Interior Decoration & Staging
Interior Decoration Certificate Program
Interior decoration is a creative yet diverse field with many professional opportunities to plan and create beautiful, functional spaces as decorators, redesigners, home and real estate stagers, one day redecorators, and window treatment, furniture, or other home fashion professionals.
This certificate program is perfect for you if you are interested in entering the decorating field, exploring this as a career option, or if you just want to have a more in-depth knowledge of interior decoration principles. Take just those courses that are of interest or for maximum benefit complete five courses to earn the certificate of completion. The Fundamentals of Interior Decoration is an excellent overview of all the basics and is the foundation course providing the underpinning for all other courses in the program. Additional course offerings should be chosen based on your interest and career direction. Details will follow on the courses planned for future semesters. All courses are taught by practicing professionals.
Please note that this program also prepares students to become a Certified Professional Decorator through the Decorators’ Alliance of North America (DANA); a special agreement allows our students to join this organization and sit for their certification exam for a discounted fee. Please contact Diane Zold-Gross at dzoldgross@necc.mass.edu or 978-659-1221 or Dianne (Dee) Lahaye at dlahaye@necc.mass.edu or 978-659-1222 to learn more or to request a brochure. We also invite you to visit the Decorators’ Alliance of North America website at www.DecoratorsAlliance.com .
The Fundmentals of Interior Decoration
This hands-on course provides a broad overview of the fundamental process, tools, concepts, principles and language of interior decoration/design, including color theory and psychology, furniture styles and placement. An excellent overview of the basics, this foundation course provides the underpinning for all other courses in the program and is a requirement for the certificate of completion.
Instructor: Dori Kelly Wroblinski, interior and garden designer, owner of DKDesign, artist and writer
Offered again fall 2012
Intro to DreamDrapertm
DreamDraper™ software helps create professional true-to-life drawings that provide your clients with the visuals they need. This hands-on overview outlines the basic functions and explores its window treatment design, floor planning and accessorizing capabilities. You’ll then use this to create beautiful customized window treatments for actual windows and surroundings. Requires computer literacy; completion of Window Treatments, Bedding and Upholstery course recommended. Materials fee includes DreamDraper™ software for personal use plus for upcoming courses in the series.
Instructor: Donna Arasi-Gudinas, owner of Interior Concepts in Hampstead, NH with 20+ years experience
Offered again fall 2012
Kitchen and Bath Planning Basics NEW!
Learn the essentials of designing and remodeling kitchens and baths, including selection of materials, planning the budget, determining value for money spent, life disruption concerns, potential contractor and construction issues, plus special considerations related to the age of the home.
Instructor: Donna Arasi-Gudinas, owner of Interior Concepts in Hampstead, NH with 20+ years experience
Offered again fall 2012
Basics of Staging and Redesign
Ideal for decorators, real estate professionals, professional organizers and homeowners, learn to use the principles of Real Flair™ Staging to redesign living spaces to be more attractive and functional using existing furnishings, basic interior decor principles & Feng Shui to stage homes for sale; there is some discussion on photography, business practices, working with other professionals and homeowners.
Instructor: Margaret Innis, owner/principal of Decorate to Sell, LLC, Color Consultant & Trainer for WMCE™, Master Stage ASP™, also worked with Benjamin Moore Paint Co., This Old House Magazine & recently presented on Color & Culture at the 2010 ASPSA Convention in Toronto, Canada
Offered again fall 2012
Window Treatments, Bedding and Upholstery
Windows are the eyes of a room and a primary focal point while also providing insulation and privacy; how they are treated will completely change the look and feel of a given space. Learn the styles, trends and suitability of the various soft and hard window treatment options for every room of the house. While the emphasis is on window treatments, you’ll also explore how to coordinate bedding to create a spectacular look, and discuss the use of upholstery, too. You’ll learn about fabric selection and yardage calculation for both window treatments and bedding, installation requirements, sourcing materials and workrooms, and explore the income potential of this specialty area.
