Interior Design BA (Hons)
Subject and course type
- Architecture and interior design
- Undergraduate
Through Kingston University's Interior Design BA (Hons) you'll learn how to craft environments which give meaning, form and identity to a rapidly changing world.
You are reading:
Redesign your world from the inside out
Create environments and interactions that meet the needs and enrich the experience of modern life.
All we teach is based on an in-depth understanding of people, materials, space, light and ecology. Using this as a foundation, you'll investigate the existing, interrogate problems and playfully speculate solutions. You'll also be able to tell stories, create desires and bring designs to an innovative material and spatial resolution.
Our dedicated studios and world-class workshops will allow you to combine traditional craft techniques with progressive new technologies. You'll sketch, collage, make models and fabricate full size prototypes. With the aid of computers, you'll draw, model, print, cut, mill and prototype.
We'll encourage you to embrace circular thinking. Waste will become a resource and everything will have a second life. You'll master how to reuse buildings and harvest materials for new uses. You'll recreate the world from the inside out.
Architecture and interior design at Kingston School of Art
Our architecture and interior design students are shaping their futures. Hear how you could take steps towards an influential, creative career at Kingston School of Art.
Students are encouraged to experiment and stretch the boundaries of what they think they know in order to generate outcomes that they did not know existed.
Student work
Why choose this course
We have dedicated studios with open access to impressive workshops. ‘Thinking Through Making’ informs practice across the art school and the workshops are the spaces that connect us. Together, we explore the major challenges and opportunities shaping the future of design.
We have a great teaching team. Designers, thinkers and makers with extensive experience in both teaching and practice. Our staff have designed exciting projects such as a restaurant in the National Theatre, SOIL exhibition at Somerset House and innovative Natural Building Systems.
We collaborate. Our projects evolve collaboratively with developers, entrepreneurs, community groups and some of the best design studios in the UK. Design briefs range from the design of temporary events to exploring the long-term reuse of abandoned buildings.
We win awards. Our graduates have won important national awards for Craft and Making, Interior Futures, Sustainability and Design For Social Justice. We have won prestigious international awards such as the RSA’s ‘Flourishing Places’ and the Arts Thread Interior Architecture Award.
We are connected. We work closely with our extensive network of top UK Design studios where our graduates are currently developing their careers. These include Brinkworth, Universal Design Studio, SHED, Johnathan Tuckey, Dalziel & Pow, Johnson Naylor, Foster + Partners, Turner Bates, Squire + Partners, Gensler, Household, Morey Smith.
The Complete University Guide 2026 ranks us in the Top 10 in the UK for Art & Design – covers Fashion, Fashion Promotion and Communication, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration Animation, Interior Design, and Product and Furniture Design.
The Art School Experience
As part of Kingston School of Art, students benefit from joining a creative community where we encourage collaborative working and critical practice.
Our workshops and labs are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.
Course content
This studio-based course comprises a series of projects increasing in complexity. It will give you an understanding of light and colour, materials, space and volume. Projects range from the design of temporary events to exploring the long-term reuse of buildings.
Year 1
Year 1 introduces the principles of interior design. You'll start small, joining materials together to create space and end the year big, with the inventive reuse of an empty building to create a renewed sense of place. In the first part of the year, you'll develop a modular exhibition system. This will develop your core skills in drawing, making, storytelling and creative thinking.
In the second part of the year, your focus is on the tools and techniques required to transform a neglected space for a new generation, who need a place to meet, relax, make, exchange and celebrate.
Core modules
30.00 credits
This module introduces you to the full interior design process in context. It addresses the significance of research, observation, documentation, evaluation, idea generation, concept development, iteration and communication. It also introduces you to core interior design considerations including proportion, ergonomics, scale, function, form, structure and spatial organisation. Conscious awareness and practice of all aspects of the design process is understood as the means for the successful development of project work from inception to resolution.
30.00 credits
The aim of this module is to introduce you to the principles of ideation and communication in interior design. You will undertake a range of projects, workshops, experiments and exercises to expand your knowledge, challenge preconception and to stimulate confidence and risk taking. You will communicate this project work and other exercises appropriately through a range of newly acquired and developing visual communication skills. The emphasis in this module is on expanding creative outlook and approach and in developing core communication competencies that underpin interior design practice.
30 credits
Through image-based lectures, discussions and study visits, this module presents a thematic history of designed spaces, situating in particular the emergence of the interior in modernity. Themes include: relations between design practices and professions, relations between politics, labour, craft and technology, taste and display, consumption and design, and spatial concepts within and beyond architecture. Each session is intended to address particular ideas and practices that have shaped our contemporary understanding of designed spaces as part of meaningful social, cultural and economic activity. The module engages with critical texts to allow students to examine the relationship between theory and practice, and to develop an understanding of how designed spaces emerge and are situated as cultural responses to modernity.
