If you love crafting meaningful spaces for people to inhabit and can’t get enough of architecture, arranging space and considering how people connect with their environment, welcome to your dream area of study: interior design!
It’s true that interior design is about crafting beautiful spaces, but it goes beyond Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper. There are regulations and building codes, electrical systems, and lighting to deal with. It’s part art, part math, part psychology.
The reward? Crafting the perfect space for your client, giving expression to the desire for hospitality, and creating something beautiful.
You Will Be Prepared Professionally
We are deeply connected to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the American Society of Interior Designers, and the Northwest Society of Interior Designers – three of the most prominent professional organizations in the region, with advisors from their boards working to develop our program.
Our interior design program will educate you to become a creative and responsible interior designer for residential and commercial buildings. Our program was modeled following National Council for Interior Design Qualification standards, which prepares students to enter the industry and begin the process of sitting for certification exams that are standard in the industry (NCIDQ requires students practice professionally before receiving full certification).
You will receive training through course work that prepares you for each portion of the certification process. Upon graduating and working in the field for the required number of hours, you will be ready to sit for the exam and be fully certified to practice interior design independently.
An Emphasis on Environmental Health
The interior design program emphasizes best practices, including concern for environmental issues, LEED certification, ADA requirements, and the construction of holistically considered and relatable environments through problem solving in applied design studios.
With a particular focus on spatial design and space planning, complemented by the application of surface decoration, our students learn to design spaces for living, working, business, health and recreation environments.
Are you creative? Do you love the thought of designing practical living spaces? If so, those are just a couple reasons to join us. Here are some others:
Learn from accomplished faculty, all of whom continue to work professionally in the field and who are professing Christians.
The major shares a foundational curriculum with the studio and applied design areas of our program. As a result, students are exposed to an interdisciplinary, integrated curriculum that stresses the broad intellectual development needed for a robust design practice, whether as a team member of a larger design firm or a freelance practitioner.
Each semester, multiple professional interior designers are brought to campus through our visiting artist series. Students also are able to connect with regional interior resources and partners through trips to Portland and other regional centers.
Connections to regional businesses and institutions allow our students to work in placed internships and work with clients/commissions while still in school.
You will have the opportunity to participate in multiple community-based events, including an art retreat where majors travel to the Oregon Coast to spend a weekend of artmaking, worship and getting to know one another.
You will be part of a family-oriented community where you will be known by name and surrounded by peers who will challenge, encourage and listen to you.
What will I Study?
Designing homes
Designing kitchens and baths
Crafting custom furnishings and finishes
Drafting and creating renders of buildings
Creating environmentally friendly workplaces
As courses progress, you will be challenged by design problems that increase in size and complexity. The curriculum will help you develop an understanding of the influence of sustainable building and reuse on human health, well-being and performance.
Art majors given preference. This course is a study of materials, methods, and techniques used for drawing with pencil, ink, charcoal, and other drawing media. Additional course fee is required.
A survey of the elements and concepts of art theory and practice as reflected in culturally and historically significant painting, sculpture, architecture, and other art forms, from 1450 to the present. Additional course fee is required.
Art and its relationship to a non-Western culture, e.g., African, Asian, Latin American. Specific topic will be dependent on the instructor's area of specialization. Additional course fee is required.
A study of the relationship between art and Christianity in the contemporary world. Designed primarily for studio art majors. Prerequisite: either ARTS 382 Twentieth Century Art or ARTS 384 Contemporary Art Forms. Additional course fee required.
This seminar course will meet weekly to focus on theory, concepts and methodology of art historical study and their application by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Investigations of film and writing will be a secondary approach to this course. Must be taken minimum 5 out of 8 semesters in students’ program. Satisfies: core major requirement.
Additional course fee required.
This seminar course will meet weekly to focus on theory, concepts and methodology of art historical study and their application by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Investigations of film and writing will be a secondary approach to this course. Must be taken minimum 5 out of 8 semesters in students’ program. Satisfies: core major requirement.
Additional course fee required.
This seminar course will meet weekly to focus on theory, concepts and methodology of art historical study and their application by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Investigations of film and writing will be a secondary approach to this course. Must be taken minimum 5 out of 8 semesters in students’ program. Satisfies: core major requirement.
Additional course fee required.
This seminar course will meet weekly to focus on theory, concepts and methodology of art historical study and their application by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Investigations of film and writing will be a secondary approach to this course. Must be taken minimum 5 out of 8 semesters in students’ program. Satisfies: core major requirement.
Additional course fee required.
This seminar course will meet weekly to focus on theory, concepts and methodology of art historical study and their application by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Investigations of film and writing will be a secondary approach to this course. Must be taken minimum 5 out of 8 semesters in students’ program. Satisfies: core major requirement.
Additional course fee required.
This course is an introduction to industry-standard graphic design applications such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Additional course fee required.
This course couples a 1 or 2-hour student internship or professional experience with a 1-hour seminar that explores workplace communication and problem solving. Additionally, students will gain exposure to common business practices such as the development of contracts, estimates, invoices, accounting, promotion, and project management. Prerequisite: Junior status or instructor approval.
