Top 10 School Supplies for Interior Design Students
It’s that time of the year again. Getting ready to head back to school Interior design students. During these uncertain times, it may be on campus or virtual. Either way, school is a-coming. And for those of my fellow aspiring interior designers, I want to help you get a start on the tools you need when going to interior design school.
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Tech for Interior Design Students
Laptop
This is obvious for college, especially for online courses. However, you will be using CAD programs, SketchUp, Revit, 3DS Max, and possibly Photoshop, InDesign, and illustrator. So your gonna want a good processor.
Quick Side Note:
A lot of this software may be free or discounted for students. Be sure to get with your school to see if the Softwares are included in your tuition or check the Softwares website. I know for a fact that you get a free year of AutoCad as interior design students.
Art Supplies for Interior Design
Paper
Yes, I know this is another obvious thing that is needed, however, there are several types of paper that an interior design student requires. One is Vellum or Tracing paper, I use a lot of it, it is especially helpful when marking up a floor plan. And lastly, marker paper because this paper can bring out the true tones of the markers as well as handle the bleeding through the back issue.
35 degrees and 45-degree Triangles
These are for when your hand drafting your floor plans or sketching out perspective rooms.
T- Square
A T-Square is a must, especially if you’re a perfectionist like me. This is also used for drafting and sketching.
Architectural scale
This is a must. This is used for drafting and scaling drawings. Don’t get it confused with an engineering scale. They look the same but are not the same.
Alcohol Markers
These are for manual rendering your floor plans and for room perspectives. Another alternative is watercolor. I recommend grabbing a grey kit or at least a set that carries a few warm and cool greys. Also if you are pinched on cash here are some sets that I recommend for a starter. Arteza’s grey set, Ohuhu 80 count, or Arrtx’s 80 count.
Artist/ Painters Tape
Artist tape or you could also use painters tape is used to tape your paper down when drafting. When removing it doesn’t rip up the paper.
Exacto knife
Used when 3D modeling with foam core.
Furniture Templates
These are not really needed, but are extremely helpful when on a time crunch. There are 1/4” and 1/8” scale templates available.
Drawing Pencils
You need to grab a range of pencils. Try to stay away from any Bs, they tend to be too soft. Go for more of the H, HB, 2H, 4H, and 6H pencils. Mechanical Pencils are a good option too.
Okay, that wasn’t a lot, was it. Well depending on your school, they may give you an artist kit that will have a lot of these materials (no not the laptop, don’t I wish), but if they don’t I hope this was a helpful starting point to my fellow interior design students. Of course, every class will probably require something different but at least you will have the basics. Anyway, again I hope this was helpful and hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Until next time see ya!
