DN MADE Retail & Interior Design (International Class)

2 Years On Campus Diploma Program

LEcole de design Nantes Atlantique

Program Overview

The National Diploma in Fine Arts, Crafts and Design with a Major in Space Design at L'École de design Nantes Atlantique equips you with hands-on skills to create innovative spaces—think interior architecture, public areas, scenography, and event designs—all with a user-centered focus on permanent or temporary environments. It's perfect for creative students passionate about transforming spaces who have completed initial design studies and want to build a "T-shaped" profile: deep expertise in space design paired with broad business and strategic skills for real-world impact.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Building Core Methods and Projects
In the first year, you'll dive into the school's multidisciplinary methods through methodology seminars, creativity workshops, and projects that position you as a designer in professional settings, while strengthening marketing, intercultural skills, and language abilities. Key units like Positioning the Designer in the Company, Creativity, and Marketing help you tackle space design challenges collaboratively, setting a strong foundation for innovative, user-focused spatial solutions.

Year 2: Advanced Specialization and Innovation
The second year ramps up with real-world projects alongside companies, emphasizing research and experimentation in Design and Complexity Project, Prospective Design Project, and Innovation Seminar to explore sustainable space solutions like public spaces, furniture, and event scenography. You'll also cover Methodologies Seminar, Intellectual Property, and Seminar Specific to the Program Theme (focusing on spatial design), culminating in a thesis workshop and professional prep that hones your ability to lead strategic design initiatives.

Year 3: International Bachelor-Level Specialization
As part of the 3rd year international class taught in English, you'll specialize in space design through group projects supervised by pros, covering Techniques and Skills, Practical Implementation of the Project, and Project Communication and Mediation for designing public/private, perennial/temporary spaces. Workshops and professionalization modules immerse you in user-centered approaches to interior architecture, scenography, and events, fostering cross-cultural teamwork.

Focus Areas
Sustainable project management, user-focused conception techniques, architecture, public space, spatial design for event management, and furniture.

Learning Outcomes
Graduates emerge as "T-shaped" designers—specialists in space design with cross-disciplinary business expertise—capable of tackling complex, innovative projects with industrial partners, integrating responsible, sustainable approaches through research and experimentation.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)
This leads to the Diplôme de design Bac +5 (Master's level degree), certified by the French Ministry of Higher Education with the "Grade de master" award, ensuring your skills align with top professional standards in design strategy and innovation.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)
L'École de design Nantes Atlantique's programs emphasize strategic project management and global innovation, training designers for high-level roles; official stats highlight strong employability through partnerships and real-company projects, though specific QS or Guardian rankings are not detailed in university sources.

[Official program details](https://lecolededesign.com/en/programs/masters-level-degree/postgraduate-studies-city-design)

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

National Diploma in Fine Arts, Crafts and Design – Major in Space Design

Experiential Learning at L'École de design Nantes Atlantique

At L'École de design Nantes Atlantique, you don't just study design theory—you *create* from day one. The Space Design major is built on hands-on experimentation with real tools, materials, and professional workflows. You'll move seamlessly between conceptual thinking and physical making, developing the technical expertise and creative confidence that employers demand. The school has invested heavily in creating an environment where your ideas become tangible prototypes and finished projects:

Here's what you'll have access to:

- 700 m² model-making and prototyping workshop equipped with ceramics, metalwork, wood workshops, resin molding, flexible materials handling, painting booths, laser cutting, and 3D printers
- Learning Lab spanning over 200 m² designed for pedagogical experimentation, featuring modular tables, touch screens, and collaborative work spaces configured for project-based problem solving
- Digital workshops including a 50 m² green screen studio, 25 m² photo studio, 15 m² sound studio, and 50 m² virtual reality studio for multimedia integration
- Specialized co-working areas (130 m²) where you'll work with technologies including 3D printing, digital embroidery, virtual and augmented reality, and audiovisual production (motion, video mapping, visual effects)
- 120+ computer workstations in both Mac and PC environments, plus rooms equipped with Cintiq screens for digital design work
- Design Labs connecting research, pedagogy, and innovation to ensure your projects connect with real-world applications
- Project studios (20–40 seats) designed for collaborative team-based work and critique sessions
- Visual arts rooms and dedicated classroom facilities for both lectures and hands-on instruction
- School library and research facilities to support your conceptual development and design research

The school's 11,600 m² campus in Nantes' creative district represents France's largest real estate investment in design education over the past decade, creating an ecosystem where innovation thrives.

For detailed information about all facilities available to you, visit the school's facilities page.

Progression & Future Opportunities

At L'École de design Nantes Atlantique, students in the National Diploma in Fine Arts, Crafts and Design with a Major in Space Design dive straight into hands-on learning from day one, building practical skills through real-world projects that let you prototype spaces and environments on a professional scale. You'll mix materials like wood, metal, ceramics, and resins in dedicated workshops, supervised by experts who guide you on turning bold ideas into feasible mock-ups and large-format models—perfect for space design where scale and realism matter. The school's massive 11,500m² campus in Nantes' creative district is packed with cutting-edge facilities, including a 200m² Learning Lab for innovative experimentation and digital workshops that bring your spatial concepts to life with tech like 3D printing and virtual reality.

Here's what makes experiential learning in this program so dynamic: access to pro-level tools and spaces tailored for space designers to collaborate, prototype, and iterate:

- 700m² model-making workshop with machine tools, ceramics, resin molding, flexible materials, painting booth, silk-screening, laser cutting, and 3D printers for creating realistic prototypes and large-scale space models.
- Digital workshops including a green room (50m²), photo studio (25m²), sound studio (15m²), virtual reality studio (50m²), and co-working area (130m²) for immersive space simulations, motion capture, video mapping, and alternative realities (VR/AR/MR).
- Over 120 computer workstations (Mac and PC) with Cintiq screens for digital sketching, modeling, and software like those for 3D printing, digital embroidery, AI, connected objects, and interactive scenographies.
- Production hall for working on large-format projects, ideal for space design mock-ups.
- Learning Lab with modular tables, touch screens, document rooms, and work spaces for group project discussions, research, and innovation in project-based mode.
- Project studios (20-40 seats) and Design Labs connecting pedagogy with real research and industry challenges, often involving multicultural teams.

These resources aren't just available—they're at the core of how we train space designers, with plenty of group projects following professional processes like field observation, ideation, and pitching, plus opportunities for internships through our industry partnerships in Nantes' vibrant creative hub. Imagine applying right away to shape retail spaces, residential architecture, or innovative environments that make a real impact. Ready to bring your vision to life? Head to candidature.lecolededesign.com to apply today—spaces fill up fast!

For the full facilities list: https://lecolededesign.com/en/school/school-nantes-and-laval