Self-test: Is the course "Interior design planner with Federal Diploma of Higher Education (FPE)" the right one for me?

What does the day-to-day work of an interior designer with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education look like?

As a furnishing planner, you are responsible for advising and supporting customers in furniture and furnishing stores, interior decoration stores or in carpentry and interior design companies. Employees often take on a managerial role with responsibility for budgets and turnover in sales and are responsible for demanding furnishing orders. In the specialist store, they are jointly responsible for the sales-promoting design of the sales areas and presentation of the goods. In direct customer contact, you will explain the properties and possible uses of certain materials and processing methods to your customers. Using perspective hand sketches, they help customers to imagine certain furniture in their living environment and develop design ideas. A furnishing planner has a trained eye for rooms, proportions, colors, styles and a psychological feel for the needs and concerns of customers. If necessary, the planners also visit their customers at home to show them the effect of certain materials and colors on site. On behalf of clients or interior designers, they develop complete furnishing concepts, prepare the planning documents and calculate the quotation. Depending on the sector and area of work, they are responsible for warehousing, checking incoming goods and checking that goods are correctly labeled.
 
The following areas of work are typical for interior designers with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education:

• At the point of sale
  • Customer advice
  • Follow-up of customer visits
  • Supervision of the exhibition / sales area
• In the field
  • Customer visits
  • Advice and handling of the entire order
• In the support of corporate clients
  • Developing complete furnishing solutions
  • Create and present concepts
  • Preparing offers and negotiating contracts
  • Customer acquisition and support
• Planning and organization of customer events and promotions
• Administration, bookkeeping, orders, goods control

Target group and skills: Who is the Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Interior Design suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The interior design planner training course is aimed at the following people:

• Professionals in the fields of furniture, interior decoration, interior design
• Trained interior decorators, home textile designers, carpenters, draughtsmen and women
• Housing consultants who wish to acquire a higher qualification with Federal Diploma of Higher Education
• People with professional experience in furniture sales and furnishing advice

The following skills and characteristics are required for a successful job as an interior design planner:

• Interest in planning work and structural engineering
• An eye for good design and aesthetics
• Creative and design skills
• Spatial imagination
• Good color sense and imagination
• Observation skills and spatial imagination
• well-groomed appearance
• good manners
• Enjoy sales and consulting
• Service and customer orientation
• Oral and written communication skills
• Resilience and negotiating skills

Requirements for admission to the Federal Professional Examination in Interior Design:

The following prerequisites are required for admission to the final examination (Federal Professional Examination) as a furnishing planner:

• Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (formerly Interior Decorator Federal Vocational Diploma), Interior Textile Designer Federal Vocational Diploma, Floor Parquet Layer Federal Vocational Diploma, Carpenter Federal Vocational Diploma, Draftsman Federal Vocational Diploma (specializing in architecture or interior design), Industrial Upholsterer Federal Vocational Diploma, Retail Specialist Federal Vocational Diploma (furniture or carpet and floor coverings sector), Commercial Clerk Federal Vocational Diploma or equivalent training

and

• At least 3 years of professional experience in the interior design or furniture sales sectors

or

• Other federally recognized upper-secondary level qualification or equivalent qualification and at least 4 years of professional experience in the interior design or furniture sales sectors

You will find out whether you meet the requirements for the Federal Professional Examination for Interior Designers at least four months before the start of the examination with a written notification - in the event of rejection, including reasons and instructions on how to appeal.

Subject matter and content of the continuing education, further training in interior design:

The subject matter of the preparatory courses for the Federal Professional Diploma of Higher Education in Interior Design is based on the specifications of the responsible body of the Federal Diploma of Higher Education, theOdA Housing.