Instructor: Donna Arasi-Gudinas, owner of Interior Concepts in Hampstead, NH with 20+ years experience
Offered again fall 2012
Color Flair For The Home
Color brings us joy and torment when decorating our spaces! Using the Flair System™ of Decorating, this course helps unlock the secrets of color, neutrals & undertones. Explore the color wheel and its dynamics, including hue, saturation & value plus develop a better understanding of how color and culture are linked and how they influence color trends, choices and more! You’ll use an inspiration piece of your own to create your own color scheme/palette in this practical, informative, fun, hands-on class.
Instructor: Margaret Innis, owner/principal of Decorate to Sell, LLC, Color Consultant & Trainer for WMCE™, Master Stage ASP™, also worked with Benjamin Moore Paint Co., This Old House Magazine & recently presented on Color & Culture at the 2010 ASPSA Convention in Toronto, Canada
Offered again fall 2012
Finishing Touches: Using Accessories
Accessorizing a room completes the room’s design and takes it from ordinary to WOW! But just how do you add the right finishing touches to add pizzazz and reflect the client’s personality? Learn about size, scale, types, selection and placement of accessory items such as rugs, wall and shelf art, lighting, plants, linens, and more.
Instructor: Donna Arasi-Gudinas, owner of Interior Concepts in Hampstead, NH with 20+ years experience
Offered again fall 2012
Beyond the Basics of Staging and Redesign: Growing Your Business
This course expands on the principles covered in the Basics of Staging and Redesign and covers pricing your business, layering services, building inventory for vacant and new construction, marketing to real estate offices and agents, business networking techniques and more! Requires completion of the Basics of Staging and Redesign.
Instructor: Margaret Innis, owner/principal of Decorate to Sell, LLC, Color Consultant & Trainer for WMCE™, Master Stage ASP™, also worked with Benjamin Moore Paint Co., This Old House Magazine & recently presented on Color & Culture at the 2010 ASPSA Convention in Toronto, Canada
436 SBPD1081-RWA: Tu, 6-8:30pm, 4 wks, 4/3-4/24, $189, Riverwalk
The Business of Interior Decoration
Learn critical business skills needed by interior decorators, including calculating costs and budgets, determining and negotiating fees, creating proposals and contracts, managing your projects, setting up your workspace and office plus targeting and marketing to a specific client base.
Instructor: Donna Arasi-Gudinas, owner of Interior Concepts in Hampstead, NH with 20+ years experience
446 SBPD1102-RWA: W, 6-8:30pm, 4 wks, 4/18-5/9, $189 + $21 materials fee, Riverwalk
Creating Design Boards and Presentations
Learn to create a design board and present your design ideas to potential clients or employers in this intensive, hands-on course. You’ll pick a project, create a design board, and then make a presentation of your design. Completion of Fundamentals of Interior Decoration and Drawing Floor Plans required.
Instructor: Dori Kelly Wroblinski, interior and garden designer, owner of DKDesign, artist and writer
443 SBPD1114-RWA: Tu, 6-8:30pm, 8 wks, 5/1-6/19, $379, Riverwalk
Furniture Styles Past and Present NEW!
Explore the range of furniture styles, their history, and how they’ve evolved to our current day interiors. You’ll get the practical information you need to decorate a room in every style from Victorian to Contemporary and everything in-between, plus address the eclectic mixing of styles and design trends, too.
Instructor: Donna Arasi-Gudinas, owner of Interior Concepts in Hampstead, NH with 20+ years experience
519 SBPD1131-RWA: M, 6-8:30pm, 4 wks, 5/14-6/11 (no class 5/28), $189 + $51 materials fee, Riverwalk
The Green Home: Sustainable Residential Design
Discover practical, implementable strategies to make an existing or new home “go green” to save money and safeguard your health and the environment! You’ll learn sustainable residential design basics, material selection and applications, indoor air quality, long-term building quality, solar energy concepts and applications, energy use and rating systems. Great for interior decorators and designers, homeowners, property managers, real estate professionals, builders, architects and anyone interested in making a home more environmentally friendly.
Instructor: Scott Richardson of Gorman Richardson Architects, a LEED accredited professional and registered architect with extensive sustainable design experience
515 SBPD1067-RWA: Th, 6-9pm, 4 wks, 5/17-6/7, $204 + $30 materials fee, Riverwalk
