This study explores the learning-style and knowledge-building preferences of interior architecture students using Felder-Soloman's Index of Learning Styles. Considering the learning and knowledge-building skills of students in design education, this study concludes that the instructor should not only be a conveyor of knowledge but also a facilitator. The findings indicate that design students' preferred learning styles are as follows, in descending order: Sensing/Intuitive, Visual/Verbal, Active/Reflective and Sequential/Global. In the two-way analysis, where the student's design studio grade was the dependent variable, significant effects were obtained for each scale. Furthermore, double interactions were highly significant between the Active/Reflective and Sensing/Intuitive scales and between the Active/Reflective and Sequential/Global scales. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.