Back To School: Where Can You Learn About Interior Design?

Passionate about interior design? Curious to know more about the past, present and future of design trends? You’re not alone.

Social media has pushed more people into sharing their interior design journeys, which has created a new class of self-taught interior designers. You no longer need to have professional training to give it a go. Anyone can revamp their home and share the results on social media, and a quick glance reveals they are achieving incredibly professional results.

We’re a nation obsessed with all-thing-interiors, and this is further demonstrated by our appetite for interior design shows like Grand Designs and Interior Design Masters. If you’re interested in learning more about interior design, we’re sharing some top tips for where to fuel your creative passion – for free.

You no longer need a formal education to be able to explore interior design. While it might be a requirement to land a job, if you’re just looking to deepen your knowledge and understanding of core principles, then you can achieve this for free using a few online resources.

We’ve gathered our favourite resources that will help you to tackle your next interior design project with ease. Whether you’re planning to remodel a part of your home, or you’re just looking to refresh your kitchen with some period-appropriate vintage door knobs, these resources will help.

Free interior design courses

Coursera offers a range of online learning opportunities, from short courses to entire degree programmes. These courses are offered by recognised institutions, including universities and industry pros.

Start your journey with “Blueprint to Brilliance Through Interior Design”, a short course that introduces core concepts in interior design. You’ll learn how to plan a renovation, select materials, apply measurements and proportions, and formulate cohesive designs.

Another excellent place to search for free courses is Udemy. This free course exploring Colours in Interior Design will help you to develop confidence with using colour in your design. You’ll learn things like colour mixing and working with trending colours to achieve incredible results.

If you’d like to get to grips with popular tools like Blender, there are also free courses available to help with this. “Mastering Interior Design Visualization with Blender 3D” is a short course available on Udemy that will help you to make the most of this free software.

Hit the books (or magazines)

Absorbing information and inspiration from books is another great way to enhance your knowledge. These are some of our favourite books on interior design. And remember, magazines are another great source of inspiration. If you’re interested in keeping up to date with the latest trends, magazines will give access to insight from industry professionals.

• Man with a Hammer: From forgotten wreck to forever home – If you’re in the middle of a renovation, take comfort in the knowledge that you’re not alone. In this inspiring book, Greg Penn shares his story so far as he tackles a 5-storey Georgian mansion in Plymouth. You can read our insightful interview with Greg here.
• Interior Design Since 1900 – Get to grips with where our favourite design choices of today came from. Understanding the basics will help you to see how it all fits together.
• Atlas of Interior Design – This book will take pride of place on your coffee table, providing hours of entertainment as you flick through the pages. It’s one of those impressive tomes that appears to offer up something inspiring and new every time you open it.

Social media and blogs

Social media can provide an education of sorts, if you’re ready to curate your feed and train the algorithm. This is one argument for creating a new profile for your renovation project, as it will enable you to deep dive into all things interior design.

Our blog is a great place to start if you’re looking for period property design inspiration. We also share helpful advice and expert interviews over on our sister website, Cast Iron Radiator Centre.

If you’re following us on social media, you’ll know that we regularly share content from fellow interior design fans, many of whom are self-taught in the trade. We also share professional results that include our vintage door knobs that take pride of place in period home renovations.

Read more: How To Use Social Media For Period Property Decorating Ideas

The beauty of social media is that you can shape the experience and train the algorithm to your tastes. We recommend starting a separate account for your interior design journey as this will help to focus attention on this core interest. You’ll also find that the content discovery journey is far better if you can focus on just one topic.