Leaving secondary modern school at 16 and enrolling for a two-year Foundation Course at Lincoln College of Art, Karen Lane was, by her own admittance, young and impatient when she abandoned her studies for employment.
Ironically, it would be a calling to interior design that would prompt Karen to return to education and provide a second chance to secure the career she’d always wanted. She now works as a freelance interior designer and has set up her own business, Autograph Interior Design.Sit down, relax and enjoy reading Karen’s inspirational story.
Over the years I have held various positions (art/design related) including photographic assistant, paste-up artist, sign writer, window dresser, etc,” began Karen. “In the late 1990’s I joined the Marketing Team of a national soft furnishings retailer where I was responsible for creating eye-catching in-store layouts and displays, styling room sets for photo shoots and heading up the Visual Display Team.
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| Georgian drawing room window elevation By Karen lane |
Towards the end of 2006, with my passion for interior design and a desire to help others realise the full potential of their homes, I decided that the time was right for me to branch out on my own and specialise in this subject. In 2007, I joined my partner in his architectural design business ‘Build Design Limited’ as an architect’s technician gaining experience in producing detailed planning drawings and learning about the planning and building regulations process. I saw the architectural training as an important first step on which to build my interior design skills.
Georgian drawing room furniture plan |
Having left college without any formal qualifications I saw the next step as being my enrolment onto a Diploma course for Interior Design. With this in mind I began researching the various courses available on the Internet and it was during this time that I discovered the Interior Design Diploma course run by the National Design Academy in Nottingham. The course fitted my requirements perfectly as it allowed me to continue working and study from home at my own pace.
| Hair salon design |
I enrolled, thoroughly enjoyed the course and gained my Diploma in December 2007. With motivation running high and the Diploma under my belt the next step was to enrol for my Interior Design Foundation Degree, which I did in January 2009. Once again, I have chosen to do this with the National Design Academy and I intend to take it all the way, hopefully achieving my BA in the not too distant future!
Continuing to work alongside my partner, I have launched Karen Lane Interior Design which means that, as a team, we can now offer a complete in-house design service from feasibility drawings, planning and building regulations, through to interior design and project management. All this was possible thanks to the first step I made – enrolling with the National Design Academy.
