Believe it or not, I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to study Interior Design at KLC. While it’s true that COVID-19 lockdown has triggered a lot of questionable decision making on my part, deciding on what course to study was pretty well thought out. Sort of. Keep reading to find why I chose to study Interior Design at KLC School of Design.
That time I decided I had to study Interior Design in the middle of COVID lockdown
I’ve always been a bit of a planner. While I have a habit of making snap decisions that turn my life upside-down, it’s never done without proper research and thought. For example, I might wake up one morning and decide I absolutely need a totally new hairstyle. So I’ll make the snap decision and book in a hair appointment for the next day. Only then I’ll spend the rest of the day researching hair styles and making mood boards to make sure I get it right – something I love, that suits me. It’s a type of quality control that I use to keep my rash life decisions in check.
This is exactly what I did when deciding to move from Melbourne to London in 2012. I made a ’snap decision’ that I was going to move to London while walking home from work with my housemate one afternoon. I didn’t jump the gun and leave right away though. Instead, I put a big plan in place to make it happen on my terms and in my own time. All the forward planning and research meant that I could live out my perfect life in my new city. That’s how my first blog London New Girl was born – and it’s still thriving more than 8 years later! I love helping other women live their best life in London.
So when I woke up one morning in April – one month into COVID-19 lockdown – I had a moment of sudden clarity. (OK it was also triggered by an Instagram ad for an online course that popped up during my morning scroll!) But I couldn’t get the thought out my head. The thought that there’s never been a better time to learn something new. Something that I’m incredibly passionate about. And there’s nothing that I’m more passionate about right now than interior design.
As a freelancer, my workload had basically dropped to zero by this point, thanks to huge budget cuts from all my clients. So by that same afternoon, I had started researching my options.
Things to consider when choosing an Interior Design course
What was clear right away is that choosing to study Interior Design isn’t cheap. While there are a lot of courses available, it’s a pretty big financial decision, especially during a global pandemic.
So rather than jump straight in, I decided to dip my toe in and test the water first. I went 50/50 with my best friend and bought an annual subscription to MasterClass. It set me back £90 thanks to their ‘buy one get one free’ offer. Now I have access to hundreds of Masterclasses for the next year.
Despite the many classes available, the main selling point for me was for the Interior Design Masterclass with Kelly Wearstler. Whether or not I thought that ‘course’ delivered on what it promised is a story for another post (coming soon). But what I can say with definite resolution is that my excitement and curiosity for interior design had well and truly exploded by this point.
My next task was researching Interior Design courses and drawing up a comparison table to find my ideal match. I started by researching who the official industry bodies were, and landed on the British Institute of Interior Design. This group are a member-based accreditation body in the UK. While they don’t accredit any courses themselves, they do provide a set of guidelines on how to choose an Interior Design course.
The BIID recommend that a professional level interior design course should have one of the following accreditations:
- An HND, FdA, BA, BSc or MDes in Interior Design/Interior Architecture/Spatial Design offered by a University or college recognised by the UK government.
- An HND, FdA, BA, BSc, or MDes validated by a University recognised by the UK government but delivered by an independent course provider.
- A Certificate or Diploma offered by a course provider that is itself accredited by a recognised national accrediting body such as the British Accreditation Council or the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council.
Comparing Interior Design courses
So as I researched different courses, I made note of all accreditation and checked to see if the course outline reflected the recommendations of the BIID. It helped narrow down my options quite a lot. My second point of call was to look at reviews online.
There’s a real lack of resources when it comes to first-person, genuine reviews of interior design courses.
I found it especially hard to find reviews for KLC, which made it even tougher to make the call. That’s exactly why I started this study journal.
Of course it’s no surprise that price was a huge factor. The cost of certificate and diploma courses I researched varied from £400 – £8,000, and much more for university degrees. But I also discovered that the cost helped determine how professionally legitimate each course was. It really sifted the amateur hobby courses from the industry-recognised courses.
Finally, time was my last big decision driver. I wanted a course that was comprehensive and truly educational. Not something I could finish part-time in just 3 months’ time. Just like the course price, I found that course duration and average completion time went a huge way in separating the amateur from the professional.
Why I chose to study Interior Design at KLC
So, with all this in mind, I landed on KLC School of Design. My biggest concern was the lack of reviews from students. However, a lot of research into the school taught me that they’re one of – if not the most – well regarded schools in the UK for Interior Design. They have a partnership with the University of Brighton, which has an outstanding reputation in the world of design. Knowing the courses are approved by such a great university was a huge pro. And the thing that really made my decision a no-brainer was the special price offer during the month of April – almost 50% off! My mind (and heart) was made up.
After sitting with the decision for a couple of days longer to make sure it was really what I wanted, I bit the bullet and registered on a Thursday afternoon. By Friday the following afternoon, I received my acceptance email. I’ve been living on cloud nine ever since!
I honestly couldn’t be happier about choosing to study Interior Design at KLC School of Design.
Sure their technology probably isn’t as fancy as some of the newer online schools like The Interior Design Institute. The videos don’t have the same glossy, high production finish of a MasterClass series. But the content, course work and support thus far has been second-to-none. The amount of new skills that I’ve learnt in just the first two weeks is pretty incredible. And I feel so happy with the knowledge that at the end of the course, I’ll have completed a comprehensive Residential Interior Design course from a top industry-regarded school.
I know it can be hard to find feedback on the courses online. So if anyone has any questions about what it’s like to study interior design at KLC, drop me a comment below.