Ever wonder what the new and upcoming interior designers are up to? We might be picking out fabric or comparing color swatches from time to time, but that's not all that an interior design internship entails. Hi, I’m Gretchen, studying Interior Design at Arizona State University, also soon to-be-graduate in May 2022! Read on to learn about my day as an interior design intern for Casita & Co. in Gilbert, Arizona.
7:30 am
Okay I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, that’s not early at all!” I’m sure my classmates get up much earlier, but lucky for me, being a Gilbert resident, I don’t have to account for much travel time to get to the Casita & Co. office. On my way there, I like to stop for some coffee. We’re all coffee lovers in the studio, some of our favorite spots are Casita Coffee, Bergies Coffee Roast House, and Liberty Market.
9:00 am
By this time I’m caffeinated, well fed (I try not to skip meals, even when I’m busy!), and I’m dressed for another productive day. On work days we dress pretty casual, business casual for meetings, and on site visits we make sure to keep an extra pair of tennis shoes in our trunks. When I arrive at the office, we say our good morning’s and we like to catch up on all that’s been happening in our lives before jumping into our work. It’s nice checking in with each other, knowing that we’re all doing good.
9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Work, meetings, pulling project materials, and visiting with vendors. Depending on the phase of the projects we are working on, we’ll meet with our client’s for a presentation, order samples for material boards, or work on 2D drawings on CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D modeling simultaneously. Having multiple projects to work on drives the way we tackle each task, so no day is the same, always keeping us alert.
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
At this time, we’re trying to get to a point where we can take a lunch break and also contemplate what we want to eat that day. With our studio in such a prime location in downtown Gilbert, we have lots of options to choose from each day. Some of our favorite lunch spots are Joe’s Real BBQ, Salad and Go, and Joyride Taco Shop. We’ll occasionally make an exception for the new Flower Child in Gilbert, they’re a little farther from us but they offer curbside pickup which is convenient for us on the go designers.
1:30 pm to 6:00 pm
If I have class:
I’m doing similar things that I do at my internship, except that we are only working on one project for the whole semester and the client situation is hypothetical ( so is the client budget!). We’re researching our clients and finding out not only what they want, but also what they actually need to improve their way of living, working, or maintaining their well-being. We have field trips to spaces that were designed by professionals in order to study and gain inspiration for our own projects. The research and site context is important for us to understand, so then our design process gets easier as it develops. Technicality also comes into play in the design process; drafting accurate plans as a means of communication with the contractor, meeting code requirements so that the space is safe for the public, and putting together a presentation for the clients to be able to digest and hopefully buy our design. What we learn easily gets transferred to what we do in our internships because we encounter different obstacles in class, we are able to recognize those obstacles with real clients.
If I don’t have class:
Lauren, owner of Casita & Co., keeps us on our toes with everything we have going on! She leads us to either continue drafting and 3D modeling or we’re off to measure a client’s home, stage a home for a photoshoot, or attend networking events with professionals in the industry. The possibilities are endless, but we are always excited for our next adventure!
7:00 pm
This time varies, but after all the work is done and knowledge has been received, it’s time to go home and refuel myself with dinner. Our day in the office ends with the team cleaning up our workspace, updating each other on our progress, and marking our calendars for upcoming meetings.
8:00 pm
A productive day calls for winding down time. Self-care is different for everyone, but it's important to make time for it! My favorite form of self-care as a student is meditation and yoga. Having a good stretch and untying the knots does wonders for your body.
Is my day over yet? Almost. As your average college student, I’m finishing up some homework and adding tasks to my planner for the rest of the week and month.Then it’s finally time to sleep and do it again tomorrow!
