Below we hear from one of our highly regarded past students, Vicky Wilkins, who completed her Foundation Degree in Interior Design here at the National Design Academy. Vicky successfully graduated in 2011 and has since set up her own very successful interior design business.
“I set up my interior design business after moving to Devon in 2002. I had worked in the industry but wanted a qualification to add credibility to my experience.
Living in Devon limited my options as there was nowhere near here that did an appropriate course. I had previously completed a diploma with NDA, so looked at what they were offering. I decided to take a Foundation Degree in Interior Design as a distance learning course.
During the course I visited NDA to take a Sketch Up class where I met fellow students, which gave me a huge boost.
Mid Degree, in 2010, I had a baby and she suffered some medical problems, and I didn’t think I was going to be able to complete my course. But my tutors at NDA were so understanding that they extended my dates. And in 2011 I completed my degree.
Since then the business has gone from strength to strength and in June I submitted a project for a restaurant refurbishment to the SBID Awards 2013. I was delighted to be shortlisted to the last 4 finalists in my category ‘Intelligent Design’. Of those 4 we are the only UK Company.
To get this far feels like we have already won and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without NDA.”
About Vicky’s course
The Foundation Degree in Interior Design is the equivalent to 2/3rds of the BA (Hons) qualification and provides an excellent grounding to continue on to the full BA (Hons). The course is suitable for anyone who is serious about entering the interiors industry as a future career, whether in a small, home-run practice or large-scale design offices. Course content covers a broad range of projects; both residential and commercial, with each project giving students the opportunities to not only learn about specific topics in depth, but also to develop and refine their creative style and specific design approach. From space planning and creative lighting, to sustainable design and design in historical context, the Foundation Degree in Interior Design exemplifies the broad and diverse nature of the industry, supplying students with cultural contexts to broaden their ideas and design capabilities.
