My Unusual Interior Design Sketching Process (Used at London’s Top Design Studios)

My Unusual Interior Design Sketching Process (Used at London’s Top Design Studios)

Ula Burgiel 81.5K subscribers
2.2K views · 2025-10-26 Space & ArchitectureIndustrial Design
When I worked for top interior design companies in London, sketching was one of the most valuable skills I learned. In this video, I’ll walk you through my unusual interior design sketching process — the same method used in leading London studios to turn ideas into professional drawings.

You’ll see how I start every project not in SketchUp or AutoCAD, but with a simple pencil and paper. I’ll show you how to draw elevations, turn them into perspective sketches, add furniture and joinery, and finish with realistic materials — all before using AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT to generate photo-realistic visuals.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a designer who wants to rediscover the joy of hand sketching, this interior design sketching tutorial for beginners will help you think, see, and design like a professional.

👇 Free resources & courses mentioned in the video:

🎁 Free training: The 5-Step Guide to Hand Sketching Interiors in Under an Hour
→ https://ulaburgiel.krtra.com/t/7hKQ5m6rePCp

🎨 Course: Choose Colours & Materials Like a Pro
→ https://www.ulaburgiel.co.uk/colour-course-YT

✏️ Masterclass: Interior Design Sketching Masterclass
→ https://ulaburgiel.krtra.com/t/2OLA4nJImZa4

🧠 Tools shown: Gemini, ChatGPT

📸 Follow my daily design tips: https://www.instagram.com/ulaburgiel/

💻 More free resources: https://www.learnwithula.com/


🕒 Chapters

00:00 – Working at top London design studios
00:10 – My unusual sketching process revealed
00:36 – Why I start every project by hand
00:49 – The science behind creative flow & visuospatial thinking
01:15 – Why I still teach hand sketching to my students
01:23 – Transferring room dimensions to scale
01:36 – Drawing an elevation (with sloped ceiling)
01:46 – Turning the elevation into a perspective sketch
02:02 – Understanding perspective in interior design drawing
02:06 – Free training: step-by-step sketching tutorial for beginners
02:14 – Outlining the empty room corner
02:20 – Adding design elements: curtains and softness
02:37 – Adding freestanding furniture (the “unboxing method”)
03:13 – Line-weight and bringing sketches to life
03:26 – Using tracing paper for joinery and variations
03:43 – Moving to materials and finishes
03:56 – Link to Choose Colours & Materials Like a Pro course
04:08 – Turning sketches into AI renders (Gemini & ChatGPT)
04:20 – Why hand sketches still matter in the AI era
04:38 – Finished room reveal
04:47 – Vote in the comments: which joinery version works best?
05:02 – Free training: 5-Step Hand Sketching Guide
05:17 – Sketching Masterclass for next-level designers
05:29 – Final thoughts: creativity in the AI age
05:41 – Subscribe & outro