Tag Archives: interior design courses

An interview with Insight School alumni & interior designer Liza Beighley

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Former Insight School of Interior Design student and interior designer Liza Beighley talks about life before and after studying at Insight School. After working for 10 years in the luxury fashion brands, Liza discovered her true passion and went on to co-launch her own interior design company.

Certificate Award ceremony with teachers JJ Acuna, Enrique Moya-Angeler and Eve Mercier.

 

What is your background? What were you doing before coming to Insight School of Interior Design?

I worked over 10 years for luxury fashion brands CHANEL, Celine under LVMH Fashion Group, and DFS Group Limited mainly as a training, merchandising and product manager in Asia, North America and the Mid-Pacific regions. Soon after becoming a mother and moving back to my island home, I worked for the Bank of Guam as Quality Assurance Manager designing customer service and product programs. During this time, we renovated our beach condominium and I fell in love with interior design. We eventually moved to Hong Kong (for the second time) and I went through the process of redecorating our flat with the help of Australian based designer, Melissa McShane. It was showcased in Expat Living Magazine upon completion and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I decided to indulge my passion for design and researched interior design schools in Hong Kong. Insight School of Interior Design was the choice for me.

 

Liza’s personal style mood board

What did you study at Insight School and what key skills did you learn?

I was a mother with young children and decided to take the short course Textiles for Interiors as a start. Shortly thereafter, I enrolled in the Introduction to Interior Design course which confirmed my passion for interior design. I decided to continue with the part-time course and earn the Certificate in Residential Interior Design. I often wondered prior to the course how inspirational ideas were developed into working concepts and Insight School helped me to develop the key skills to implement ideas into design. We studied interior architecture, interior decoration, drawing skills, the design process, history of styles and put it all into professional practice. Working with clients and making design proposals throughout the course really helped to simulate what it is like to work in the real world.

Insight School project: Bruno de Caumont book-shelf proposal by Liza

 

Where are you working now?

With this knowledge and learned tools of the trade, I felt confident to take the necessary steps in opening BV Designs with my classmate and design partner, Sarah Vanica.

Insight School project: Liza’s mood board for an art gallery conversion into a residential apartment.

 

What have been some of the biggest challenges in starting your career?

Aside from the regular challenges of starting a business, making the necessary connections to export/import home goods overseas has been a big challenge. Also, it takes time to create the perfect logo to reflect who we are as interior designers and set-up our social media sites which should be available for viewing in the coming weeks.

What is the big project you are working on right now?

We are in the process of finalizing an executive home in Deep Water Bay in addition to having furniture made for a flat in Repulse Bay and sourcing furniture/fabrics for homes overseas.

Liza’s design projects at Insight School

 

As an interior designer, how do you stay current in the industry? What newsletters/blogs/social media tools do you read each week?

I love to stay current in the industry by reading international and Asia based design magazines such as Architectural Digest, Design Anthology, Home Journal, Home Solutions, and Expat Living. I especially love to read about projects completed by established and new designers focusing on what motivated and inspired them. Since my roots are in the fashion industry, I gain inspiration from fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and feel it’s important to think out-of-the-box. My favorite thing to do is look at my Instagram feed on designers I follow which leads to links with more details on their websites, blog, and newsletters. I especially love to view projects and inspirations from new, up-and-coming interior designers. My design partner and I share this information with each other and bounce ideas around to remain current and catch onto upcoming trends in the industry. Insight School of Interior Design is one we follow on our social media feeds.

Can you give any advice to students looking to start a career in the Interior Design Industry?

Don’t hesitate! If you are passionate about Interior Design have the confidence to move forward and find the right interior design career for you. Listen to your clients and always keep an open mind. Continue to make connections in the industry and bounce ideas around with those you trust. Above all, think outside the box. Inspiration is everywhere.

Liza studied the Certificate of Residential Interior Design at Insight School. Enrolments are now open, course starts February 20th. Enquire today and ask about our 10% early bird discount.

EXPAT LIVING HK SPEAKS TO EVE ABOUT SETTING UP A HOME IN HONG KONG

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Tips, tricks and interior design courses for making a home away from home

22 September 2016

Do you have a passion for interior design – colours, lighting and textures? Hong Kong spaces can be challenging so we spoke to Eve Mercier, a Hong Kong based design master and globetrotter who knows how to help you make a stylish home away from home – she can even help you to become your own design guru!

Parisian Eve has moved 13 times in the last 20 years. Through Europe and twice to Hong Kong, Eve has sent her family’s belongings across the globe, a lot! But as an interior designer, she knows how to adapt when she arrives in her new home.

Eve’s “Jack-of-All-Trades” background, which includes stints with Christie’s and Shanghai Tang, among others, helped her build her career as a designer. Her design school, she says with a laugh, was “born out of frustration”. When Eve returned to Hong Kong in 2012 architects and designers told her there was lots of work for interior design professionals but not enough of them. And so began ‘Insight School Of Interior Design’, a school that creates professionals through courses that combine creativity, academia and practical experience. It caters for everyone. “You don’t need to be talented to start with” she says. You just need to be curious, passionate and think outside the box – “The rest, you can learn.”

