design principles and commonalities between styles will help you find the right balance. Just remember, like with all things in design, you’re never just one style and rules are meant to be broken where you see fit.

Textile Pros and Cons

Do you feel pretty confident with the luxe textiles you’ve added to your own space but aren’t sure the same fabrics will fly with all of your clients? Do you know which fabrics are most eco-friendly and which are best for families with pets and children?

A solid overview of textile types and uses will give you the confidence to select fibers for different clients in different situations, especially if you haven’t had first-hand experience caring for these textiles yourself.

Understanding Furniture Styles

Choosing furniture for a space is often a highlight of the interior design process for both the designer and the homeowner. Do you need guidance incorporating furniture styles with existing interior architecture? Is it okay to combine that Early American hutch with the rest of a client’s American Empire pieces? (Hint: Trust your instincts.)

BeSpoak School covers a wide range of eras in furniture production and ways to use them. You will learn the broad strokes of each era and also the finer points, like how to spot the artisan touch of Shakers (who considered craftsmanship akin to worship) in a piece and how it differs from those made by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

What Are the Perks of Online Interior Design Programs?

Well, there are quite a few perks! Enrollment in an online interior design course makes learning fit around your needs and lifestyle.

Start at Any Skill Level, From Beginner to Pro

Online learning for interior design students has no prerequisites. You can dive right in and get to “the good stuff” as soon as possible. Programs are broken up into modules you can choose in the order you prefer, making it easy for the seasoned designer to skip right to the business side of learning, where they may feel they need the most help.

Online programs are often geared toward interior designers who want to practice their art as they learn with intuitive and easily mastered technology. Unfortunately, AutoCAD and Photoshop are notoriously expensive and time-consuming to learn. Make it easier on yourself with options like Spoak’s Design Suite of visualization tools that can have you making intuitive sketch-ups of floorplans after watching a few tutorials.

Learn at Your Own Pace

One of the main reasons interior designers put off their design careers is the worry of how they could pursue education while working full-time (and it’s a fair thing to consider). Add taking on design jobs to that, and it could be a hectic daily schedule!

Online courses are self-paced, allowing learners to fit education into a busy lifestyle, whether studying full-time or part-time. If you are trying to begin your business while learning, you can refer to the module you need and linger on it until you feel confident. The gift of this time can give you the confidence to begin freelance work while still studying.

Get Inspiration for Your Own Home

What if this all sounds well and good, but you don’t really want to start a business: you just love designing and want inspiration to tweak your own interior design? Online design courses with a built-in community of design enthusiasts are the perfect place to gain design skills for your personal interior design project while connecting with like minds. Spoak’s vibrant interior design community exchanges ideas, hosts meetups, and shares through regular Q&A sessions. No pressure to pursue anything professionally (but we won’t stop you if you decide to!).

Explore the World of Professional Interior Design

For those of you who have no doubt that your goal is to run your own business, an online interior design course that includes courses on marketing best business practices is indispensable.

Too often, students finish design school just to flounder and wonder about their next move. It’s much more helpful if your course teaches design principles and business basics like setting up a portfolio and how to keep up with accounting and invoicing. Surprisingly, more often than not, critical courses like this are left out of traditional design degrees.

A Spoak membership includes courses on running an interior design business, how to market yourself, and more. It also allows you to implement business tools like a portfolio of your interior design projects of clients’ homes and mock-ups of your designs to give potential clients. You can connect with clients via the site, work on projects in the design suite, and even invoice from your account, depending on the membership tier you choose.

BeSpoak School: Interior Design for Everyone

BeSpoak School is an interior design industry leader in online training that is flexible and virtual while still being hands-on. The courses are educational, digestible, and fun to take (you can’t say that about all design schools!). Whether you love choosing palettes and creating mood boards for fun or are ready to pursue your passion for interior design as a business, there is a membership tier in Spoak for you.

‍

^{Photo Credit:}^{(Left) Design Files}

‍

^Sources:

^{How to Become an Interior Designer | A U.S. News Guide}

^{How colours affect the way you think | BBC Future}

^{The Shakers Religion & Community | Ken Burns | PBS}

Let Spoak’s design-loving community support your interior design dreams by becoming a member today.

Date Posted

March 7, 2023

Tagged

's

Thingology

No items found.

Online Interior Design Courses for All Designer Levels

What Can You Learn From Online Interior Design Classes?

The Fundamentals of Color Schemes

All About Patterns

Design Styles

Textile Pros and Cons

Understanding Furniture Styles

What Are the Perks of Online Interior Design Programs?

Start at Any Skill Level, From Beginner to Pro

Learn at Your Own Pace

Get Inspiration for Your Own Home

Explore the World of Professional Interior Design

BeSpoak School: Interior Design for Everyone

Let Spoak’s design-loving community support your interior design dreams by becoming a member today.

's

Thingology

Related Posts

Interior Design Costs: How to Set Your Fees

Interior Design Portfolio Examples With Tips and Tricks

How Much Do Interior Designers Make Yearly? Interior Designer Salary

How Much Does an Interior Designer Cost? Expectations and Examples

Pros and Cons of Interior Design Schools Online

How To Become an Interior Designer: Step by Step

Take your love of interior design to the next level with Spoak.