It’s one thing to decorate. It’s another to design. Learn how at TCC

Is your Pinterest feed flooding with the latest home design trends? Do you have an eye for color and space planning? If so, a career in interior design may be the perfect fit for you.

Complete Tidewater Community College’s Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design and you’ll be ready to enter the field with an impressive portfolio and sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam.

Enhance your creative and technical skills on your time

It’s one thing to decorate. It’s another to design. TCC’s program teaches you the creative skills to design commercial and residential spaces and master the technical side using the latest computer-aided design software.

Lana Sapozhnikov chats with a student in the interior design lab on the Chesapeake Campus. — Lana Sapozhnikov (left) chats with one of her students in IDS 100.

“The best part about the program is that it is really diverse,” said Lana Sapozhnikov, interior design instructor at the Chesapeake Campus. “The introduction class really teaches students the whole process of design from start to finish. It explains to them all the things that they will encounter in the real world.”

Part of the program includes working with real clients. You won’t just read about designing. You’ll actually do it!

“A lot of students fresh out of the program – or even before they graduate – are able to start their own businesses because of the portfolio they build at TCC,” Sapozhnikov said. “We had a student who designed a plastic surgeon’s office before she graduated. There’s just a lot of options for students when they are going through the program.”

Interior Design Alumna Whitney Regan — TCC alumna Whitney Regan

“This program has opened so many doors for me,” said Whitney Regan, who earned her Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design in 2014. “I do home staging, work with design clients and even real estate.”

In addition to the two-year degree, TCC’s program offers specialized career studies certificates in associate designer, kitchen and bath design and green design for interiors.

Added bonus: Day, evening and online classes accommodate your busy schedule.

Learn from seasoned pros

TCC’s interior design faculty actually work in the field and have the scoop on transforming the spaces where we work, play and live.

TCC interior design student Stephanie Adams — Stephanie Adams, interior design student

“The professors are really helpful in terms of teaching practical skills that are used every single day in the profession,” said student and career switcher Stephanie Adams.

“I chose TCC’s interior design program because I wanted to make sure I had experience with real professionals,” Regan said. “I did my research on the professors who taught the program before enrolling and they had great reviews.”

“TCC is wonderful because the professors and instructors have a wide variety of experiences. They can give real-life examples. Student really benefit from that,” Sapozhnikov said.

Words of wisdom

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Adams advised.

If you’re interested in the program, contact Jennifer Hopkins, program head for interior design, at jhopkins@tcc.edu or 757-822-5183.