Interior Design

Interior design is the creative and technical practice of shaping the character, atmosphere, and functionality of interior spaces. It is distinct from interior decoration in its engagement with the structural, spatial, and environmental dimensions of a space, as well as its aesthetic ones. Interior designers work across a wide range of contexts, from private homes and hotels to retail environments, offices, healthcare facilities, and cultural institutions, and they must balance the wishes of clients, the constraints of existing buildings, building regulations, and their own creative vision.

At the University of Chester, this four-year, full-time programme includes a foundation year, which builds your creative, technical, and conceptual foundations before you enter the main degree. The foundation year is particularly useful if you are coming from a non-art or design background and need time to develop your visual thinking, drawing, and making skills alongside an understanding of colour, space, and material. From the first year of the degree itself, you will work on studio projects that grow in scale and complexity, developing your design process and your ability to realise ideas through manual and digital means.

You will study the history and theory of interior design, materials and finishes, lighting design, spatial planning, and the practical aspects of project management and client communication.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study interior design in an international context and to experience different approaches to space, material, and cultural expression. That international exposure can be a significant influence on your developing design voice.

Graduates work in interior design practice, retail and hospitality design, property development, set design, exhibition design, and related fields. Some go on to postgraduate study in interior design, architecture, or spatial design. Others move into project management, procurement, or client-side roles within organisations that regularly commission interior design work.