Index
Interior Design
BP196 - Bachelor of Design (Interior Design)
Cirrus’ by Christina Fogale, Design Institute of Australia, Graduate of the Year in 2010, displayed here at Stylecraft
‘Poetics of Making: Weaving a Space for Community’ by Vaughan Howard, Winner of the Graduate of the Year Award in 2009. Image by Will Belcher
Do you care about how people live? How we inhabit our world? As an interior designer, you will be part of an idea-led profession, concerned with the relationships between people and the surrounding environment. You will understand that the design of interiors is not confined to the inside of buildings, but addresses spatial and temporal concerns ranging from the intimacy of a finely crafted object to the urban fabric of a city.
RMIT’s Interior Design course at the Melbourne city campus challenges the accepted assumptions about interior design and you will have the opportunity to push the boundaries and test new ideas through design project work.
Program information
Program guide – Learn more about the program structure, fees and how to apply.
Career outlook
Graduates will be employed in interior design and architectural practices where commissions may range from domestic interior, retail and entertainment, to hospitality, corporate office and public building design. These practices range in scale from large corporate offices to teams of two to three. Design practices are increasingly becoming multidisciplinary, with interior designers, landscape architects, architects, industrial designers and graphic designers collaborating on large-scale projects. Many graduates also establish their own design practices. Interior designers also work in film and television design, set design for theatre, furniture design, exhibition design and curating, event planning and design journalism.
Student profiles
Christina Fogale
After completing the Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration at RMIT, I was in a position where I wanted more and had the opportunity to participate in an Interior Design short course. I really enjoyed the way the course was run, and the degree became a new challenge to embark on to move further into the field. Since studying at TAFE I was able to move into 2nd year of the degree.
I am most proud of my thesis project, completed in 2010.The main idea was the production of a ‘Cloud’ named Cirrus. It is a modulated surface made from Tyvek. Since August 2010 it has been suspended in many different environments and events around Melbourne. Each space has challenged the surface to respond in a different manner which in-turn alters the interior environment.
Justin Rogers
I was working in a completely different field (public relations) when I became interested in interior design. I spoke to a few designers working in the industry and all of them had either studied at RMIT or knew that the interior design course had a good reputation.
I think the fact the course is structured to build my skills as a designer and also the freedom to pursue what interests me is what I like most about the course. The teaching staff all have a really diverse range of knowledge and interests and they get really passionate and get excited about you’re doing. The design studios and specialisations which change each semester also mean that the course is always offering something exciting and new and that learning doesn’t become repetitive or boring. The course also offered me the opportunity to do an exchange semester in Germany. The experience of studying and travelling in Europe was incredibly valuable to me and helped further develop my skills as an interior designer.
In my second year I was able to do a summer semester called Global Retail Challenge sponsored by Myer. In this course I worked intensively with fashion students and industrial design students to respond to a series of briefs examining retail culture in Melbourne and ways of understanding the ‘brand’ of Melbourne. The course included presentations from organisations like Disney and excursions around Melbourne. Working in teams we were mentored by industry professionals and developed a new retail concept which epitomised the brand values of Melbourne. The culmination of the course was presenting our retail concept to the board of Myer.
Student work
INDEX – Graduate Exhibition 2011
INDEX is an exhibition, a celebration and a forum about the interior. The thesis projects are each a design exploration of personal significance. Collectively they challenge assumptions and propose new ways of thinking about the future of interior design.
Social Studio – No Fixed Address
The Social Studio is a dynamic space where chic and edgy clothing is created by skilled young people from the refugee community in Melbourne who have completed training through RMIT’s School of Fashion and Textiles. The designers and makers use recycled and excess manufacturing materials from local industry, re-configuring the garments into original clothing.
Students from RMIT’s Interior Design and Industrial Design programs teamed with the Social Studio to develop pop-up shops that will enable garments to be sold from key urban spaces.
Working with industry
Each semester, practising professional designers present studios or specialisations which engage directly with contemporary design projects and/ or issues. These projects may involve clients and actual projects where you will develop your design proposals within a scenario-based, simulated design practice environment. A strong community and industry relationship has been developed in the program which allows you to be exposed to ‘real life projects’. Examples include: the design practice Hassell; projects with Billabong, Euroluce, Melbourne Central and the State of Design Festival.
Staff
Suzie Attiwill Program Director / Student Exchange and Study Abroad Coordinator
Anthony Fryatt Lecturer/ Specialisations Coordinator
Leah Heiss Lecturer/ Communication Coordinator/ International Student Selection Officer
Rochus Hinkel Senior Lecturer/ 2nd and 3rd Year Design Studio Coordinator
Roger Kemp Lecturer / 4th year Design Coordinator/ Professional practice Coordinator
Ross McLeod McLeod Senior Lecturer / Technical Studies Coordinator / Research Director, Furniture Lab
Andrea Mina Associate Professor / Director of International Development
Trish Pringle Senior Lecturer / Postgraduate Research coordinator
Phoebe Whitman Lecturer / 1st Year Design Coordinator Lecturer / 1st Year Design Coordinator/ Local Student Selection Officer
Philippa Murray Lecturer / History Theory Coordinator
Contact us
General enquiries
Speak to our friendly staff about programs, applications, pathways and important dates at RMIT Info Corner.
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