30 credits
This module will introduce you to the principle of the workshop and studio as integrated creative environments for the interior designer. The workshop is seen as an extension of the design studio, with special facilities for particular activities, such as the 3D workshop and digital media workshop. This principle is explored in the context of materials and construction and their impact on the interior through a series of projects centred on physical (and digital) modelling. Digital modelling facilitates physical modelling which is used to explore materials and construction through scale representation and the model's own attributes. Judgements are made on model aesthetics and communication. The modelling process develops basic workshop skills and refines an awareness of attention to detail.
Material characteristics and properties, manufacturing processes and technologies are also introduced and explored. The module simultaneously grounds you with key competencies and subject context knowledge.
Year 2
Year 2 focuses on the processes of interior design. The year typically begins with the creative reuse of an empty building. Past projects include converting an abandoned swimming pool into a performing arts venue and adapting a former bank to the needs of diverse community groups.
In the second part of the year, you'll typically work on design and build projects. This provides you with the opportunity to physically make space you can step inside and experience. Past projects include converting a Dutch barge into a mobile community space and creating a digitally fabricated system to exhibit progressive fashion. A third module supports your skills in digital fabrication, circular thinking and sustainable design, alongside providing insights into professional design practice.
Core modules
30 credits
This module builds on the historical and thematic content introduced at Level 4 and emphasises the theorisation of interior design practice. A series of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, screenings and visits informs and supports your own emerging research interests and the development of independent visual and academic research skills that cross history/theory and design practice. Lectures and seminars will deepen critical and theoretical engagement with contemporary issues in interior design. Seminar tasks and assessments are carefully designed to foreground projects that support the location of interior design as a discipline. Research methodologies are introduced though case studies and practical activities that reflect the issues explored through the module's content.
30 credits
The aim of this module is to enhance your understanding of contemporary design practice. Informed by insights from leading design studios, you will be exposed to the skills, sensibilities, attitudes and relationships required to be successful in practice. This module explores how collaborative and interdisciplinary practice enables studios to become more agile and responsive to the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing world. You will gain insight into how circular thinking is changing how designers think, and how concerns for equity, diversity and inclusion are informing the future of our practice. This is then applied within a collaborative studio-based project that exposes you to the broader possibilities of emerging design practice.
30 credits
This module develops upon the Level 4 Adaptive Reuse project. You'll further develop the skills and sensitivities required to creatively adapt a disused space, making it useful and meaningful for a new generation. You'll develop highly-valued professional skills in drawing, visualising and creative problem-solving within the context of a building transformed.
Past projects include converting a disused swimming pool into a performing arts venue and adapting of former bank to meet the needs of diverse community groups, who need a place to grow, make, exchange and celebrate.
30 credits
The projects on this module explore spatial storytelling, scenography, exhibition design and immersive brand experiences. Working at a smaller scale provides the opportunity to resolve and communicate the technical and material qualities of a project to a high level. You'll develop professional skills in working with clients, effective collaboration, design for fabrication and memorable story-telling. Past projects include converting a Dutch barge into a mobile community space and creating a digitally fabricated system to exhibit progressive fashion
Optional year
You can choose to study or work abroad through the University's Study Abroad programme or the Erasmus programme during your degree.
Final year
Your final year focuses on the practice of interior design. You'll complete a dissertation, a portfolio and a major design project. This project will reflect everything you've learnt and will be the most significant expression of your personal design vision. Examples of recent award-winning projects include accommodation and training facilities for the homeless within a post-industrial tower, an algae farm and wellbeing centre within an 18th-century mill house, and a visitor experience and factory transforming hair waste within a former submarine factory.
Core modules
30.00 credits
This module builds upon the Interior Practice module in Level 5. You will be required to develop a ‘map’ of future possibilities, evaluating future career options and ensuring this positively shapes personal creative direction within the Major Design Project. Contemporary tools and techniques are explored to enhance self-marketing through online platforms and physical events.
You will be encouraged to expand your network of professional contacts and actively shape your next steps into professional practice and postgraduate study.
60 credits
The Major Design Project is the course 'capstone' project. It provides the opportunity to consolidate and practise all prior learning during your time on the programme, by culminating in a design expression of your personal interior design journey. You'll be invited to explore an urban context in need of a creative rethink. Past locations include disused factories in Chatham Dockyards, a slowly rotting tidal mill in North London, an empty cinema in Margate and an abandoned palace in Athens.
