Paying It Forward: Working with an Intern

One thing I’ve always appreciated about the interior design profession is the tradition of working with interns. It’s such a great way to give hands-on training to students who need experience. I received a lot of help from others when I began my career as an interior designer, so I also love the idea of paying it forward and helping others just starting out.

The learning isn’t all one-sided, though. We love the technical skills that interns bring to our team as they are always the most up-to-date on new design software and technologies. We enjoy having young perspectives in our office and mentoring students as they are deciding what they want to do in their design careers. 

Our newest intern, Lia Watson, recently joined us and has already contributed so much. We had a large presentation for a whole house design concept for a luxury rental home. She was able to create the entire 3D model for our presentation so the client knew exactly what their property would look like when it is finished. The video walkthrough of the Sketch Up model was an incredible selling tool and added a lot of value to our presentation.  

Lia has a great attitude about jumping in and helping wherever needed. Her CAD and drafting skills are great and she’s helping us create design presentations faster and in a more comprehensive format. 

We’re grateful to Lia for showing up ready to work and get the job done whatever the task may be that. It could be day-drafting, measuring for new projects, or even breaking down the boxes from shipments. As a team, we are all-hands-on-deck and she’s jumped right in to help. 

It’s been an amazing experience having her here, so I wanted all of you to meet her, too. I sat down with her last week to ask her why she wants to work in the interiors arena, and what she enjoyed about working with my team.

What degree are you pursuing?

I'm currently studying Interior Architecture at UNC Greensboro. I'll be graduating in spring 2021.

How is school going with COVID?

With the pandemic going on, school has been a bit tougher. Adjusting to the constant use of Zoom and having to be more on top of my time management due to most of my classes no longer being in person has been a weird adjustment, to say the least.

Why did you want to do an internship?

I'm always looking for new ways to gain more experience within the industry. I'm curious about all aspects and there's no better way to learn than getting the hands-on experience of an internship. 

What's the most important thing you've learned during your internship?

The most important thing I've learned is that nothing is the same day to day. I may come in ready for one thing and have something entirely different thrown at me and I have to be able to adjust. 

What surprised you?

I was surprised about how much I genuinely enjoy residential design. I was pretty set on going into commercial design before I started but now I've got more options. 

What was your favorite assignment?

My favorite assignment was modeling a mountain rental property. The end result was much better than I imagined going into it. 

Why do you want to be an interior designer?

At first, I wanted to go into art but I always really loved interior design and architecture. Once I knew that designing spaces was a viable career option, I didn't even think about doing anything else. 

What is something about you that you want people to know?

I'm always ready for a new challenge. I wanna push myself and find others that allow me to do so within my career. I've been very lucky to have professors and mentors that do.