A few years ago I applied to an internship at a residential design firm. They gave me a questionaire to fill out to send in with my usual cover letter and resume. The questions they ask are great help for planning for interviews I am going on these days. On top of that, they really help remind you of why you became an interior designer in the first place. And let's face it, some days we need that reminder.
Why did you choose interior design as a career path?
I chose interior design as a career path simply because it is my passion. As long as I can remember I have been designing the room layouts of igloos in the many winters of my childhood, adding décor to my blanket forts in the basement, and designing my dream home. At career day in eighth grade my friend’s mother came and told us all about her interior design company. Ever since that day I have done all I can to ensure that I will be successful in the interior design career.
Are you more interested in residential or commercial design and why?
I’m more interested in residential design for one reason, I love finding out someone’s story. I feel as though with residential I will be directly connected with those that will be using the space I design.
{This has changed over the last few years. I have grown to love both areas of design. I even toy with the desire to enter the sector that restores historical sites. Currently I work with residential design projects at The Great Indoors and I love getting to know customer's personal stories. But I also would love to see the commercial side of things. To help more people, on a larger scale.}
What 5 things would you be most interested in learning form an internship with a residential interior designer?
First of all I am really interested in seeing how everything is organized. My personal organization tends to be a bit scattered and I would love to see how an entire business is organized. Secondly, I want to experience the time schedule first hand. I always hear how a designer has crazy hours and I would love to be able to deal with it in a more real world experience, class projects are one thing but I cannot wait to tackle it in a professional environment. Third, I want to learn how to interact with clients in a comfortable yet professional manner. To be able to have that democratic design I think the client-designer relationship should have a friend base as a building block so the client can trust my decisions and I can get a full understanding of their personal desires for their home. The fourth thing I would like to learn is the process you go about finding pieces and textiles and materials for spaces. How are contacts made for projects that last and become a reliable go to product for your company? Finally I can’t wait to experience how the team works together. Each new team I become a part of is always a great learning experience in itself and helps spring new ideas for the future.
How do you think HGTV/TLC/Bravo have changed the awareness of interior design to the masses, and where do you see the design field heading in the next 10 years?
I think design on television has helped people realize how important interior design is and how it affects everyday life, which is great. However, I feel it has given people a false image of the speed and cost of the design process. Shows like “Extreme Home Makeover” and “While You Were Out” give the appearance that it can happen overnight, the ideas, planning, finding the materials and products, and then having it all come together. What viewers cannot see is all the time designers put in before the episode is filmed planning and preparing the entire space. All viewers see is a process for one room in most cases, or on E.H.M. an entire house (with the help of a ton of people), over a super short period of time. I see design heading in the direction of more environmentally friendly products available to everyone. I feel Target and other mass market retailers will be searching to make their products seem more like the quality of top designers. This will cause the top-designers to seek a new fresh spin on old ideas with the new advances of technology, more storage in smaller spaces, hightech everything.
So often design advice is casually doled out in a dictatorial manner by individuals who are less than compromising their methodology. What does the idea of democratic design mean to you and how do you envision it in practice?
To me democratic design is a phrase that encompasses what I feel design should always be. It incorporates the ideas, opinions, and lifestyle of the client. The key word is the client. The idea of democratic design is to work together, client and designer, and create something that is functional, livable, and a unique work of art. I would envision it being used in practice beginning with meeting the client. Getting to know the client is key to being able to help ensure it will be designed with them in mind, asking them what they like, maybe rooting through magazines and having them say what sticks out to them to get a feel for things. I feel like this should continue throughout the process constantly bringing them options and hearing their first choices and talking things out. I think communication is the success to democratic design.
It is extremely important that we find individuals who have a strong sense of team. What is your definition of team? Please give examples of past team experiences, both good and bad, and be detailed about your role as well as you teammate’s role in accomplishing or not accomplishing the project.
Together everyone achieves more.
Team work is essential in everything, it’s a challenge, it’s exciting, and it’s productive. Teamwork is people working together to achieve a common goal. Over the years I have had a lot of experience with teamwork. I have been onsoccer teams since I was five. In high school I was the captain which was a challenge for me because I had to lay down the law but still maintain a peer status. Recently, I have become a part of the ASID “team” at MSU. Our group during my freshman year was unable to accomplish the task set forth at the beginning of the school year. We decided as a group to leave $1000 for the next year to work with. Unfortunately some of the group members planned a dance and left us in the hole $500. We found out the next year and spent the year recovering, successfully leaving almost $2000 for the following year. Through this experience we learned to include all group members and ask for help if you need it. That’s what the team is for and the first year’s girls did not realize this soon enough. We were able to apply our new methods of teamwork the next year and achieve our goal with flying colors.
