Interior Architecture and Design

Interior architecture and design is concerned with reimagining and transforming existing built spaces to create environments that work better for the people who inhabit them. Unlike new-build architecture, which begins with an empty site, interior architecture works with the constraints and possibilities of existing structures, asking how space can be reconfigured, how light, material, and circulation can be redesigned, and how the relationship between a building and its users can be fundamentally improved. The discipline combines creative design thinking with technical knowledge of construction, building regulations, materials, and the spatial and sensory dimensions of human experience.

At the University of Portsmouth, this three-year, full-time degree prepares you to become a designer who shapes spaces with creativity, technical skill, and a genuine sense of social responsibility. You will develop skills in spatial design, drawing and visualisation, materials and construction, and the regulatory and ethical dimensions of design practice. Social responsibility is a thread through the programme, acknowledging that the spaces designers create profoundly affect wellbeing, community, and equity.

The degree includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities, giving you professional and international experience that enriches your design practice.

Graduates from interior architecture and design programmes work in interior design studios, architectural practices, retail and hospitality design, set design, and heritage and conservation settings. Many graduates work on commercial fit-outs, residential transformations, hotel and restaurant interiors, and cultural institution spaces. The skills are also valued in exhibition design, prop-making, and visual merchandising.

Some graduates go on to postgraduate study in interior architecture, architecture, or design research, developing specialist expertise for advanced practice or academic roles.