Interior Design - Academic Year - Fall Intake

One Year Courses - Milan

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In the last years the field of Interior Design has witnessed a continuous growth, for this reason professionals in the field need to be more flexible and in touch with the new technologies, methods, and materials.

Through the Interior Design Academic Year program you get an in-depth and practical introduction to Italian design and the ‘Made in Italy’ concept with particular attention to contemporary trends, while being equipped with all the necessary instruments to enter this field. You will learn to design interior spaces both for commercial and residential use, from the initial concept and first sketch to the 3D view, and to realize a model representing a public space. Furthermore the course will develop your awareness of colour, shape and form and gives you the necessary skills to choose interior finishes.

The program is structured around the major international trade shows in Italy which provide insight on the latest contemporary trends and become starting point for a broader debate on design and its current language: formal and expressive.

 

  • Start date
    September 2021
  • Duration
    31 weeks
  • Attendance
    full-time
  • Language
    English

Schedule: Lessons are held from Monday to Friday, morning and/or afternoon.

Target: This course is especially oriented towards high school graduates and university students or professionals from other areas of study, wishing to learn the fundamentals of interior design.

Structure and Methodology:  The Academic Year is structured around the major international trade shows in Italy, including Architect@work, SAIE ( International Building Exhibition ) in Bologna, Salone del Mobile furniture show and the Design Week that follows, Salone Satellite, Euroluce, International Bathroom Exhibition and the International Home Furnishings Expo.

The program offers you an in-depth and practical overview of the Italian design and the ‘Made in Italy’ concept. It enables you to experiment and master the basic design tools and to identify and analyze current trends in interior design in terms of forms, colors, materials.

The Academic Year is divided into two distinctive semesters, the Interior and Spatial Design Fall semester and the Italian Contemporary Design and Trends Spring semester, each of them with specific objectives and focuses. Students have the possibility to take the whole Academic Year or to enroll only in one of the two semesters.

Interior and Spatial Design – Fall semester 
During this semester you will acquire the basic skills connected with drawing techniques and softwares to represent interior design projects. At the same time, you learn the design process and the basic knowledge of the different materials to be used in order to characterize a space.
Italian Contemporary Design and Trends – Spring semester
The spring semester explores contemporary design trends and design languages, through visits to showrooms and lectures. New trends in furniture, various types of houses, different lifestyles and people's needs and desires will be analyzed from a practical and emotional point of view. 

Visiting trade shows and showrooms, as well as active participation in lectures, discussions and confrontation with faculty and peers will allow you to raise your cultural awareness, while the project-based experiences will provide the analytical, the technical and technological skills and competences to develop design concepts and execute them into a project proposal.

  • Fall Semester

    • Graphic Design Alphabetisation

      The course introduces the fundamental understanding of information technology for good developing software skills and file management. You will acquire the basic concepts for managing creative and technical digital images using Adobe Photoshop. Furthermore you will acquire Adobe Illustrator basic knowledge to be used to work on the graphic layout of the boards.

    • Design Trend Research

      During this course you discuss the trends regarding the scope of interior design. Projects will be analyzed together both in terms of techniques and materials, paying particular attention to new types of materials and finishes used in various fields. Attention is also paid to the values of brand-related design and analysis of the lifestyle offered in the site or catalog. Visits to trade fairs are an integral part of the course and will enable you to make a critical analysis of current trends.

    • Design workshop I

      During this workshop you will work on an exhibit design project. The projects will examine dimensional and functional problems as well as the value of exhibiting brands. The design phase will focus on the definition of a concept and the project to set up a space.

    • Design workshop II

      During this workshop together with your peers you will work on a new concept for a restaurant taking in consideration a specific brand and target. In order to increase customer’s loyalty it is necessary to focus both on the design aspects as well as on proposing clients new food experiences. The final project will include, along with the customized space layout, a service design project, thought to offer clients an innovative food experience.

    • Materials Technology

      Provides a solid foundation in material behavior which is fundamental to transforming an idea into reality as well as understanding the expressive potential of traditional and experimental materials. The physical and morphological characteristics of materials are examined as well as processing technologies, industrial processes and craftsmanship. The course covers the structure of a building in all its aspects, analyzing technological processes and technical properties of building components. This includes the study of natural and artificial materials used in defining an interior space with particular reference to the aesthetic and technical features.

    • Sketching

      The course provides you with the tools and methods for unThe course provides you with the tools and methods for understanding and representing architecture and environment. It covers topics related to graphic techniques (manual and  instrumental) and different systems of representation. You will become familiar with the tools of design and be introduced to the main software-aided design and image processing applications. You will become proficient in the use of graphics tablet to represent your projects.

