London s KLC School of Design

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1 36 : in.sight Rising Stars in.design chats with three new designers about their chosen career and future plans... London s KLC School of Design includes some great talent in its alumni! Graduate Claire Thomas runs her own interior design company, Thomas Haycock Interior Design; Claire was awarded an Honours in the Open Learning Diploma in Interior Design, achieving 2011 Runner Up Student of the Year. Robin Myerscough, Director at Riviere, who design and make hand knotted rugs of exceptional quality, attended KLC s ten week certificate course graduating in Spring 2011, and Petra Arko, who undertook KLC s Interior Design Diploma, now works for her own studio Arko Design, and is a freelance interior designer for Geronimo Inn and Keech Design. in.design asks them about their career progress. What made you decide to choose interior design as your career? Robin: It was inevitable I think. My parents renovated several houses and I was very aware of art and design from a young age. I am very interested in the way space is used and how this can be enhanced through creativity and problem solving. Design is a

2 in.sight : 37 continuous process constantly researching and developing one s knowledge. I have also had the opportunity to travel and work in other industries, which has given me a greater perspective and appreciation of the business. Petra: I have always wanted to be an interior designer, however at the time when I was choosing my university course, my own country didn t offer interior design as an option. I studied economics and international business and later worked for an American business consultancy in London. One of my friends introduced me to his then girlfriend, Gayle Westwood, who just enrolled to this amazing course for aspiring interior designers. Gayle is now an Interior Designer and of course, my friend s wife. I really thought about the idea of leaving my corporate world for a while and finally decided to make the change and invest in my future and enrolled in the Interior Design Diploma at KLC. Since then, the course and KLC has completely changed my life and Claire Thomas

3 38 : in.sight my career. I am so pleased that I am able to work today as Interior Designer, and I truly enjoy my work! Claire: Interior design is my second career. I started out as a management consultant for mobile telecommunications companies working across Europe in India and Australia. I first became inspired by design when I lived in Barcelona and worked with people from many different cultures. My friends lived in buildings with stunning architectural features and furnished them beautifully. I began to notice my surroundings more and the different settings, colours and curiosities really sparked my imagination, making me realise how much I loved all aspects of design. My ambition has always been to have my own company. Combining my business experience with my love of design felt like a combination that would allow me to achieve my ambition in a field that I love. How do you feel formal training honed your skills? Petra: I didn t have many interior design skills when I have enrolled in the course, just passion for drawing, painting and interior decorating, but none of the skills were of significant quality or focused enough. I feel that the course is almost like a magic life-altering pill, if you are able to swallow all the incredibly hard work for a year, then you will acquire such an amazing skill set that you will be able to start a totally new career immediately after graduation. Claire: Before I started training I didn t fully appreciate the depth and breadth of skills required to confidently design a space

4 40 : in.sight Petra Arko: The House Boat, Taggs Island, Hampton that really works and looks stunning. It is not as simple as saying Hang this wallpaper there and paint this colour there. Formal, structured training teaches you about space planning, technical drawing, the role of light (and lighting) and colour. When all these skills come together into a design that works it is incredibly fulfilling. Robin: Firstly, it gave me an excellent grounding in the more technical aspects of design, for example architectural drawing and space planning. Secondly, it gave me excellent contacts fellow students and industry professionals. Thirdly, it loosened my preconceptions on design the history of decorative styles was a personal favourite in the syllabus. What work placements most influenced your plans for the future? Robin: Having already worked in the industry, I was lucky enough to be offered an opportunity soon after graduating. I would always encourage graduates to gain work experience with as wide a variety of companies as possible, from designers to manufacturers. Claire: I was very lucky to be offered a work placement with Taylor Howes last year. It was a fantastic experience to see how Petra Arko

5 42 : in.sight Robin Myerscough a successful, internationally renowned interior design company works. I was totally inspired. Petra: I really enjoyed working with David Keech (product designer) on a number of projects. He is such an inspiring designer and shared with me a number of ideas about observation and design that really added to my studies. We worked on a few trend projects together and that has also helped me discover my skill for trend spotting. So what s next? Claire: At the end of last year I started an Robin Myerscough s Sornay interior design company, Thomas Haycock Interior Design with Andie Haycock, a friend that I met through studying at KLC. We have a number of projects on the go at the moment, including three house refurbishments and a coffee shop design. It s great to be busy and so rewarding when your clients love your ideas. We hope to grow our business over the coming years and continue to deliver original design ideas for all budgets. Robin: Grow our rug business and develop my portfolio of residential work. Robin Myerscough s Deco Buff Petra: I have my own practice Arko Design currently working on two residential projects and I am also work as a freelance interior designer for Geronimo Inn mainly working on gastro pub renovations. This year I will be working as support tutor at KLC, which I am really excited about adding my own post graduation experience to the course whilst being exposed to numerous creative ideas that the students come up with.