Interior design student gets her dream job
MA Creative Practice student, Robyn Barratt, tells us about her experience on the course and getting her dream job as an interior designer.
What made you choose this course?
Prior to my MA, I was studying for my degree, and gaining hands-on experience as an interior designer was my main focus. I wanted to stay close to my home town, Knaresborough, during studying, to allow me to focus on finding a job within the field. My degree led me on to my MA course alongside working full-time, so again I wanted a local flexible place to study. I also built a good relationship with the college so it made sense to stay there for my next educational step.
How was your experience on this course?
The tutors at Harrogate College are more than happy to help. The staff in the workshop (especially Chris Poole) are so helpful and try to find a solution to any problem you come across.
What were your main achievements?
My main achievement throughout this MA has been creating seven pieces of furniture from scratch. In my everyday job I create visual furniture and gaining skills for the physical side of furniture-making has been a huge learning curve.
How did you become an interior designer?
While studying BA Hons Interior Design, I knew how important first-hand experience would be so I made a list of every interior design showroom in Harrogate and determinedly went around handing out a CV and a small portfolio. This led to a job with a small interior design firm where I worked for over three years.
Tell us a bit more about your role.
My role as an interior designer consists of designing client spaces; whether this is a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen or cinema room. I am involved with the full customer experience from taking their details to going out and measuring the space, creating a presentation of what the new space will look like and pricing this up accordingly. I specialise more in the design side where I create realistic CGIs (computer generated images) so the customer can see a realistic visual of what their new space will look like.
What inspires your work?
I keep up-to-date with trends and network with reps to find out the latest products. This keeps my designs fresh and full of new ideas. Customers also can inspire my work with particular briefs that I wouldn’t come across every day.
What’s next for you?
From leaving school I started my degree and then straight on to my master’s. I love education, however I am excited to have the chance to focus mainly on my career as there is still a lot to learn within the field of interior design. VR (virtual reality) is something which has become more popular over the last few years which is something I will consider learning about soon.