INTERNSHIP
ALFRED WILLIAMS & COMPANY
May 11th - July 24th
For one of my required classes in the Interior Design program, we were required to complete a minimum 200 hour internship at an accredited Interior Design firm or similar business. I was given the opportunity to complete my internship at the well-known Alfred-Williams & Company in Raleigh, NC.
Alfred Williams & Company is a Herman Miller furniture Dealership, established in 1867, and continuously ranked a top Herman Miller Dealer in the US. With numerous locations throughout the country, Alfred Williams provides research-based workspace solutions for healthcare, higher education, offices and governmental organizations with contemporary and modern designs to beat the best. Alfred Williams meets with clients all over the country to define needs, design spaces that work for our clients, and deliver customer care and customized "wows".
During my time at Alfred WIlliams & Company, I retained a wide range of knowledge that I believe creates a great foundation for future learning and career advancements in the field. I learned how to work with different fabrics and textiles, as well as veneers and laminates. When it comes to workspaces, there really is a much wider range of solutions than just a simple "cube farm" that everyone is used to, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Below are some examples of some simple workstations for a project I had the pleasure of working on during my time at the company. Notice, they all have the same textiles and finishes, just different configurations and layouts to give the customer a wider range of options.
OPTION 1
OPTION 3
OPTION 2
OPTION 4
In another project that I was able to work on during my time at Alfred Williams, I was given measurements and dimensions for a benching system that was to be covered with specific materials and finishes specified and confirmed by the client. One of the Interior Designers asked me if I would use my Google Sketchup skills to create and render the benching system for her because Sketchup is not widely mastered around the office so I was happy to help her out. Below is one of the rendered images I was able to produce. The client wanted a simple benching system that wrapped around with a fabric screen in between for privacy.
Along with working with renderings and 3D technology creating realistic workspaces for clients to be able to see what they would be recieving as a final product, I was also able to use my skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and presentation-making to create simple project and idea boards to give clients and idea of what we wanted for their spaces and how we planned to complete them. Below is one of the many idea boards we created for a client. By mixing a traditional "Italian" color palette with a little contemporary touch, we were able to give the client an idea of what his space would look like.
PROJECT CRITERIA
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Older gentleman
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Italian food/theme
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Contemporary touch
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Traditional colors: red/rust/black
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Budget friendly, sustainable