Provence Family Home

Bathroom in Provence Family Home

Eve’s Southside Home

The school’s courses range from an introduction for those interested in design, to short courses in specific areas like lighting or textiles, to full certificates and diplomas. While this is clearly a labour of love, Eve and her colleagues mean business; over 80 percent of graduates from the school end up being successfully employed in the industry.

Her latest introductory course starts on October 6th, runs for eight weeks and requires attendance just once a week.

In the meantime, Eve gave us some quick design advice for making a home away from home.

Plan your space

“When I moved back to Hong Kong [this last time] I didn’t have the chance to go and see the apartment I was going to move into, I just saw the plan. I was living in London at the time and I was able to see, by looking at the floor plan, which pieces of our existing furniture would fit into the space and which pieces I could leave behind.”

Don’t rush

“Very often when people arrive they decide ‘I want everything now so it’s done and I can concentrate on other things’. I think it’s good to spend a little bit of time to get the pulse of the city, to get to know which shops are right for you instead of trying to do everything in one go.”

Beware of copies

“People get very excited about going across the border to Shenzhen to buy things because it is cheap and very quick. Bear in mind that after six months the copy is going to look, feel and age like a copy. So it’s not always your best option.”

Don’t overlook IKEA

“This may seem obvious but IKEA is still the cheapest option if you want to buy interesting furniture. Lots of new designers contribute to their collections so you can buy some really interesting stuff there.”

Buy one good piece of furniture

“Take your time, compare. Buy your piece with a reputable source and try to buy something older than 20th century. Buy an iconic piece that will stand the test of time and that you can mingle with other furniture.”

London artist’s studio turned into an Italian family pied á terre

Mayfair Duplex - Residential Project

This article appeared in Expat Living HK homepage in September 2016.

 

The importance of freehand drawing courses in Interior Design

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In our highly computerized era, freehand drawing can be seen as an unnecessary skill. Insight School of Interior Design’s teacher Enrique tells us why freehand drawing is so important in Interior Design.

Freehand drawing is a powerful tool

It allows you to communicate with an international “language” that surpasses conventional languages. Freehand drawing visually supports and enhances your dialogue with clients, colleagues, contractors and contributes to instilling confidence. It helps you represent your ideas or concepts in real time. Freehand drawing can add tremendous value to your work as it brings more personality to your final visuals.

Freehand drawing is within your reach

Eliminate your fear of drawing! There is no good or bad drawing. The only bad one is the one you have not done… Like sports, you have to learn the technique and practice regularly in order to master the craft. No need to be an artist in order to become a designer. Just exercise your sense of proportion or scale.

3D hand drawing can open new perspectives

Tips from the expert

“Educate your eye, look very carefully and do not worry about the time it takes to elaborate the drawing. Let yourself be inspired by the lines, volumes and colors that the Hong Kong skyline has to offer. Draw with your entire body.” During freehand drawing courses, Enrique shares with Insight School students the importance of drawing using more than two fingers. Students should establish a connection between body and mind. For example the position of legs and arms is also important. Just like tennis, one has to pay attention to his/her grip but also to his/her posture in order to hit the ball to the other side of the court!

Enrique shows our student how to hold the pencil

Enjoy, have fun and practise over and over!

INSIGHT INTERIOR DESIGN COURSES

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INSIGHT school is offering part time and full-time Interior design courses in Hong Kong. See what one of our student from the 8 week “Introduction to Interior design ” course has to say :

Insight Interior design courses testimonial

Insight interior design courses in the school library

Loved it! Loved, loved! I thoroughly enjoyed coming in every week. I thought that Insight provided a very professional course and in particular the quality of the teachers/trainers was excellent. The space is amazing and most conducive to a creative learning experience. Actively working towards a project for a ‘real-life’ client greatly added to the enjoyment of learning and I found myself mentally consumed by the process even during the days between the course. Overall I was thrilled to be part of the first round of students and would highly recommend the course to others. Jodi Munro ( Introduction to Interior design student )

Presenting the interior design project to a client

Check more testimonials on interior design courses on our blog
. Some more Introduction to Interior design courses will be offered again in the autumn. Check our calendar.

Article sources : Insight school of Interior design, Hong Kong.

OPEN DAY AT INSIGHT SCHOOL HONG KONG

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Insight school Hong Kong organised an open day on May 17.

Come and visit Insight school Hong Kong!

Students at Insight school Hong Kong

Open day on Saturday 17th of May at Insight school in Hong Kong : prospective student came to visit our premises and enquired about our short courses, part time programs and our full time diploma. They had the opportunity to meet some of the teachers. Some students enquired about sustainable design course with our specialist Catherine Touzard author of “Going green in Hong Kong” , others chatted with our lighting teacher in our in-house lighting studio sponsored by the leading light supplier Zumtobel and learned about lighting design tips. Our teacher Suzy Anetta explained materials and special finishes to interested students in our materials library . And some future students played around with our interactive lecture chairs in one of the classrooms. Don’t worry, your time will come !

Article’s source ; Insight school Hong Kong