The learning content of the interior design planner training is divided into the following topics:

• Design
  • Interior design (projects) Lighting design
  • Technical drawing with CAD
  • Sketching and sales sketches
  • Color theory
  • Style application
• Business administration
  • Legal knowledge
  • Computer science BüKo in application
  • Accounting
  • German (correspondence and specialist work)
  • National economy
• Consulting
  • Consulting technology
  • Advice on curtains
  • Flooring advice
  • Furniture advice
  • Bedding advice
  • Advice on oriental carpets
  • Advice on wall coverings
  • Advice on quotations
• Furnishing knowledge
  • Excursion to companies
  • Upholstered furniture
  • Curtain technology
  • Measurement of rooms & objects Window design
  • Basics of lighting technology / lighting materials science (leather, glass, metal, stone)
  • Consulting presentation / sales documents Consulting order processing
  • Working and learning techniques Course organization
• Final project and repetition

Costs and financing of continuing education, further training:

The costs vary depending on the provider and duration of the interior design planner training course. On average, these amounts are to be expected for the training costs:

• Course fees:about CHF 13'000
  After taking the exam, you will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government on application (regardless of the result)*.
  Each participant receives a contribution of CHF 1,000 from the AVE BBF and employees of member companies are also entitled to a contribution of CHF 4,000 from the further training fund.
• Examination fees:CHF 3,000 (as at August 2025)
  The examination fee is set by the responsible body of the Federal Professional Examination. It is paid by the candidate once admission to the interior design planner examination has been confirmed.
• Extra costs:At some schools, the costs for enrolment fees, teaching materials, training documents, books, intensive exam training, simulation exams, school diplomas and intermediate diplomas are not included in the course fees. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect to pay for continuing education, further training as an interior design planner.
• Acquisition of additional qualifications:For additional qualifications such as housing consultant (certified), you must expect extra costs for the preparation and examination.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for Federal Professional Examination such as the interior design planner continuing education, further training are financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination. In cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also pre-financed in exceptional cases.

Duration of study, number of teaching hours and learning effort for the interior design planner training:

• The interior design planner training, continuing education, further training is classically structured (i.e. Federal Professional Examination includes all competencies to be assessed) and lasts 3 to 4 semesters. It comprises around 550 lessons.
• The teaching times vary depending on the provider of the continuing education, further training course. Classroom teaching usually takes place in two-week blocks. Students must complete their own projects between the teaching units.
• Many schools now offer a mix of face-to-face and online teaching (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study.
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of continuing, further education, you can immediately apply and deepen the learning material in practice. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for lesson preparation and follow-up as well as for self-study. Depending on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed, we recommend that you allow the same amount of time for the additional workload as the regular teaching time.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons", which provide an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. A suitable learning environment is important on the way to a successful degree in interior design.

Degree, diploma and title in interior design:

The Federal Professional Examination "Interior Designers with Federal Diploma of Higher Education" is held annually in German, French and Italian, provided that the minimum number of 12 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years.
Candidates for the Federal Professional Examination in Interior Design will be notified at least 6 weeks before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (with details of the place and time of the examination as well as permitted aids) and the list of experts.

The Federal Professional Examination for Interior Designers comprises the following four parts:

• Development of an installation solution (weighting 4)
  • Situation analysis and creation of a set-up solution (practical, 28 hours)
  • Presentation of a furnishing solution (oral, 15 min)
    • Develop and visualize a solution
    • Sell solution
    • Processing orders and managing projects
  • Technical discussion on the furnishing solution (oral, 30 min)
    • Sell solution
    • Processing orders and managing projects
• Professional knowledge (written, 120 min., weighting 1)
  • Sell furnishing solution
  • Processing orders and managing projects
• Consultation and sales talk (oral, 45 min., weighting 2)
  • Advise customers on furnishing solutions
  • Selling furnishing solutions
• Processing of action situations in marketing, business organization and finance (written, 150 min, weighting 1)
  • Plan and implement sales promotion measures
  • Supporting operational processes

Diploma and title "Interior design planner"

Graduates of the Federal Professional Examination receive a Federal Diploma of Higher Education and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Interior Designers with Federal Diploma of Higher Education" or "Interior Designers with Federal Diploma of Higher Education".

• In French: "Spécialiste d'aménagement intérieur avec brevet fédéral"
• In Italian: "Progettista d'interni con attestato professionale federale"
• In English: "Interior Designer Federal Diploma of Higher Education" (Attention: This is only a recommendation/translation and not a protected title)