NTERIOR

ESIGN
 Parsons
Interior Design

Everyone asks me the same question:
Oh, Parsons?
What are you studying,
fashion?
ARGH.
No, I’m not at Parsons for fashion,
I’m here for INTERIOR DESIGN.
No one really knows how secretly
great our Interior Design department
really is. I didn’t ask the director or the
chair of the department, but instead
all of these answers are from the
students themselves. It is what you
would call the INSIDER INFO, a view
you won’t get from the administrators.
 The First Questions

Why Parsons?
What is the ID department like?
Isn’t it really time consuming?
I’ve heard people never sleep…
Are the materials expensive?
I hate doing math…
How many students are there?
Is the faculty any good?
What can I do after graduation?
Do I get to pick the color of walls?
And other frequently asked
questions...
 ISN’T IT REALLY TIME CONSUMING? I HATE DOING MATH...
Yes, many students have spent endless hours Don’t worry, it isn’t completely necessary.
building their models and reportedly have
not had much sleep in the first year.
There is no such major where you do not
spend time working on your projects;
they all require it.

ARE THE MATERIALS EXPENSIVE?

You do need to prepare to spend the most in sophomore
year. Generally, it will cost up to $400 per semester.
Technically, this is double the suggested amount for
Foundation studio courses.
IS THE FACULTY ANY GOOD?
Positively.
Most of them are practioners themselves
and will be of great inspiriation for you
in terms of professional insight
and perhaps as future employers.
DO I GET TO MATCH
COUCH COLORS WITH
THE WALLS?
The BIGGEST misconception by far is the idea that the program is all about
interior decorating. Interior Design at Parsons is essentially Interior Architecture
and very conceptually oriented. You are not going to be Martha Stewart.
You will be moving floors, walls, ceilings and changing facades to provide
functionality, quality of life and aethetics of design.
SHED SOME LIGHT
A glass-walled room welcomes you when you open the doors
to the second floor of the 25 East 13th Street building.
 Internships
Internships
As previously mentioned,
most of the faculty of the ID
department are practitioners.
Do you know what that
means? If you’re good
(and if they like you)
they are your best bet at
getting your first internship!
How awesome is that?!?
You can intern any one of
the 3 years and build up
experience, skills, and your
resume. The majority choose
to intern junior year because
of the extra time they have
due to elective courses.
Plus, you want to make sure
you are focused on school
during your senior year.

“Professors are your best bet at getting your
first internship, because they see the way you
think and work in general. Therefore the hard
work does pay off in a way.
“At my first internship, I did a lot
of site measuring, furniture layouts
and material palettes.
Martina Sencakova
Senior Student Council
Jessica Yu
Junior, Student Council
“I’m actually interning this year. I’m a junior, and my friend mentioned me
at her workplace and they asked if I could come in for an interview
and look at my portfolio. I got hired and I work on construction
” demo plans, reflective ceiling plans, and new layouts.”
“I think internships are great for learning and experiencing the real world
out there. They give you a more technical aspect of what it’s really like,
” while at school, you have freedom to be creative. ”
 If there is one thing you need to know,

Cecilie Lindsay AutoCad

Junior, Interior Design
is definately a required skill.

“I have an internship with Skidmore Owings & Merrill in the interiors department.
I work in the materials library. One of my teachers from my sophomore year
used to work there and got the job for me. ”
“During the summer of 08 I will return to working at SOM and I might go to Paris for the
summer program there. After graduation, I don’t know what I want to do quite yet but I do
not want to work for a large corporation, such as SOM.. ”
 Look, Look Here
Jessica, the Junior Student
Council Representative in ID tells
me they are currently working
on designing a dormitory. The
actual site is Elliot Hall at Barnard
College. Prelliminary research
and concept generation is
necessary before initial designs.
This is an example of how the
projects are designed as real-life
situations and offer actual work
experience outside the safety
net of the school. In junior year,
students learn to design with the
environment in mind.
“The biggest difference between sophomore & junior year is the work load.
I feel like I have twice as much work. ”

-Cecilie Lindsay SEARCH IT OUT

On a scale of 1 to 10,
how would you rate the faculty,
resources and equipment?

My recent project is on luxury retail stores.

It is a two-story space with walkways and a colorful
9 interior. As with most projects, we have a specific client
8
Resources 7 and this store is based on the works of Emilio Pucci.
Faculty -Cecilie Lindsay
Equipment
 So, What Now?
Work OVERLOAD?
The students do not deny it.
There will be sleepless nights
and you will need to invest a
lot of time in order to finish
projects and be ready for
the desk and “pin-up crits.”
Habits and time management
certainly are important factors
in the improvement of your
work as well. If this is your
PASSION, you will not mind it
and in the end, it will be a way
to prepare you mentally and
physically for the demanding
field. It will help you to work
faster and multitask, which is
definately a must.
 If you want...
There have been several cases where students transferred
into the architecture program because they realized it
interested them more than Interior Design did. Some were
overwhelmed with the workload and decided to take a
semester off, as in the case with a few people in Martina’s
senior class. If you have not transferred out or taken a
semester or two off during your stay at Parsons, you will
most likely be looking for employment upon graduation.
To become a certified Interior Designer,
you will have completed one of the three
basic requirements set up by the NCIDQ
(National Council for Interior Design) by
graduating from a Council for Interior
Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER)
accredited program. Parsons ID programs
are certainly appropriately accredited.
The remaining two requirements are for
you to work for a NCIDQ certified designer
for two years as work experience and
proceed to take the NCIDQ exam in order
become finally, fully certified.
 What do you plan on doing after graduation?
My plan after graduation is to find a full time job for about two years and then
I would like to continue getting a masters degree. I am not sure whether
it would be design/architecture related yet but there is hope.
Hopefully the two years of working everyday will help me pinpoint what it is that
I am really passionate about because there are tons of things that I am interested in.

-Martina Sencakova,
Senior ID

“
I love having my own desk.
I like being able to stop what I'm working on
without cleaning up and picking up where
I left off the next day.”

-Cecilie Lindsay
The second floor consists of Junior ID
and Architecture students.
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Alumni Bio
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Architectural Digest’s top
100 list. The following
section describes his long
but rewarding journey
in the world of interior
design, as well as photos
of his numerous works and
designs. Read on!
2006. David Patrick Columbia & Jeffrey Hirsch
New York Social Diary.com

Mario Buatta
Interior Designer

“Luxury, Texas Style. In Houston. a ‘1930’s House Revels

in Easy Elegance.”
Architectural Digest July 2007.
Photograph by Gordon Beall.
 He completed an apprenticeship at B. Altman & Co., and also became
associated with other design firms such as Elizabeth Draper, Inc.
Mr. Buatta is famous for his tasteful use of chintzes, incorporating texture
and pattern. His clients include Mariah Carey, Henry Ford II, Barbara
Walters and Billy Joel. One of his major works includes the Blair House;
the official White House guesthouse in Washington D.C.

Mario Buatta,

born in New York, attended

Parsons School in Paris and studied
architecture at Cooper Union.

“Luxury, Texas Style.

In Houston, a ‘1930’s House Revels in Easty Elegance”
Architectural Digest July 2007.
Photograph by Gordon Beall.
My personal dream
house would be...
One where I wouldn’t have to do anything
to it! Actually, it would be in England, in the
country, and have beautiful gardens and
people to take care of them, a wonderful
cook and someone to share it all with.
I like 18th-century style, but I want
all the amenities of the 21st century.
-Mario Buatta