apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

New York School of Interior Design has been around for about 100 years -- back in the 70's and 80's it had a legendary color course taught by Nancy Jo Fox -- and School of Visual Arts has an excellent and well-respected interior design program. Assuming you're in New York, I'd visit each one and see which one feels best to you.

In the end, however, all any school can teach you is basic skills. Talent and what you do with those skills is up to you.

NYSID also lets you take courses without fully enrolling.

In the meantime, any job where you have to deal with people, and timeframes-- retail, waiting tables-- will help prepare you for the people part.

The top Interior Design School in the country is the University of Cincinnati. I suggest you check them out. In addition to being the best, the program includes a coop program where you alternate between work and school starting in your second year.

Do some research as to what it is you really want to learn. Are you interested in the more architectural side of things or in color, etc. Get a copy of US News and World report listing, start calling the top schools to see what their specialties and strengths are. I am particularly fond of Pratt (I go there, for ID not for interiors) and the work I have seen has been more about public spaces than private homes. The students seem to have a really strong grasp of understanding abstract space and doing problem solving.

Hmm. My approach would be to try and find the folks who are doing what you want to do and ask them--as you just did here.

Find a few more and ask them, too. You'll probably find that people come from a variety of backgrounds.

Good luck with this. I hope you have a rich and rewarding career.

Dalia, I went through the exact same thing last year & applied to all the known NY schools (NYSID, Pratt, Parsons) for their graduate school/AAS programs. The best thing to do is to visit, talk to faculty/students/administrators about the program, & see which program fits you best. NYSID is much more decorative & about the aesthetic/superficial aspects of design. Pratt is more artsy in general & has a 3 yr program (1st year- if you don't have a lot of experience- is all training in drawing & what not) but it's a very, very good school.
I chose Parsons & cannot sing its praises enough. The faculty is outstanding (they all work in the field at their own firms or some of the best firms in the city, all Ivy grads, all with stellar resumes & experience), they really push you to think both architecturally & conceptually, so that when you graduate you aren't a decorator, but a designer fully capable of working side by side w/ architects, contractors, etc. The school has a great career services dept & many of the teachers will use their connections to help you as well. I loved it there, & yes, it wasn't easy & was very time consuming. Yet, going there gave me the skills I needed to develop a good portfolio & work in my dream job today. Goodluck w/ your search!

By the way, the Parson's program is an AAS program & you can be done in a 1- 1.5 yrs depending on previous experience/college credits.

The original question was for schools that will help you to work with homeowners to design their homes - so in response to that I must say that most interior design degree programs focus on the architectural foundation that you must have in order to practice as a designer. The focus is generally on commercial interior design and not so much residential but you can apply that knowledge to any type of interior design. If you are only wanting to do the "top layer" so to speak and not delve into any structral changes then you don't need a degree.

I would suggest working at a furniture store that offers a design service. I did this in highschool (before going majoring in interior design at the Savannah College of Art and Design) and it really gave me the people skills that I needed to work with clients. You really can't learn that part in school.

Once you've gotten your feet wet with working with clients you can decide if you want to get a certificate or a degree in design. I think that's probably the best way to really get what you want and not waste money.

Dalia, I dont know what stage you are in your career. Maybe you are just starting out or are mid career and switching gears.

Let me second, Laura. Do lots of self analysis and figure out what makes you happy. Do you need people contact to make you happy? Do you need diversity of day to day tasks? Do you need to be the one calling the shots? Do you want professional respect? Do you see yourself teaching? Do you see yourself opening your own firm? What sort of lifestyle do you want for yourself? Imagine your dream career and be very specific. Journal this and figure it out before you start looking at ANY schools. And then get a job in the area that will give you some of the skills and a chance to observe the people you want to be "when you grow up".

Take it from someone who has 2 graduate degrees and is in several hundred thousand dollars of debt. I could have figured this out so much more easily if I was more self reflective. Also I should have spent more time working in the field I wanted to be in at an entry level. Then I would have figured out that certain lifestyles dont work for me. Dont be pressured to go to school right away just cause everyone else seems to be. Take you time and do your research. Good luck.

I am a little more than 1/2 through my degree at Kean University in NJ; and I agree with Laura that university interior design programs focus almost entirely on commerical-type projects, so if residential is your thing, maybe you want to find a serious decorating course -- I have seen a few certificate programs around. Also, NYSID offers a workshop called "So you Want to be an Interior Designer" -- it's like a one or two night thing. And I couldn't agree with Trymystique more -- get out there and work a bit to find out what really, truly is your calling. I am working toward my BFA in Interior Design, but I find myself so interested in the human part of it that I may add a second major in Environmental Psychology.

I've been kicking around the idea of doing a Master's in interiors for a couple of years, and am not into the commercial side of it myself. Do a lot of self-analysis and get all the brochures from programs. I was surprised how different their focuses and approaches are. Parsons, Pratt, SCAD and the Boston Architectural Center are my short list.

If you haven't looked at Boston yet, you might want to. They have a 5yr Master's where you work part-time to fulfill the practice requirements for sitting for the licensing exam. It's less expensive and you get some of the expense offset by the apprenticeship thing. Plus you get to cut your teeth in a nurturing, teaching environment. My cousin Rob has friends that go there and LOVE it.

trumystique, what can I say. like most people these days, no field or work experience ten's of thousands if not hundred of thousands of dollars of debt and most can't even get a decent job. You share a similar problem as many. Point I am making people without getting into a lot of detail is work. Take a job at a furniture store(best option) learn the history, product, etc. Work, work, and work. I am in my 30's and that is how I did it. Working since 16. Much better off I feel. NYSID is the way to go. Most inexpensive and has the most flexible program. But this is NYC and you can't be considered in a conversation (with people under 28-30) unless you have a graduate degree. Ahh the young people of today!Too sad:(
Where do people get this money from anyway? Anyone else wonder these things. Man...

Just because AT does not include the South as a design source, except for mention of Savannah, the best schools for design have historically been the University of Florida and Auburn University. I attended The University of Florida light years ago, when their interior design program was within their College of Architecture. It was the premiere program at the time, as was the program at Auburn, primarily because both were based in the best university architectural programs in the South. There is something to be said about having your basic training in structure and architectural history. What I'm seeing in today's "design" blogs resembles what passed for "craft" in my formative design years. There are terrific designers out there with no formal education, but the best new design I see is based on the best historical form, reinterrperted for today's lifestyles.
Wall decals and "felted" pillows are not good design, regardless of the epoch. I can appreciate the love for "mid-century", but many of the "designs" I see posted currently remind me of the bad motel courts we stopped at on US 301 on the the way to the North Carolina mountains to escape the Florida heat.
Having a knowledge of art history and great design of the past can only make one a good designer of the present.

I'm surprised no one mentioned FIT in NYC (Fashion Institute of Technology). Evening classes with part time enrollment, associates degree and bachelor's degree.

I don't believe any school will offer the education you will receive while working in a real firm and dealing with the real life issues but you will learn about the fundamentals of design.

I would avoid schools that focus mostly on the decorating aspect you either have that ability or you don't. Rather I would try and concentrate more on the structure, architecture and execution of good design.