    • Technical Drawing

      Provides a solid foundation in material behavior which is fundamental to transforming an idea into reality as well as understanding the expressive potential of traditional and experimental materials. The physical and morphological characteristics of materials are examined as well as processing technologies, industrial processes and craftsmanship. The course covers the structure of a building in all its aspects, analyzing technological processes and technical properties of building components. This includes the study of natural and artificial materials used in defining an interior space with particular reference to the aesthetic and technical features.

    • Interior Styling for Residential

      Aim of the course is to acquire the main interior styling skills: how to respond to brief from a client, for which you will need to do research, source products and present your ideas on style boards. The main topics studied during the course are: principle of styling and interior photography; principles of colors and patterns with paint, wallpapers and fabrics; decorative lighting and finishes. Emphasis will be given also to styling composition and arrangements, leading to the photos shootings.

  • Spring Semester

    • Contemporary Design

      This topic explores contemporary trends and design languages, which will be investigated via showroom visits and lectures. Lectures will focus on the contemporary domestic life, initially deepening various typologies of houses which underline different lifestyles. The purpose of this first assignment is to understand that the design of a physical space influences the mental state of the occupants. Attention will be focused on contemporary furniture trends, which define the needs and desires of the occupants, not only from a practical and functional point of view but also an emotional one. The physical environment will be read through the analysis of the contemporary production of furniture and design languages, focusing on shapes and forms, colors, textures, materials. You will create a book of trends: magazines, catalogues, showrooms tours will be used as research tools for the final presentation.

    • Contemporary art

      The instructor will introduce, analyze, compare, contrast, and juxtapose the profile and the work of painters, photographers, sculptors and video artists who use a variety of media, materials, tools, and processes to create their work. Lectures will be complimented by site visits to galleries and exhibitions.

    • Design trends

      This course provides you with the analytical, cultural and economic tools needed to identify and analyze trends in design. The course prepares you for the Milano Design Week by providing an investigative methodology. The course includes a theoretical section, to define methods of analysis and verification of the main macro and micro trends in design and interior design. The final exam is a research project focused on a single brand of the furniture industry considered a “trend setter”.

    • Design Trends Workshop

      The course objective is to structure a comprehensive research project on a major macro and micro trend that emerged during the Milan Design Week. Beginning with an analysis of what was presented during the course, you develop a complete mapping of the main design and interior design trends. The areas analyzed will focus on home design, retail store design, entertainment design. At the end of the course you will present your project of a new line of colors, materials, finishings proposal for a new line of products for a “Made in Italy” furniture brand.

    • Graphic Design

      Focuses on the basic principles of graphic design and composition of diverse elements with attention to the balance between them. As well students understand the differences in developing a layout for printing or relative to a presentation in digital format will be addressed. The course also goes in depth with the use of the main graphic design softwares; Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

    • Materials Trends

      Exploration of the impressive choice of materials available to designers, as well as analysis of new materials and surface finishes. Through the workshop and visits to the most important Italian producers you analyze how specific colors, materials and finishes affect a space or a product and how they can be used as instruments of communication.

    • Research Methods

      The course is organized in two different modules: the first module is focused on the user experience connected with a specific product, while the second module allows you to understand a brand, its image and values.

Remarkable is that teacher who accomplishes himself what he teaches to others.
(Italian proverb)

IED faculty are professionals that daily face the market. Here you can read their bios.

Federica Bosoni - Course coordinator

Federica Bosoni - Course coordinator
Federica obtained a diploma in Interior Architecture at IED Milano. Right after, she gained work experience in architecture and design studios in the fields of graphics, interior design and events organization. She has worked at the European Institute of Design since 2006 in the organization and teaching of both the Academic Year and the Three-year courses in English.

Anna Costella

Anna Costella
Anna Costella, holds a Degree in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano and also completed a Masters in Design and Management. She currently works as an independent consultant and Interior Designer.

Alessandra Vasile

Alessandra Vasile
Freelance Architect, she trained in Italy, USA and the Netherlands. Since 1992 she has also taught and conducted research at Politecnico di Milano and IED where she coordinated, in the Advanced Study Program, specialization courses. Correspondent for the “Quotidiano di Abitare” during “Salone del Mobile”. Among her publications: New offices in Italy and New exhibits 3 Ed. L’Archivolto, Lusso Versus Design Ed. FrancoAngeli. Since 2013 she collaborates with the firm “SCL Ingegneria Strutturale”.

