If you are looking forward to become an interior designer but do not know where and what to study, then the Bachelor's programme in Interior Design (BID) at Kantipur International College (KIC), Buddhanagar is your answer. Affiliated to Purbanchal University and associated with International Interior Design Association (USA), it is the only educational institution in Nepal that has been providing the Bachelor's degree in the subject since 2003. As such you can be an interior designer to improve functionality of any space while combining science and art.
Combo of art and science
"Interior Design is a course that gives you information about how to utilise a structure's space to its maximum that also includes the designing of furniture according to the available space," Pratap Raj Joshi, Executive Director of KIC shared about the course. "So, those who study Interior Design not only are capable of decorating any room but they can design things as per the requirement of the space along with focusing on the client's budget and interest."
BID is now a four-year programme in semester system. It was changed from three-year programme. The course is more than decorating a house. Interior designers enhance a space which Joshi elaborated, "The interior designer is capable about understanding the materials used in houses and s/he is able to understand which material can be used in what space."
For example there is the concept of laying marble on the floors of houses and "one with¬out having proper knowledge about marbles will use the same kind of marble for all floors. But it is good to use hard marble on the kitchen walls and soft marble on other floors. Soft marble has a tendency to get damaged due to oil and other spices in the kitchen. So interior designers not only enhance the beauty of the space, but they also think about long-term effects about the use of materials for that space."
Narendra Kumar Shrestha, Principal of KIC added, "BID is an artistic course that uses scientific methods. One learns to draw, design and lay out for any organisation in BID. This course is the fusion of Civil Engineering and Architecture as students have to study the techniques needed in Civil Engineering and Architecture."
Combining art and science, interior designing is creating something beautiful for humans. "When the interior of the building that we are living in is perfect, only then will we be able to think and do something properly in our life. If one is happy in his/her house, then s/he is able to contribute to society," Paru Thapa Bista, Co-ordinator of Interior Design at Kt expressed.
As per her, Interior Design is a scientific course which "enhances one's living style, uplifts society through showing perspectives on how to live a better life".
Scopes and challenges
Those who have completed their +2 from any stream are eligible to appear for entrance exam to enroll in BID pro-gramme. One has to obtain 40 marks out of 100 in the entrance exam in objective form to get admission.
After getting the degree of BID, the scope includes free-lance interior designer, draft person, interior designer at various consultancies and government offices like Department of Archaeology, and Department of Urban Development and Building Construction.
Thapa Bista elaborated, "Interior Design is an interdisciplinary course which deals in various areas. It also covers re-modelling and reconstruction of historical and culturally important constructions. The programme is not only restricted to space of buildings but it also deals with designing space for garden, furniture designing along with water supply/sanitation, photography, graphic and drafting, among others."
Bikram Suwal is pursuing the course to become an interior designer and wishes to work with monuments. From Bhaktapur, he is studying in BID IVth Semester at KIC. "We are blessed with important historical monuments. Many monuments col-lapsed in the earthquake. So I am interested in working in building and preserving historical monuments," he expressed.
Scope in Nepal are endless for this programme but it has challenges too. Sharing more about it, Thapa Bista informed, "Though we are capable of working in governmental offices, there is no place for interior designers in these offices —they don't feel the need for interior designers."
But the lack of practical knowledge of interior design in Nepal is another challenge. Student of BID Vlth Semester at KIC, Sandipa Tamang experienced this during her internship. She shared, "We have to do internships in the programme for which we have to visit various places to learn about how the construction materials are made. However, this is not enough. I realized this after doing my internship in Banglore, India during BID Vth Semester. I realized that we are more focused in theoretical knowledge than practicals. I felt ashamed when I didn't properly know about 3D and 2D design while working as an intern. We were not taught properly."
As per Thapa Bista, there are guest lectures and field visits along with internships for the students which help students after graduation to implement in their professional life. However, the main challenge in BID is that "there is no place to pursue the course here in Nepal and one has to go abroad for further studies which needs money".
Source: This article was initially published in The Himalayantimes paper on 3rd August 2016.
