IED – Istituto Europeo di Design Milan
Summer Course in Interior and Showroom Design
Milan, Italy
Summer Course
DURATION
3 weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
30 Jun 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,600 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* total fee UE and extra UE | enrolment fee: €600 | fee and extra UE: €2000
Key Summary
This course is held in English language
The course introduces the Italian design industry and current trends in interior design in order to enable you to develop the necessary skills to produce layouts for high-level showrooms and shops with an essential expressive value.
During the course, you examine and analyze Italian interior and commercial spaces. “Interior” refers to key spaces for improving everyday living: places to eat, shop, and read, and other public spaces.
You will also increase coherence and fluency in expressing ideas, pursuing a narrative yet analytical approach to your work, and will get a better understanding of how to structure and develop a project following the Italian methodology - brief, concept, design, communication - being able to select the right tools and apply them.
Schedule
From Monday to Thursday during the first two weeks and from Monday to Friday during the 3rd week, on a full-time basis (morning and afternoon) the course has a duration of 75 hours spread over 3 weeks
Methodology and structure
During the course, you acquire theoretical and practical awareness of Italian interiors and commercial spaces, and you take knowledge of the latest trends of Italian design.
The synergy between lectures and practical training, both of which are supported by workshops and visits to relevant showrooms, shops, and exhibitions, allows you to benefit from a 360° vision of Italian - in particular Milanese - reality and design methodology.
Site visits are an integral part of the program’s learning experience and are designed to complement what is acquired in the classroom as well as serve as an ongoing orientation to the field.
The course is designed for qualified applicants, such as students who are attending the final years of University studies in Architecture, Interior Design, and Industrial Design, or newly graduated, and young professionals interested in enriching their personal knowledge and understanding of the field.
Applicants need to have mastered representation technique skills such as drawing, sketching, and rendering visual communication skills such as computer graphics and rendering, as well as model making and verbal communication skills.
Applicants need to show strong motivation and the ability to work in groups.
Study Plan
Italian Design Contemporary Trends
The objective of the course is to provide you with the tools for identifying, reading, and analyzing the main European trends in product, furniture, interior, fashion design, colors, materials, and finishing.
History and Evolution of Commercial Spaces
During this course, you will get an overview of the historical evolution of commercial spaces. Trends and design languages from the Roman period (III century B.C.) to XXI century will be investigated. You will also become aware and focus on the role that the multisensory and psychological aspects of interior design play inside the commercial spaces.
Introduction to Display and Retail
The course’s aim is to analyze and comprehend contemporary sales-point design strategy and merchandising awareness; product displaying and customer behavior.
Introduction to Light
The designer’s mission is to transform the ‘light source’ into a form that communicates and enhances mood, ambiance, and emotions.
Introduction to Materials
The aim of the course is to fine-tune your familiarity with innovative materials, their technical characteristics, and their fields of application; develop the ability to apply materials practically to a design model; develop the independent critical ability to conduct individual research into materials in the framework of interior design projects. A brief introduction to the subject will be given through visits to Italian light showrooms and/or companies.
Interior & Shop Design Workshop
During this workshop, you will apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during the course in creative group-based projects.