Emeline Dany

Emeline Dany
Emeline is a food strategist and her role is to design food experiences: from the creation of new food format to the interior design of food spaces and the communication strategy. She actually works as freelance for Architecture studios, Communication  agencies and Food & Beverages companies.  A lifelong learner, after earning a  Master's degree in Management & Marketing in SKEMA Business school (Nice, France) and completing an Interior Design program (IED Milano) , she had the opportunity to attend the first Master's program in Food Design of the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan.  

Marco Vicinanza

Marco Vicinanza
Marco Vicinanza holds an Architecture Degree from Politecnico Milan. He gained extensive experience collaborating with diverse architecture firms before opening his own studio in Milan. Marco has designed for offices and public spaces as well as restoration and renovation projects for residential spaces. In addition he also designs custom-made furniture.

Gabriel Weirich

Gabriel Weirich
Graduated in Fashion Design (HAW Hamburg, Germany. His interdisciplinary consultancy studio in Milan is active in the field of design. The spectrum of the studio’s work ranges from Innovation managing, Product design, Design thinking, Trend observering and storytelling. His international clients include: WMF, Glaskoch, Ritzenhoff, Silit, Alfi, Belforte and San Patrignano. Design awards: DAAD, Marlborough Design Award, Red Dot Design Award “Best of the Best".

Cristina Silva

Cristina Silva
Cristina Silva holds Degrees in Visual Arts, Art History and Drawing and Pictorial Techniques from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She works with museums and exhibitions and teaches arts in the middle and high schools.

Leandro Sgrò

Leandro Sgrò
He collaborates with various design firms, providing creative and strategic consultancy for innovative projects. In 2014 he worked as graphic designer at giftdirect.com e-commerce in Dublin and in 2016 at the User-experience department of NetDragon WebSoft. Inc in Fuzhou (China), he participated at the Design Biennial of Guangzhou (South Korea) in 2017 and conducted research at the Design Thinking for Business Observatory of the MIP in Milan.

Gisella Veronese

Gisella Veronese
Gisella Veronese is an Architect and also completed a PhD in Interior and Set Design at Politecnico di Milano, and in Industrial Design Engineering at Brunel University West London. She taught in many international design workshops and worked in architectural studios, art galleries and PR agencies. At IED Milano she teaches in the areas of interior design, design history, and trends in interior and industrial design.

Aida Halimi

Aida Halimi
Aida graduated in Industrial Design and right after she attended a Master of Science in Product Design for Innovation. Her job is mainly focused on material and technology research and she’s responsible of a material library for Design Innovation. She works as CMF trend consultant for different companies and She does scouting of new manufactoring technologies and supplier.

Umberto Di Tria

Umberto Di Tria
Graduated at IED Milano in 2011 with the research center, moved in London as  Graphics Designer for the Olympics Games in 2012. Back from UK he decided to open Bitto Design Studio in Milan. After the first period as Food Designer for retail and restaurants, he focused in furniture manufacturing as head designer for the contract company Italian Fit Out working for  big brand such as B&B Italia, Cassina, Giulio Marelli, Bentley, Midea, La Perla, Moorer and  others.

Projects

Natalie's Nest
  • Città: Milan
  • Scuola: Design
  • Corso: Italian Contemporary Design and Trends
The aim of the project was to translate clients' brief into bespoke interiors and create environments that derive from a marriage of aesthetics and functionality, tailored to the client's needs.  
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The Botanical Club
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Design
  • Corso: Italian Contemporary Design and Trends
The project for The Botanical Club in collaboration with Cement Design consists in creating a bar for the post Corona period while creating a space in which people can enjoy a high quality drink without being afraid of lack of safety, but rather to have good conversations inside a trendy instagrammable environment while strengthen the global neighbourhood.
Visualizza

Il Contatore
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Design
  • Corso: Interior and Spatial Design Fall Semester
Through this project the student aims to design a Tartare bistro, with a chic ambiance and a warm atmosphere, a place that reminds Parisian bistros where you can eat simple but genuine and qualitative food.
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Food Experience Project
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Design
  • Corso: Interior and Spatial Design Fall Semester
This project focuses on the creation of an unique and innovative fine dining atmosphere and experience based on seaweed ingredients: marine algae, algae oil, marine plankton and spirulina. Both furnishings and visual identity take inspiration from the marine elements.
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The fermented market
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Design
  • Corso: Interior and Spatial Design Fall Semester
This is the proposel of a restaurant – bar that serves balanced meals, deeply rooted in the authentic tradition of Ayurveda, which teaches us that food can restore our innate ability for healing. After deciding on the type of dishes to offer to customers, the student focused on the design, furnishing and space organization, as well as on the visual identity and the promotion through different channels.
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