Amogh N P
✦ In loving memory of Amogh N P — Architect · Designer · Visionary ✦
B.Arch Curriculum · Semester 5

Interior Design

The room as a designed thing. From a history of interior spaces and furniture — Egypt to the Eames, the Mughal divan to the Chettinad mansion — through the profession and language of design (the elements and principles), to the components that make an interior: floors, ceilings, walls and windows, the layers of light, the green of interior landscaping, and the ergonomics of furniture. A theory course that teaches you to read, plan and judge interior space.

5Units
6Outcomes
2Credits
FreeForever
Start with Unit I All student courses
Unit II · The language of design

Introduction to Interior Design

What is interior design, and how does it differ from decoration? This unit draws the line between the decorator (surface and furnishing), the interior designer (space, function, codes and services — the regulated profession) and the furniture designer (a manufacturable object), and walks the design process from programming to execution. Then it sets out the vocabulary every designer uses: the elements (point, line, shape, form, space, colour, light, pattern, texture) and the principles (balance, proportion, scale, rhythm, emphasis, unity, contrast, movement).

Decoration vs designDesign processElementsPrinciplesQuiz
Open the lesson

The syllabus

Five units, from a history of the room to the ergonomics of a chair.

Transcribed from the official B.Arch syllabus. All 5 units are live as full interactive lessons, each with original diagrams, a self-assessment quiz and a study task.

1

Unit 1 — Interiors Across History

Live

Representative interior spaces, decoration and furniture in the Western world from the beginnings to the twentieth century, and in India across the ages — Mughal, Rajput, Chettinad and the living folk traditions of wall and floor art.

CO1
2

Unit 2 — Introduction to Interior Design

Live

The professions of interior decoration, interior design and furniture design — their origin, evolution and scope; the definition and process of interior design; and the vocabulary of design — the elements (point, line, shape, form, space, colour, light, pattern, texture) and the principles (balance, proportion, scale, rhythm, hierarchy, unity, contrast, emphasis, movement).

CO2CO3
3

Unit 3 — Components of Interior Space

Live

The role of interior treatment and finishes — the design of floors, ceilings, walls, partitions, window treatments and accessories, by context, function, ambience, materials, properties, methods of construction, colour and texture.

CO4CO3
4

Unit 4 — Lighting & Interior Landscaping

Live

The role of lighting in the experience of interior space — the layers of light, fixture types and metrics — and the role of interior landscaping: plants, rocks, water, paving and artefacts.

CO4CO5
5

Unit 5 — Furniture Design

Live

Furniture design as related to human comfort and function — anthropometrics and ergonomics — built-in versus freestanding, the materials and methods of construction, cultural particularities, and changing trends and innovations.

CO6CO5

Course outcomes

What you should be able to do after completing all five units (CO1–CO6, from the syllabus).

1
Understand

Recognise representative interior spaces and furniture across history — Western and Indian — and the elements and principles of design and their applications.

2
Apply

Demonstrate competency in the interior design process — programming, schematic design, design development, documentation and execution.

3
Apply

Use the design fundamentals — the elements and principles — as tools in establishing design criteria and developing a scheme.

4
Apply

Apply the basic rules of space planning and organisation, and the design of the components of interior space.

5
Create

Produce design compositions for interior spaces — finishes, lighting, landscaping and furniture — and develop presentation skills.

6
Understand

Understand human comfort, anthropometrics and ergonomics, and the materials and methods of furniture and finishes.

Topics and outcomes follow the published B.Arch syllabus (L2 · T0 · S0; 100 marks). Every diagram is produced originally by Studio Matrx for teaching, and the content is cross-checked against the cited references (Ching, Pile, Panero & Zelnik, IS 3646, IS 3663). We flag the myths the textbooks repeat — that the golden ratio is a law of beauty, that "warm" light is a high Kelvin number, and that MDF is stronger than plywood because it is smoother.

Image credits

Every photograph is a verified Creative-Commons or Public-Domain work from Wikimedia Commons, used with attribution. The hand-drawn diagrams are original Studio Matrx work.

The room as a designed thing.

History, language, components, light and furniture — the five things you need to read and make an interior. Read the units top to bottom, study the diagrams, then test yourself.

Open Unit I Back to Students

Studio Matrx is a tribute to Amogh N P. The curriculum is free, forever.