DIPLOMA OF DESIGN /
INTERIOR DESIGN
-22.jpg)
INTERIOR DESIGN OVERVIEW
The Diploma of Design specialising in Interior Design is your fast-track introduction to professional interior design. Across two trimesters, you'll build the skills to plan, draft and design real spaces in a studio environment: spatial planning, materials and technical drafting, developed the same way Whitehouse teaches its full Bachelor of Design. Graduate with two residential design projects in your portfolio, ready to continue into further study or take on entry-level design roles.
WHY STUDY INTERIOR DESIGN AT WHITEHOUSE
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Through hands-on studio projects across residential interiors, you'll develop the creative and technical skills the industry demands.
- Design and critical thinking, from first sketch through to rendered illustration
- SketchUp for turning design ideas into visual, buildable concepts
- Adobe Photoshop and InDesign for presenting a scheme and building a client proposal
- Drafting fundamentals: floor plans, elevations and sections
- Colour, tone and materiality, and how they carry a scheme
- Spatial planning across bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and open-plan living
- Sourcing and specifying furniture, fixtures and finishes into a professional Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) schedule
- Design history and the movements shaping interiors today
WHAT YOU'LL GRADUATE WITH
By the end of the diploma you'll have:
- A portfolio of two residential interior projects
- The ability to take a client brief from concept through to a presented design package
- Working knowledge of the software and drafting conventions used in CAD studios
- A developing eye for materiality, colour and spatial planning
- Full credit for entry into the Associate Degree or Bachelor of Design
The Diploma of Design specialising in Interior Design comprises 6 core subjects (Design Contexts, Digital Design and Illustration for Design) and 4 specialisation subjects (Interior Design and Interior Workshop). To be awarded the Diploma of Design, candidates must accrue an aggregate of 96 credit points, including satisfactory completion of all subjects.
The course is offered both full-time and part-time. At a full-time study load, students undertake five subjects each trimester and complete the Diploma across 2 trimesters (7 months), as follows:
DESIGN CORE SUBJECTS
|:----|:----|:----|:----|
|DC1 to DC2|Design Contexts 1 to 2|Builds critical awareness of the history of design, focusing on the philosophies, styles and movements that continue to shape practice today. Introduces academic research, critical analysis and writing. Looks at the theoretical frameworks used to understand and review design across different periods, giving students methods for interpreting designed objects, writing, film, advertising and material culture. |6/12|
|DD1 to DD2|Digital Design 1 to 2|Introduces the digital skills that turn a design into something a client can see and buy into, building working knowledge of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. Students build a complete design proposal, learning how drawings, imagery and type come together into a document that wins client approval.|6/12|
|DI1 to DI2|Design Illustration 1 to 2|Introduces illustration as the visual language of design, using freehand drawing to develop and communicate spatial ideas. Builds illustrative range, from expressive drawing through to accurate drawing systems using scale and measurement.|6/12|
INTERIOR DESIGN SPECIALISATION SUBJECTS
|:----|:----|:----|:----|
|ID1 to ID2|Interior Design 1 to 2|Students design their first residential brief - a primary bedroom, ensuite and walk-in wardrobe - learning to work from human scale and real spatial requirements. Students then design a luxury residential apartment, develop their own concept and combine multiple connected spaces into one scheme. |6/12|
|IW1 to IW2|Interior Workshop 1 to 2| Introduces 3D modelling in SketchUp, turning a spatial brief into a design others can walk through and understand. Small-scale spatial design, including custom furniture, lighting and accessories. Introduces technical drafting: producing the floor plans and drawings a builder can actually work from. Materials and process research, resolved into a documentation set that communicates a design accurately. Introduces furniture history and the fundamentals of sourcing and specifying for a residential brief. Sourcing and specifying the materials, finishes and products that carry a residential scheme from drawing to reality. See The Projects tab for more detail.|24/48|
CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY
On completion, you'll be ready to take your craft to the next level. The Diploma provides a direct and seamless pathway into the Bachelor of Design with full credit for your completed trimesters, so you can continue building your interior design skills without starting over.
The Industry-Focused Projects You'll Learn
In this accelerated 2-trimester course, you'll complete two industry-focused projects in the workshop subjects that mirror the real briefs faced by today's leading creative directors and interior designers. Each trimester builds toward a major end-of-trimester project, focusing on residential interior design.
Trimester One — Residential Foundations
Students design a primary bedroom, ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, incorporating trend forecasting alongside foundational spatial planning and documentation skills.
Trimester Two — Luxury Residential Apartment Design
Students design a full luxury residential apartment, developing their skills in materiality, layout and high-end finish specification.
FEATURED ALUMNI
With purpose-built design campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Whitehouse students work within professional-standard environments designed around the way the industry actually operates. Not lecture halls, but studios, workshops and resources you'll use in your specialisation every week.
