Week 1: Design Immersion
Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 8:12PM This week I started as a interior design intern at Lauderdale Design Group. My first week went really well and I am excited to further get to know the team and learn from them. It is a small firm and I immediately felt like I was a part of the team and given tasks. Lauderdale Design Group does an array of different commercial design projects ranging from higher education, corporate, financial, healthcare, hospitality, and more. The design services LDG offers consist of conceptual design, programming, space planning, interior detailing, lighting design, as built documentation, and ff&e specifications.
UT Music Building pre walk-through meeting.My first day was a very exciting and quite a learning experience. When I first got there the team had a office meeting discussing projects and progress. Dani, a former UTK grad and designer at LDG, gave me my first assignment. I used my indesign and graphic skills to create a thank-you card and envelopes based on the graphics Lauderdale Design Group has already established on their business cards. I also spent a great deal of time filing samples in their material library. This will be a on going task I will perform as samples need to be put back. I got the great opportunity to tag along with Dani and Joy (LDG owner) on a site visit to the UT Music Building Project and do a walk through with UT’s architect and interior design team. We went through all the offices that would house desks to make sure their location was outlined correctly.
UT Music Building walk-through.
The following day I went through the working documents for the UT Music Building and documented how many layers of gyp were on the walls that desks were against to send to Knoll so that when they install, they know what screws to use. I continued filing materials in the library as well. Because their was a client presentation with 2 different options given for the Salon Project, I put away the materials not chosen. Then I worked on the Salon Project and ordered different laminate samples. I also pulled paint colors that match the multiple vinyl wall coverings for the same project as well as pulled precedent photos.
This week I also did some work in autocad space blocking lateral files for the UT Music Building Project’s basement library. These were sent to the architect. I was invited by the team to go to lunch with Nels, the Mannington product representative. When we got back I did some scanning and digital filing. I also spent some time online finding vibrant and fun wall coverings for the Salon Project and ordering those.
The company consists of a team of three women. Joy Lauderdale, the owner and Principle of the firm, Deborah Presson, the Design director and my supervisor, and Dani Collins, Designer. Lauderdale Design Group also has a administrative assistant and general go to girl, Cathy, and a design intern. LDG is a sole proprietorship business entity. Please review the chart for a clearer understanding of the organizational structure within the company.
Joy Lauderdale This week I am introducing Joy Lauderdale, the owner and Principle of Lauderdale Design Group. Joy has been in the field for 24 years and is well known in the South-east interior design community. Joy has a vibrant personality and a positive attitude that is infectious. She has been great to work with and I look forward to getting to know her further. She really cares about her team and clients, and the work LDG produces radiate that perspective. She makes everyone laugh and has the great ability to make people feel at ease.
Reader Comments (2)
Sam! This is so cool that you get to see buildings around Knoxville and the music building that we got to tour. I can't wait to see how the rest of it goes!!
You had a busy first week! I am sure all the activity helped the time to fly, as well as build your confidence. The graphics assignment is a good one, and one that many interior designers seem to be asked to fulfill. The details you included about which software programs you are utilizing is excellent. Continue to give as many details like this as you can. This helps for your audience to understand the scope and skill required to accomplish various tasks. The site visits are also important, and hope you will continue to meet clients, reps and associated professionals that are the day-to-day reality of a professional office.
The organization chart looks good -- nice graphics! The hierarchy of the organization is clear, but I am wondering if it feels this hierarchical as a working group. I am sure while in project mode, the chart might look different, but maybe not. The fact that the business is a sole proprietorship, the chart has to take on a vertical form. Thanks for the great intro of Joy. Of course, would love to hear more details about her past experiences, how long the company has been in existence, where is she originally from, her hobbies, interests, etc. Add some juice!
The post formatting is good, but thumbnail your images so when you click on one it opens up to a larger size. Give each post an additional read over for spelling and punctuation and general word usage. Overall, very good first week, clear and well organized post. As I've mentioned to everyone else, adding in section titles to take the organization of the post to another level. Not everyone who reads the posts understands the weekly activity summary, week's focus and meet-someone-new format. Good work!