When I was in Dubai, I took a free, online course called, ‘The Power of Colour’. The course is through futurelearn.com but the school that created the course is the KLC School of Design in London.  With the colour course, I found myself dead tired some days but still completing each weekly challenge(s). To this day, I refer to the course and I take my colour wheel with me in my carry-on luggage. #geekalert.

After the course finished, I received a few emails about upcoming workshops and certificate programs. Great courses but I was in the UAE. So when my friend said I could crash at his pad in London for a bit this summer, I immediately signed up for the ‘Interior design: The Essentials’ which started today! My instructor is Adrienne Chinn and so far, I have taken 5 pages of notes. Today we discussed Concept Boards and lighting.

First, a concept board is for the designer only and is created after the initial questions and answers (design analysis) with the client. Basically, the designer comes up with three words to describe what the client wants and then chooses 3-5 images to represent these keywords. The Concept Board is a first step and helps to drive a project as it clarifies mood and style (among other things). Below is my fictitious client brief and the board I created. The keywords were elegant, feminine, and calm:

Secondly, the lighting. This was fascinating. We discussed how lighting affects a space and that good lighting is a blend of science and art. Our instructor, Rebecca Weir, showed us her own work in the field as examples and she gave us some helpful resources should we want to look into this area further. It was just an area that I had never really put much thought into; other than they turn on and off. #noproud #learnsomethingneweveryday

Both of the instructors today are working professionals within interior design and it’s easy to feel their passion for their respective fields.

I promise not to blog each day about this course, but I am absolutely feeling inspired today.