DESIGN ESSENTIALS

Learn how to think about your home like a designer.

A self-paced interior design program that gives you the knowledge, practical tools and process to make thoughtful, confident decisions about your home.

SELF-PACED‍ ‍ · ‍ ‍PRACTICAL PROJECT TOOLS ‍ ‍· ‍ ‍ONGOING ACCESS

Interior designer styling a coffee table with decorative accessories.

You know when a room isn’t working.

Knowing what to do about it is harder.

Maybe you've saved hundreds of inspiration photos but aren't sure how to translate what you love into your own home.

You second-guess the size of the furniture. Wonder whether your selections really work together. Or have plenty of ideas but aren't sure how to turn them into a room that feels pulled together, functions well and still feels like you.

Because good design isn't simply a matter of having good taste.

There are principles behind why a room feels balanced. Guidelines for how people comfortably use and move through a space. Relationships between scale, proportion, color, pattern and texture. And a process designers use to move from a collection of ideas to a cohesive whole.

You can learn them.

You’re not learning how to copy a designer’s room.

You’re learning how designers think.


WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

THE LANGUAGE OF DESIGN

Learn the elements and principles that create visual order and interest so you understand why something works.

THE HUMAN FACTOR

Explore how our bodies, behaviors, abilities and need for comfort influence design so your room works for the people who live in it.

Learn to think about what happens in a room before deciding what goes into it. Create a room that fits your life.

SPACE PLANNING

YOUR DESIGN DIRECTION

Turn what you love into a direction you can use so your decisions feel cohesive and true to you.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Learn the process designers use from start to finish so you can move from ideas to a plan with clarity and confidence.


Your home becomes the project.

You’re learning by designing your own space.

As you learn, you’ll apply the concepts to a real space in your own home using practical exercises, spreadsheets, checklists, and templates.

  • Function

  • Existing pieces

  • Dimensions

  • Budget

  • Style

  • Color

  • Inspiration

  • Mood board

  • Selections

  • Presentation

  • Installation

  • Before & after

“This class gave me what I needed to update spaces in my home. I really enjoyed learning about spacing furniture and how color can change the feel of a space. ”
— Kim

WHAT YOU RECEIVE


COMPLETE PROGRAM

Self-paced design instruction covering the fundamentals, space planning, vision, and the design process.

PRACTICAL PROJECT TOOLS

Worksheets, spreadsheets, checklists, measuring guidance, planning documents and templates to put what you learn into practice.

A REUSABLE FRAMEWORK

Your first project gives you a place to practice. The knowledge you develop can go with you into the next room, the next project, and even the next home.

ONGOING ACCESS

Move through the program at your own pace and return to the material as your project develops.

Optional professional feedback.

If you’d like an experienced set of eyes on your work before implementation, Design Essentials students also have the opportunity to book a private Design Review with Adrienne after completing their project presentation.

Design Essentials might be right for you if…

  • Have ideas but struggle to pull them into a cohesive direction

  • Second-guess purchases or design decisions

  • Want to understand why something works instead of simply being told what to choose

  • Want your home to feel personal and support the way you actually live

  • Enjoy design and want to understand it on a deeper level

  • Have taken Formula for Design and are ready to go further

Interior designer and educator Adrienne Meachum seated beside a stack of interior design books.

Meet Adrienne

I'm Adrienne Meachum, an interior designer, design educator and founder of Adrienne on Design.

I've spent more than a decade working in interior design and have also taught interior design at the university level.

I created Design Essentials because understanding design changes the way you see your home. It gives you language for what you're noticing, a framework for evaluating your options, and a process for making decisions.

I'm not here to turn you into an interior designer.

I'm here to teach you how to think more like one.

Colorful interior vignette with a green planter, books and playful decorative accessories.

DESIGN ESSENTIALS

Learn the principles. Understand the process.

Design with intention.

Self-paced program | Practical project tools | Ongoing access

$397