— DISCIPLINE • INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior
Design
Preparing aspiring designers with a firm foundation in the critical skills and techniques needed to enter the professional design world — taught at the heart of the city that gave the world the Haussmann apartment, the grand hotel, and the boutique.
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— OUR APPROACH
Paris as the world’s
greatest design laboratory
Interior design is inseparable from its context — and nowhere provides richer material than Paris. From 17th-century hôtels particuliers to contemporary showrooms, the city’s built environment becomes a daily source of study, reference, and inspiration for PAA students.
The semester program combines technical instruction in construction theory, technical drawing, AutoCAD, and product design with the historical and spatial fluency that Paris uniquely provides. Faculty are practising architects, product designers, and trend forecasters.
— WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Core areas of study
01
Construction & Theory
Structural principles, space planning, and construction theory — the intellectual and technical foundation of interior design practice.
Taught by Christophe Salade, M.A. UCLA, trained at Atelier Charpentier, Paris.
02
Technical Drawing & AutoCAD
From hand-rendered floor plans and perspectives to digital production — the full technical drawing toolkit used in professional practice.
03
Colour, Drawing & Composition
The visual language of interior design: colour theory, spatial drawing, perspective, and compositional principles applied to real interior schemes.
04
Product Design
Object design, material research, and the relationship between furniture, lighting, and architectural space — informed by visits to Parisian design fairs and showrooms.
Includes attendance at Maison & Objets, Paris’s flagship interior design trade fair.
05
Architecture & Urbanism
Paris as a laboratory — urban morphology, architectural history, and the study of Haussmann’s transformation of the city, read directly in the streets and buildings.
06
Trends & Design Culture
Trend forecasting, design history, and the cultural context of contemporary interiors — taught by a partner of Li Edelkoort’s Paris-based consultancy.
— ENROLLMENT
The semester program
SEMESTER PROGRAM
Interior Design Semester
A 4-month immersive program offered during the Fall or Spring semester. Students follow a full curriculum across construction theory, technical drawing, product design, and architectural history — building a complete portfolio over the term.
DURATION
15–16 weeks
START DATES
September (Fall) · February (Spring)
FORMAT
Full-time, in person — Paris
CREDITS
Transfer evaluated case by case
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What you’ll work on
Four-week intensive programs in Fashion Design and Merchandising. Students may specialise in one of three tracks. The first workshop takes place in June, the second in July. Application deadline: one month before the start date.
“In Paris, every building is a lesson. You learn to see proportion, material, and light differently — and you never look at a room the same way again.”
— JAMES KIM — INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENT, PAA AUTUMN 2024
Philip FIMMANO | since 2005 at Paris American Academy | Philip FIMMANO is a trend forecaster
Eugenia FRIAS-MORENO | since 2010 at Paris American Academy | Eugenia FRIAS-MORENO is an Instructor of Product Design and AutoCAD
Sophie GUYON | since 2022 at Paris American Academy | Sophie GUYON is in Interior Design
Dr Agnès RANNOU | since 2003 at Paris American Academy | Dr Agnès RANNOU is an art historian
Christophe SALADE | since 1996 at Paris American Academy | Brigitte Lenoir is a Professor of Construction & Theory, Technical Drawing, Product Design, Perspective, Color, Drawing & Composition
Christopher STEAD | since at Paris American Academy | Interior Design
— APPLICATION
Design with Paris as your studio
Applications for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters are open. Our admissions team is happy to answer any questions before you apply.