Professional design studios
Fully-equipped studios and computer labs give you the space to move between manual and digital design methods - from technical drawing to 3D designs to digital documentation using industry-standard tools such as SketchUp, AutoDesk Revit. Every interior design student receives free access to these tools for the duration of their studies (Revit is normally about $4.4k per year).
Adobe Creative Cloud suite
Every student receives free access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite, giving you the same tools used across professional styling, editorial and creative direction. From week one you'll work in Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign and Illustrator.
Industry partnerships and sourcing network
Interior Design happen through relationships, and Whitehouse connects students to the network professionals rely on. Across your projects you'll engage with industry suppliers, hire companies, fabric and materials specialists, showrooms and brand partners, learning how to source, negotiate and pull together everything an interior design project demands. Access to industry specialists means the briefs you work on mirror real production conditions, so you graduate already knowing how to build and manage the collaborations behind a professional creative outcome.
Research services
Interior Design students draw on industry-grade trend-forecasting services and a specialist design library, developing the research rigour behind every strong creative decision, from mood and colour direction to sourcing and concept.
Whitehouse continually updates and expands its resources to ensure every student has extensive design research support throughout their degree.
DOMESTIC FEES
All Design courses are FEE-HELP eligible for domestic students. No upfront payment for tuition fees needed if eligible.
|:----|:----|
|Trimester Tuition Fee (full-time study)|$14,610|
|Indicative Average Unit Fee (5 units)|$2,922|
Fees exclude course materials.
INTERNATIONAL FEES
See International section for information on international fees.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for the Diploma of Design specialising in Interior Design, submit a direct application through the Whitehouse Institute of Design website.
Whitehouse has no application fees.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Domestic
* **Academic:** Completion of year 12 or equivalent
* **Design Meeting:** All applicants attend a Design Meeting
* **Portfolio:** No portfolio required
See link below for full entry requirements.
INTERNATIONAL
In addition to standard entry requirements, international students must have a minimum level of English language skills as well as a valid and appropriate visa for studying in Australia. See link below for full entry requirements.
IMPORTANT DATES
Applications for Whitehouse's Diploma of Design with specialisation in Interior Design are open year-round, with three main intakes each year - February, June and September. Applications typically open within 6 to 12 months of the intake commencing. We recommend applying early to secure your preferred campus and start date.
There's a lot of overlap between our Digital Design subjects and graphic design. The Digital Design subject is best described as a graphic design course within your degree. You'll develop core graphic design principles and skills using the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, including Photoshop, Lightroom and InDesign, applied to photography, editorial layout, digital imaging and portfolio creation. The difference is context: rather than studying graphic design in isolation, you'll apply these skills directly to your interior design projects, learning how to describe, develop and market your creative work across both print and digital formats.
If you do not have a Creative Portfolio, or have questions about yours, call us on 1300 551 433 or email study@whitehouse-design.edu.au to talk to us.
Whitehouse offers short workshops throughout the year, which assist students and applicants with their portfolio development. We recommend anyone considering a career in design or applying for the Bachelor of Design, to attend a workshop with us.
Details of all of Whitehouse's Workshops can be found here:
To assist you in your tertiary level design studies, recommended year 11 and 12 subjects include: Design & Technology, Visual Arts, Visual Communication, Textiles & Design, Modern History or Ancient History.
Whitehouse does not have any compulsory pre-requisite subjects.
Whitehouse offers a Certificate III in Design Fundamentals (VET for Secondary School Students) course, which offers its graduates direct entry into the Bachelor of Design at Whitehouse. Students can take this course in Year 10, 11 or 12 of High School.
Absolutely, we are here to help. We recommend meeting with us, giving us a call or coming in for a tour. You can do any of those by clicking on the links below.
Call now 1300 551 433
Email us study@whitehouse-design.edu.au
All Whitehouse courses now have no ATAR requirement as an ATAR does not assess how well a student will succeed creatively.
If you have been made an offer of enrolment but you are not quite ready to commence study, you may defer commencement of studies until the next intake without the need to reapply. For more information on application, enrolment or deferral, you can discuss your options with Admissions.
ACADEMIC CREDIT / RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL)
Credits for single subjects may be awarded to accredited subjects previously undertaken at another education provider and/or relevant industry experience.
To apply for Academic Credit:
- Download and complete the Application for Academic Credit
- Fill in the form including all subject titles and descriptions of the units for which you are applying for RPL
- Submit completed form with supporting documentation and evidence to Whitehouse Institute
ADVANCED STANDING
Advanced Standing may be awarded to students who have completed courses in a similar field of study. Depending on the level of study completed, you may be eligible to receive direct articulation into study period two, three or four of the Bachelor of Design. Download or request the Application for Direct Entry - submit with your current/previous qualification and transcript of academic results. If advanced standing is awarded the length of your study may be reduced.
For more information on Academic Credit and Advanced Standing, simply contact Whitehouse Admissions or discuss during your Design Meeting.