What I Learned During My Interior Design Summer Internship

August 25, 2017
Guest Blogger
HOW WE DESIGN

Hi DKORistas, I’m Anastasia, DKOR Interiors’ summer intern—and what a summer it’s been! I’m an interior design student at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and I was lucky enough to spend more than two months with the amazing DKOR team.

One of my favorite aspects of interior design is discovering all of the little details of a space. It’s no surprise that on my first day at DKOR I noticed a little detail that made me feel immediately at home. My first day was Monday, June 12th, and the entire DKOR team was gathered around a table in the office kitchen. On a that day’s date on the calendar that hung in the kitchen, I could read “Welcome Anastasia.”. That was the moment I knew I was about to start living my interior designer dreams with welcoming and supportive teachers.

During my first meeting, the team asked what my main goal from this internship would be. My answer: “To see the real world of an interior design firm.”

I’m happy to say that I achieved my goal. Before DKOR, I thought interior design was simply planning a space to solve for its problems and choosing coordinating materials and design elements. Boy, was I wrong! During my internship, I completed many tasks, from answering the phones, to preparing client presentations, to helping turnover a house. By doing all of these things, I discovered that true interior design is about creating spaces with meaning behind them.

It’s easy to see the beautiful rooms and designs that are end result of the DKOR team’s efforts. What’s you can’t see is everything that goes into that end result. The numerous team meetings, budget revisions, drafts, furniture and material selections, and client presentations that go into creating a perfect space for DKOR’s clients.

Working with DKOR gave me insight into the design process of different projects, and I learned the importance of adapting the design and concept to each client. The DKOR team taught me that there are many different ways to create a beautiful space and to solve a client’s problem, but that following the concept is the most important part.

In the office, there’s a sign that reads “Practice Safe Design, Use a Concept.”. That epitomizes the DKOR team—clever, personable, and always focused on the client and design.

I am thankful that I got to be a part of DKOR’s amazing design team! My interior design summer internship was the best experience and opportunity I could have given myself during the first steps of my interior design career.