Why I took this course

I grew up in Yugoslavia, a country that doesn’t exist anymore, where west meets east and north meets south, a vast place rich with a variety of traditions and folklores. I was always interested in visual arts, but opportunity to study was not presented, so I followed a path of marketing consulting for several corporations and for the last few years as an independent strategic marketing consultant. Interior design was left to be my hobby for the last ten to fifteen years. Recently, during the pandemic, work opportunities were minimized and I decided to spend more of my free time to expand my knowledge of visual arts, more precisely, interior design.

My interior design skills

I would call myself a self-taught interior designer. My area of expertise is strategic marketing and business, which allowed me to travel around the world whether I was in the corporate or private arena. Overall, I’ve been to more than 60 countries. And wherever I went I studied the culture, history and tradition of local life and way of living.  That knowledge gave me a large amount of material to be implemented later on in my visions of styles in interior designing.

It is a very interesting process of starting from the knowledge in books, video presentations and visiting interior design venues to developing the “sense” of what would function in certain places, almost like a tailor sees the dress while looking at the material.

What I like about design is the endless (or almost endless) possibilities. It is also a process of trials and errors, but the final result and happy faces behind them is always rewarding.

The lecturer

Mrs. Karla Dreyer, from Karla Dreyer Designs Company was our lecturer during the course Interior Design – Living Room Design Tips, sharing trends, facts and secrets of designing and decorating a living room.

The Course

The syllabus of the course itself has 36 video tips from a well-known designer. Each video includes at least 3 tips to help users on their mission of designing or decorating living rooms, followed by very good examples. Even though the course was not physically divided into chapters, it consists of general information about:

• Interior design trends in general;
• Colors, materials and patterns;
• Furniture decorating ideas;
• Small space tips and ideas;
• And finding your own style.

The course is very easy to follow and it doesn’t take a lot of time. To the beginners I would recommend keeping notes, because the only materials you can learn from are presented in video.

Participants are very well introduced to the world of little tricks that can make a room appear bigger and brighter and how to transform an existing room into new without spending a lot of money. The lecturer is very skilled in communicating the art of interior design in a way that everyone can understand. One will learn about positioning of lightning in the room, furniture and how to make it look better with accessories.

One thing I particularly liked is when Mrs. Karla said that a coffee table is not a piece of furniture; it is an accessory.

Through the course we learned how to combine textures and colors, how to choose and position rugs and covers and how to develop your own style of designing.

How to be successful in this course

To be successful in this course a participant needs some prior knowledge if her/his goal is to consult, however, for those who seek advice or a hint on how to decorate or renovate their living room, no prior knowledge is necessary.

Time Commitment

Time commitment depends on each participant. it takes at least about 2-3 hours as suggested, but with more involvement and observation it takes longer. I would recommend watching 5 presentations per session.

Conclusion

Overall, I am very satisfied with what was presented. I learned some new things and also recognized a few approaches I am using whether designing a space or decorating it. It gave me an introduction to little secrets designers are using in day-to-day business.

I think it is a great opportunity to learn basics or develop the knowledge of design without having to pay for it. It all depends on the individual’s eagerness and desire to learn. I am looking forward to participating in similar courses. Thank you.