Intern Spotlight: Jennifer James

Jennifer (“Jennie”) James is a current Randolph Community College Interior Design student who is just a few short weeks away from graduation.  In order to meet her programs requirements, she has taken an internship with Asheboro Design.

Asheboro Design is located off of Salisbury Street in Asheboro, North Carolina, just a few short minutes from the school.  The company is owned and operated by Beverly Wilson alongside her State of the Art custom framing services. 

Asheboro Design offers both Residential and Commercial design, as well as color, art, and framing consultations.  Some current projects that Jennie is assisting with includes a twin boys bedroom, a master suite, a powder room, and possibly the Asheboro Country Club.  It is through these projects that Jennie is learning how to read a clients personal tastes, how to sell a design that works, and that clients are often wanting to change things around.  Wilson is often challenging Jennie to use bolder colors and patterns in her designs.  Other skills that are being acquired are art knowledge, such as artists, preservation, and framing methods.  So far Jennie’s favorite experience has been a visit to a clients home.  Through this she has learned that you have to be just as comfortable and confident in a client’s home as you would in your own office. 

Jennie has also been able to spend time working in other areas of the Interior Design field.  This includes kitchen, bathroom, and hardware design during her time at Beeson Decorative Hardware and Plumbing and her experiences at High Point Furniture Market with Belle Meade Signature. Jennifer is currently coming up on her third market with BMS, and is thrilled to be assisting in the showroom’s design.

Interior Design has always been a passion of Jennie’s.  Since her adolescence, she has considered fun to be designing and sketching room plans, and building small structures in the woods with her father’s toolbox.  She was also known to be scoping out new homes being developed in her hometown of Climax, North Carolina.  After graduation, Jennie is striving to achieve Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) credentials and to become National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCDIQ) certified.

The posting was written by Jennifer James Interior Design Student at Randolph Community College.  For more information on a career in Interior Design contact Randolph Community College, Department Head, Holly Barker at hdbarker@randolph.edu or at 336-633-0284.

Intern Spotlight: Sheryl Pugh

Sheryl Pugh is interning with Lee Ann Burkhart of Lee Ann Burkhart Interiors of Graham, NC. Lee Ann is a former graduate of Randolph Community College. Lee Ann currently assists clients in the Graham, Burlington, Mebane, and the Raleigh-Durham areas. Lee Ann’s project requests range from color consultations to complete space renovations. During her internship Sheryl has been learning the business practices necessary to be a professional and successful interior designer. Sheryl says, “It will be very important to learn ways to conduct myself with clients and to also learn how to stay connected using aids such as social media to inform current clients and new prospects about my business and what I have to offer them”.

Since Sheryl has been interning with Lee Ann they have conducted color consultations where Lee Ann’s use of great color samples aided the client to effectively see that the

continuity of a color palette can really make such a difference in how the spaces flow. A large part of Lee Ann’s business comes from home staging. Lee Ann works with realtors and home owners seeking her professional advice on what to do to get the house to look its best and get it sold quickly. Lee Ann also works with builder’s to stage model homes in which she stages with her current stock of furniture. The units she stages are selling quickly and a great deal of the time the buyer wants all the furniture to be included. Sheryl enjoys assisting Lee Ann stage spaces. Sheryl says, 

“It is hard work, and I enjoy collaborating with Lee Ann on furniture arrangements and the placement of accessories and Lee Ann is very detailed like me”. 

Sheryl currently has a studio space in Randleman, NC that she shares with her son Josh, a professional photographer; he is a recent photography graduate from Randolph Community College. Sheryl says, 

“In my opinion, Randolph Community College has the best Interior Design program, hands down. Our professors Holly Barker, Department Head; Emily Reynolds, and the adjunct instructors push their students to excel in the classroom and get us ready for our professional career after graduation.  Under their instruction several of my friends and fellow classmates have achieved several student design awards”.  

 Sheryl was awarded 1^st place in the High Point Design Center’s Unity in Style student design competition. 

As a result of that win, one of the judges, Carol Jollay, with Jollay Design Center, asked Sheryl if she would take her space at the Southern Ideal Home Show this March 28-30 at the Greensboro Coliseum.  Sheryl was honored and nervous but she couldn’t turn down such a great opportunity.

The Post was written by Sheryl Pugh with photo credits to Josh Pugh

 Sheryl can be reached at Pugh Design Group located @ Studio 601, 601 N Main Street in Randleman, North Carolina.  You can contact the studio at 336.495.0356, by cell at 336.953.7994, or by email at pughdesigngroup@gmail.com.    Check out her design blog  and Facebook at:  http://pughdesigngroup.blogspot.com/

 www.facebook.com/studio601nc     

For more information on a career in Interior Design contact Holly Barker, Department Head of Design Programs at Randolph Community at 336-633-0284 or via email at hdbarker@randolph.edu