Interior Design Students Intern at Prestigious Studios

Getting an internship in a top-end design studio is an invaluable experience; it offers an opportunity learn more about the industry, grow a contact base and get a feel for the job. It’s also a chance to impress industry professionals, potentially going on to permanent work.

Students from Interior Design are well versed in the benefits of internships; they enjoy regular industry workshops, trips to studios and competitions for work experience.

Find out more about
BA(Hons) Interior Design

Carmen Downing, one of our second years, won an internship at Sanders Studios, a creative CGI agency that delivers still, moving and immersive materials for luxury brands.

Carmen told us: “As part of a collaborative project with Sanders, we had to submit designs for a luxury apartment based in Newquay. This had to show off our unique design flair as well as our image rendering abilities. Sanders then awarded three of us with internships.

“When it finally hit me that the internship was happening, I was over the moon. During my time at Sanders Studios I was able to develop my skills on software I’ve not used since college, which was exciting. The team at Sanders were also incredibly welcoming and helpful, so it was a very enjoyable experience.”

Carmen’s experience at Sanders has confirmed her desire for a career in 3D visualisation for interiors and architecture, and has inspired her to apply for more internships.

Mina Arellano-Templer also won an internship at Sanders Studios, as well as an internship with Hawkins/Brown, an internationally-renowned, award-winning architectural practice that boasts over 250 architects, interior designers, urban designers and researchers.

Mina told us: “It felt really good to get the internships because both companies are really great organisations and well known for what they do. To have this opportunity is amazing. It’s also just good to be acknowledged by people who are in the field of work that I’m interested in. It’s given me more confidence in my work.”

Mina is looking forward to getting a wide range of experiences from the internships and hopes that they will help her decide what path to take after university.

She said: “I’m hoping to gain the experience of working in a smaller company like Sanders, compared to a bigger company like Hawkins/Brown. Sanders work on visualisations, so I’ll be gaining experience of working on that side of things, and Hawkins/Brown are an architectural firm but have an Interior Design department who I’ll be working with, so I’ll be able to get two really different experiences.”

Second year student Sam Viney was another of our internship winners. His place was awarded by Resolution Interiors, an interior design company that creates spaces that connect brands with people.

Sam told us: “The brief was to create a pop-up structure for the Big Festival in the English Cotswolds for Bombay Sapphire, highlighting the importance of conserving drinking water.”

His concept, Save Every Drop, involved a simple scaffolding structure with a vibrant droplet that comes to life at night, changing colour and ambience for a dynamic space. It was designed to make people look and wonder about ways to conserve water, with a viewing platform for users to see spectacular views of the festival.

Sam said: “I was absolutely thrilled to be chosen for the internship. I enjoy designing branded interiors and I think this experience at Resolution will be very valuable. I’ll learn from professionals more about branded interiors and the process in which they design spaces and how they work with clients to successfully follow the brief.”