This course focuses on the organization and preparation of a portfolio showcasing a student's creative work in preparation for employment in the field of design. Students will explore visual composition and organization, document assembly methods and various reproduction image management techniques. Computer photo editing and printing are used to a paper and digital portfolio. The implications of a professional portfolio to gain employment is emphasized. This course is the equivalent to INTD 492. Additional course fee required. Prerequisites: Art major with senior status, or by instructor permission.
This course is an introduction to computer-aided design and drafting using Autodesk AutoCAD. Students will use CADD software effectively to create computer-generated plans for commercial space while reviewing Life Safety, ANSI, ADA and regional building codes related to their projects. Additional course fee is required.
This is the first studio in a sequential series of interior courses in which students apply their skills, knowledge and understanding of the design process to living environments. Emphasis is placed on the interrelationship of design elements and principles, spatial organization and sequencing, and conceptual problem solving in three-dimensional space. Open to all students. Additional course fee required.
An introductory course offering a foundation for textile applications in interior design. The course introduces the student to textiles for interior design including fiber properties, manufacture of yarns, fabric identification, fabrication methods, finishes and end-use application for different types of interiors. Students will learn testing procedures, performance classification, safety issues, and related fire codes. Oral and written project presentations and library research required. Additional course fee is required.
Study of materials used in the built environment with emphasis on the interior. Students develop knowledge of material characteristic, selection, application, installation methods, and industry regulations. Lighting design plans will also be covered. Students produce product specifications following Master Specification standards. Additional course fee is required.
A study of 3D graphics, including isometrics and axonometrics. Students render perspective-based drawing in a variety of mediums including watercolor, color markers, pastels and colored pencils as they explore drawing as a tool for communicating visual information, developing presentations, analyzing space, and expanding their design vocabulary. Additional course fee is required.
This course builds on concepts and theories introduced in Interior Foundations and guides students through the complexities of the space planning process addressing both function and aesthetics. Students will complete a series of assignments increasing in size and difficulty designed to develop space planning skills. Additional course fee is required.
Prerequisite: INTD 200 Interior Foundations and ARTS 111 Drawing I
This course will study methods and materials for interior construction. Students will create details and specify materials for interior components, including walls, floors, ceilings, glazing, millwork and cabinetry. Additional course fee is required.
Prerequisite: INTD 200 Interior Foundations
This course examines the construction systems, codes and regulations for the built environments in both commercial and residential interiors. Specific topics include plumbing, thermal, HVAC, electrical, communications, security and acoustics. Students are required to determine occupancy types and loads, applicable ADA regulations, means of egress, compartmentalization, and a variety of fire protection systems and their locations. Additional course fee is required. Prerequisites: INTD 311 Detailing Interiors, and INTD 131 CADD I
A continuation of CADD I. This course includes advanced CAD techniques and introduces Building Information Modeling (BIM) software for 3D modeling interior design. Students learn how to render spaces and use creative suite techniques from Photoshop and InDesign for portfolio purposes. Additional course fee is required.
Prerequisite: INTD 131 CADD I
A study of the design process involved in a residential space. Students refine space planning skills and develop furniture, finishes, fabric, materials and source knowledge with respect to the residential environment. Students learn and apply residential kitchen and bath principles to projects while working on construction documentation. LEED, Life Safety, Fire, ANSI, ADA and regional building codes related to their projects will be reviewed. Additional course fee is required. Prerequisite: INTD 300 Space Planning and Programming.
A study of the design process involved in a commercial space. Students refine space planning skills and develop furniture, finishes, fabric, materials and source knowledge with respect to the commercial environment. Students learn and apply commercial kitchen and bath principles to projects while working on construction documentation. LEED, Life Safety, Fire, ANSI, ADA, and regional building codes related to their projects will be reviewed. Additional course fee is required. Prerequisite: INTD 300 Space Planning and Programming.
Dynamic Requirements for Graduation
Complete the following:
Sophomore Review
Junior Portfolio Review
Senior Capstone Research Defense
Jasmine Reese
Our courses have been designed to help us succeed in the world outside of our campus by emphasizing industry standards and practices that might not be in textbooks. Along with connections made with working professionals in my field, the friendships I have made in the classroom are exceptional. In a small major, and at a small school, I have had the opportunity to grow close with my peers. We help each other with projects, offer feedback and collaboration, and create a fun atmosphere to learn and work.
What’s after George Fox
With many interior designers moving toward freelance practices, the shape of the interior designer field is shifting, creating opportunities for young designers with a vision and technical ability to break into the field and achieve success.
The field is also shifting in response to the pandemic. As our homes become work spaces, it becomes all the more critical to create multi-functional environments. While architects are running into a slowdown on new buildings, interior designers are taking in a steady stream of remodels.
City Hall Project: Our interior design majors were recently honored by the city of Carlton for their work in redesigning the city hall – a project that was completed in class.
Mural Project: A community mural project that included community engagement, city council presentation and production
Glass Project: A public works project producing glass installation for new buildings on campus
Tiny Home Village: Working in coordination with North Valley Friends Church to create plans and a vision for a tiny home village that offers low-income housing
Community Art & Design Workshop: Teaching high school students art and design
George App: Conceive, develop and present an app to serve students at George Fox by replacing clunky existing web systems on campus.