Sustainable design and circular thinking guides the material resolution of the spaces you design. You'll be encouraged to think and behave in a more sustainable and meaningful way. Our world is always changing, and the challenge is to reinvent post-industrial, post-leisure or, increasingly, post-retail buildings to cater for a new generation. You'll develop inventive design proposals, which are economically viable, environmentally sustainable and culturally meaningful. This project will ensure you are highly valuable within a competitive professional landscape.
15 credits
This module supports an extended research project that deepens your understanding of critical issues relevant to your practice. You’ll explore a topic of your choosing, framed by questions emerging from your own design work and informed by relevant theory, history, or cultural context. Working independently and with tutor support, you’ll undertake rigorous enquiry using appropriate research methods and sources. Through this process, you’ll build your ability to reflect critically, argue persuasively, and contribute to contemporary discourse in interaction design.
15 credits
This module gives you a dedicated opportunity to develop your Future Skills Graduate Attributes.
At the start of the module, you will be supported to self-assess your current skills profile. You will determine which attributes and skills you need to develop to support your career ambitions. In this process, you will be supported by a dedicated career coach, helping you explore a range of options that includes self-employment/freelancing, starting your own business, higher level study, and other professional graduate-level opportunities. Throughout the module, you will be given opportunities to engage with external mentors, to support reflection and to develop a professional network.
You will undertake a tailored series of activities and projects, aligned to your goals, from a menu of development options. This could include short courses, enrichment activities and experiential learning options such as micro-placements. You will also be able to reflect on activities outside the University that develop your graduate attributes, such as work or volunteering.
International students: direct application
Are you an international student? Have you decided Kingston is the place for you? If so, you can apply for this course directly, rather than having to go through UCAS.
What career opportunities does this course offer?
Graduates from our Interior Design BA (Hons) degree course go on to careers in interior and architectural design practice, as well as exhibition, scenography and brand environments.
Examples of employers include Brinkworth, Universal Design Studio, Casson Mann, Squire and Partners, and Fitch.
Future Skills
Our Future Skills programme is embedded within all our undergraduate courses and throughout the whole Kingston experience. These skills will help you to become a future-proof graduate by equipping you with the skills most valued by employers, such as problem-solving, digital competency and adaptability.
As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills. You’ll also understand how to demonstrate and articulate to employers how these future skills give you the edge.
Teaching and assessment
Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.
It may also include critiques, project work, studio practice and performance, digital labs, workshops, and placements.
Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.
Our academic support team here at Kingston University provides help in a range of areas.
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at Kingston and show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at Kingston University.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- Year 1: 40% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 2: 37% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 3: 26% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
Types of assessment
- Year 1: Coursework 100%
- Year 2: Coursework 100%
- Year 3: Coursework 100%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9am and 6pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £10,050* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2027/28): | £To be confirmed |
| Year 2 (2028/29): | £To be confirmed |
| Year 3 (2029/30): | £To be confirmed |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
*For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course.
Your annual tuition fee covers your first attempt at all modules required for that academic year. Any re-study or repeat of modules will incur additional charges, calculated according to the number of credits taken.
Home students (UK):
Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
International students:
Full-time taught international student fees are subject to an annual increase, which is published in advance for the full duration of your programme.
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,790* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2026/27): | £21,400 |
| Year 2 (2027/28): | £22,300 |
| Year 3 (2028/29): | £23,200 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
*For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course.
Your annual tuition fee covers your first attempt at all modules required for that academic year. Any re-study or repeat of modules will incur additional charges, calculated according to the number of credits taken.
Home students (UK):
Tuition fees are subject to inflation-linked increases in line with government policy. Updated fees will be confirmed in line with the maximum fee cap set by the Government or the Office for Students (OfS) for each academic year. This means your fee may increase for each academic year of study, but only up to the maximum amount permitted for that year.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
International students:
Full-time taught international student fees are subject to an annual increase, which is published in advance for the full duration of your programme.
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £9,535* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2025/26): | £19,500 |
| Year 2 (2026/27): | £20,300 |
| Year 3 (2027/28): | £21,100 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
*For full-time programmes lasting more than one academic year, a tuition fee is payable for each academic year of the course. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations – Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
If you choose to do a placement year, travel costs will vary depending on your location. These costs could be up to £2,000.
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.
Student work
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
What our external examiners and collaborators say
Students are encouraged to experiment and stretch the boundaries of what they think they know, in order to provide for themselves outcomes that they did not know existed.
Browns is thrilled with the results and with your professionalism. It was a truly great collaboration!
The team from Kingston won Browns over with a combination of engaging narrative, ambition and a commitment to quality.
Key information
The scrolling banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).
