fast track to fabulous
whether commercial or residential, an interior designer can help take the anxiety out of picking paint colors and placing furniture.
Looking at a space and turning it into a comfortable place for someone to spend time is not an easy task and one that can take years of education and training.
It also takes a practiced and artful eye, one that can matches colors and shapes and fabrics to create a sum that is greater than the collection of parts.
That’s was a certified interior designer provides in designing rooms that are both comfortable, pleasant and functional, said Anna Rossiter of Interior Concepts and also a professor at Southwest University of Visual Arts in Albuquerque.
“I have degree in interior design,” Rossiter said. “I basically have all the technical design and background training, from elevation, doing all the drawings, perspective drawing, knowing specification codes.”
In her studies at the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver, Rossiter trained for residential, commercial and hospitality situations. In addition, creating comfortable relationships with prospective clients was also a big part of the training as well as the development post education.
“It’s important to be able to know how to do all of these things,” she said. “It helps you communicate with your clients. When you’re creating a project or working for a person, you need to be able to elaborate and express your thoughts and creative design process.”
That communication is a twoway street and both parties need to feel they can express their thoughts on the project, Rossiter said.
“That’s why you’re being hired,” she said. “A lot of people don’t understand or know how to put things together and they reach out to people like me who have the technical training and background to help them create their own personal space.”
Rossiter always had an artistic
eye but wasn’t really sure what direction she wanted to go in life while attending St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe.
That is until the art instructor recommended an interior design education.
“When I was in high school, a lot of my friends knew exactly what they were going to do with their lives,” Rossiter said. “I was talking with my art teacher, Sister Elaine and she said, ‘You’ve always been so good at putting things together as far as colors and texture, maybe you should consider interior design.’”
Rossiter took to it right away, earning an associate’s degree, which at the time was the extent of the education in the field.
“I always thought I would eventually go back, but I felt like I had suitable training,” she said.
And now she’s on the other side, helping new students to become interior designers through a local program.
“Students learn how to use their imaginations to create distinctive private and commercial interiors,” according to the college’s website. “Space planning, furniture design and the study of textiles, lighting, colors and fabrics are essential studies in this program. Foundation courses in rendering, drafting and color theory prepare students for advanced practical projects in areas such as special needs, environmental and hospitality design, as well as designing a variety of residential and commercial spaces. …Graduates are prepared for positions at interior design and architectural firms or in residential and commercial design studios.”
It’s been an honor to begin teaching in addition to her work in the field, Rossiter said.
“Basically I’ve this done my whole life,” she said. “I’ve had a long career. It’s kind of nice to give back and to be able to work with these women. A lot of these people, for them it’s kind of like a second career.”
Although Rossiter is old school and prefers to sketch out her design ideas on paper, in this technological age, much of the design work is not done that way anymore.
“One of the things they do a little bit differently is computer-aided drawing, whereas I was doing a lot of my drawing by hand,” she said. “It’s a lot of the same basic background as far as the design proofs and how you come up with designs.”
When Rossiter has a new client, the first thing that’s done is to sit down and talk about the project.
“Typically what I do, I come out and meet with the person who is looking for help,” she said. “We talk about the space and we talk about what they want to do or the end us of it. Maybe they want to give it a more modern, clean look. Every project is different because everybody is different. I analyze what needs to be done and I do research on what needs to be done and what I feel fits their needs, then I print them some ideas of what I think would work.”
The most efficient way to accomplish a major project is for Rossiter to work directly with the construction team, she said.
“If it’s new construction, I like to be brought in once ground is broken,” Rossiter said. “Then I can be involved in all of the particulars in regards to where things should go.”
For instance, she said, “When you pour a slab, you may want to have an electrical outlet in the floor so you want to decide where you’re going to put your furniture. It’s important to get involved early on so you can walk the client through the process.”
It gives Rossiter the chance to create a lasting and dynamic living space.
“I also execute my projects,” she said. “In a kitchen, I’ll come up with some drawings, some finishes and come up with ideas of what we can do and once into the project, I oversee the construction process. I walk through with the builder, I walk through with the electricians. I’m there from the beginning until the end of a project.”
One of the things Rossiter has recently added to her résumé is working with historical projects.
“One I’m working on right now is kind of on hold because we’re waiting for Los Ranchos to approve the plans,” she said. “The house was built in 1850 on ancient Indian burial grounds so we’re trying to figure out how to deal with that.”