Interior and Product Design

Integrated Seminar/Studio
Students explore a range of visual and analytic skills while working on collaborative and multidisciplinary projects. How do we make sense of our ideas, the information we gather, our hunches and theories? And what can this investigation tell us about why we make certain decisions as creative thinkers? Students work independently and in teams to learn about the research and construction of prototypes, and to understand the creative process. Classes incorporate knowledge gained in other first-year courses, and several times during the semester two classes will share concepts and assignments on various projects.

Principles of Interior Design
An introduction to the fundamental principles in interior design: organization of space, circulation, scale, light, and color are studied through basic concepts of design and composition. Historical methods will be discussed, and course requirements include readings, discussion, analysis, and studio design projects.

Color Theory
This course provides a complete immersion in the understanding and use of color. Students analyze the cultural, social, and psychological implications of color in daily life. Perception and comprehension of color through mental and physical processes will be treated through exercises based on experience. Color interactions are studied in minute detail through a series of projects, culminating in a final exercise centered on the application of these theories.

Technical Representation (Drawing – Perspective)
Students will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of technical drawing (plan, elevation, and section) that interior designers need. They will be presented with the tools, materials, and practical methods of drawing to facilitate the most precise perception and representation, enabling them to think visually and to clearly express the desired message.

Digital Image
This course uses traditional digital-image methods (Illustrator, Photoshop) to explore the conceptual, esthetic, and formal qualities that inform the way ideas and impressions are expressed in two dimensions. Visual organization and representative and abstract forms will be explored. In addition, the class will engage students through drawing from observation, photography, creation of digital images, and integration of a variety of mediums.

Art Seminar
This course presents students with some major moments in world history and the study of objects considered expressions of a particular place or time. Interrelationships will be constructed between societies and types of objects over time. The course structure is approximately chronological, beginning in prehistory and continuing until the dawn of industrialization. The focus will be on objects, works, and ordinary instruments of everyday life, as well as on extraordinary monuments of artistic skill and design. This exploration will deal with how and why the objects were made, by and for whom, how they were used, what they meant for the people who used them, and what social structures are embodied in them. The course serves as an introduction to artistic styles and visual analysis. Classes are developed through discussion, assignments, research, and projects.

Interior Design
This course introduces students to fundamental topics of interior design such as spatial relationships, forms, materials, textiles, decorative arts, and lighting through a series of design and analysis projects that emphasize the inventive and conceptual dimension of interior design. Projects are developed using a variety of techniques of representation that encourage students’ ability to clearly communicate design ideas to a viewer or client.

2D/3D Representation
This course covers the fundamental skills needed for the tools of drawing and three-dimensional presentation using computer software. Demonstrations and assignments will cover a brief review of sketching perspective by hand, axonometric drawing, introductory classes in Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, and computer programs for modeling.

Rendering
Rendering is the process of visual representation of models in 2D and 3D, and this class will offer students technical knowledge enabling them to develop, manually or digitally, graphic presentations in which the representation competently presents finishes, materials, textures, points of view, lighting, and other important aspects.

Space and Materials
Students will explore concepts such as malleability, weight, texture, color, durability, smell, sound, taste, life cycle, and ecological impact through a wide variety of projects that reveal the close relationship between materials and users. Environmental psychology and an exploration of the object will also be considered, to discover the meaning of form, materials, and their uses in historical and cultural contexts.

Materials and Processes
This class introduces a basic knowledge of the materials and processes commonly used by designers and manufacturers in different scales of production. Its sequence follows the other main courses in the curriculum, providing a basis for understanding how a product functions and how it can be made better, safer, and more sustainable.

Prototypes and Models
This course aims to train students to use the tools of the design studio that will enable them to complete projects of three-dimensional expression and volumetric representation. Exercises will use traditional techniques and digital mediums that allow the creation of 3D models automatically, enabling students to understand the different forms of three-dimensional representation.

History of Architecture and Design
This course will investigate the history of architecture and interiors from the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. The objective will be to challenge students, through this study of architecture and interiors, to explore and appreciate the great social, cultural, and technological changes that have taken place.

Product and Furniture Design
In this course, students will be given an introductory practical experience in the process of product design, including problem resolution and the integration of essential skills such as drawing, rendering, and three-dimensional prototypes. In the studio students can begin to identify where and how a design can become a reality.

Costs and Budgets
This course introduces the dynamics of the system in the context of the financial aspects of design projects and their operation. Supply of materials, allotment of resources, and post-production impacts will be analyzed as elements that contribute to the economic, social, and global environmental footprint of a product or service.

Landscaping
This workshop aims to provide the basic aspects of creating exterior and interior gardens, the development of the areas of a garden according to the owner’s plan, and the appropriate use of plants with respect to color, texture, size, growth patterns, and maintenance requirements.

Lighting
Light is one of the principal tools of plasticity of design. It reinforces the creative concept behind a project and the emotional aspect of every architectonic entity. Throughout the course, students can come to master a basic technical language for the completion of any lighting project and can learn how to convey the desired concept to the space intuitively.

Admissions

Admission to CHAVÓN requires high school graduation with a satisfactory grade-point average, the presentation of a portfolio,*  and an interview. For detailed information about admissions procedures, click here.

*Applicants to the program in Fashion Marketing and Communications are not required to present a portfolio but must complete the CHAVÓN Challenge.

Information for International Students

International students are a welcomed to the CHAVÓN community and significantly add to its rich, artistically and intellectually diverse dialogue and culture. If you live outside the Dominican Republic, we encourage you to apply or to contact us, as we will always be available to assist you in the application process and to answer questions regarding such things as dormitories or other living accommodations, travel arrangements, visas, or any other questions you may have.