Interior design is subjective. After all, no two people will share exactly the same tastes. But that’s not to say there’s no distinction between good interior design and bad interior design.
Are you curious about how to learn interior design online? Then read on to learn the basic rules of great interior design with the following free interior design courses.
1. MIT OpenCourseWare: Principles of Design
What better way to learn interior design than from a prestigious university? Even if you can’t physically attend MIT, you can still take advantage of its free OpenCourseWare class focused on the principles of design. It’s a great starting point for those who need to brush up on their knowledge of basic design concepts.
It outlines various topics in presentation, lighting, the history of design, and more. Although it’s not a free online interior design course that comes with a certificate, it still offers valuable information for the aspiring designer.
The following list includes some more free interior design courses from online universities that can also help you get started.
Our Picks
- MIT OpenCourseWare: Daylighting
- The Open University: Design Thinking
- The Open University: People-Centred Designing
2. DecoratingStudio: Design Fundamentals
DecoratingStudio may not have the best website decor, but it sure has some great content on decorating your home. It contains text- and image-based interior design online courses, with no registration required.
You’ll learn everything from choosing a color scheme to selecting the right furniture, and from treating windows to creating an amazing guest room.
Each section of the course also includes some basic exercises to help you think through the content, and allow it to sink in a bit more. With these interior design beginners’ courses, you can grasp the basics before diving into something a little more in-depth.
Our Picks
3. BetterHomes: Practical Guides
When you want to learn interior design, BetterHomes is a one-stop shop. The decorating section of the BetterHomes website is stuffed with practical inspiration, professional tips, and do-it-yourself projects that will have your home converted in no time.
The navigation around each of the guides isn’t the most streamlined, but the actual content—a mix of images, videos, slideshows, and text—is all worthwhile.
Our Picks
- Small Kitchen Ideas: Traditional Kitchen Designs
- The Best Wall Decor Ideas Ever
- How to Reupholster a Chair
4. HGTV Design 101: Keep Up to Date With Styles
The Design 101 section of HGTV is a treasure trove of information for contemporary interior design. At the bottom of each “class” page, you’ll see recommended articles, slideshows, or videos that show other relevant content to bulk out your knowledge of a certain area.
Our Picks
- A Complete Furniture Glossary
- Spring-Inspired Colors for Year-Round Use
- Design Styles Defined
- 99 Stylish Bathroom Design Ideas You’ll Love
5. Coco Kelley: Fresh Takes on the Classics
If you’re looking for carefully curated inspiration rather than step-by-step guides or introductory courses, Coco Kelley is a beautiful alternative to Pinterest scouring.
Spend a few minutes here, and you’re guaranteed to come away with some incredible ideas for your own home. This site is especially helpful for those who prefer learning interior design in a visual way.
The blog tours beautifully crafted homes, apartments, restaurants, hotels, and more from around the world, using stunning photography to portray the story of each of the case studies.
When you’ve gained enough inspiration from these posts, learn how to decorate your own home with the helpful DIY design tips.
Our Picks
- Wanderlust Design: Caldera House, Jacksonhole
- House Tour: European Architecture Meets Iconic Cool in This Los Angeles Home
- Home DIY: Make These Gucci Style and Applique Pillows
6. Howcast: Interior Design Basics
These free online interior design courses from Howcast offer an excellent general introduction to interior design and serve as a great alternative to the best free courses on Udemy.
Each video is only a couple of minutes long, yet contains sage advice, from understanding your budget and choosing where best to spend your money, to creating a perfect bedroom.
By the end of the course, you won’t necessarily be an expert, but you’ll know what you should pay attention to when tackling the decor of your next room.
Our Picks
- How to Arrange Furniture in a Rectangular Room
- Shabby Chic Decorating Ideas
- Room Decorating Ideas for Couples
- How to Decorate Your Home Without Buying Anything
7. YouTube: Interior Design Sketch Courses
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to draw well, and sketch like a professional interior designer, this YouTube playlist will help get you started. Each of these online interior design courses has been created by a different user, so there is some overlap in the content.
Taking the time to watch a couple of these videos will give you a handle on the fundamentals when it comes to sketching a room design by hand.
In the list of suggested videos below, we’ve also linked to a few interior design courses online for free that aren’t in that playlist but deserve to be.
Our Picks
- How to Draw a Room in 1-Point Perspective: A Narrated Drawing
- Draw 2-Point Perspective: A Room With a View
- How to Draw an Interior from a Layout
8. Houzz: A Decor Community
Houzz boasts a 35-million member community dedicated to helping you remodel and design your home. Being a largely visually-oriented site, there are a huge number of curated interior photos (which you can easily save) to act as inspiration. There’s also a wealth of blog posts covering design topics, case studies, and tours of well-designed homes.
Our Picks
- Create a Home Office That Works for You
- Decorating 101: How to Start a Decorating Project
- 10 Smart Organizing Tools for Getting Kids’ Spaces in Shape
9. HomeStyleExpert: Decorating Techniques
Design is only one aspect of achieving the perfect home. Decorating is equally as important. By following this free interior design course you’ll get the hang of how to put the finishing touches on your home.
If you’re tackling the decorating yourself, this section of HomeStyleExpert will introduce you to different styles, colors, accessories, and more that can liven up your living space. Just make sure that you know some basic home repairs before starting your interior design project.
Our Picks
Other Interior Design Resources
When you feel ready to take the plunge into your next interior design project, there are a number of other free online resources that will help make your life a lot easier.
Free Room Planning Software
Other Tools
Take Advantage of Free Interior Design Courses
As you can see, there’s a huge amount of information available online to help you learn about interior design. When you’re looking for interior design courses online, we highly recommend the ones above.
We hope these interior design courses offer you the basic interior design principles, some funky ideas, plenty of inspiration, and a ton of practical advice and guidance to build your confidence when it comes to tackling your own home.
Now all you need are the graphic tablets and graphics programs to help you design your perfect home.
Read the full article: The 9 Best Free Online Interior Design Courses You Can Take Right Now
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