Carolina Twyford has always had a flair for the creative, but before she started on her road to interior design, she worked in a corporate role in the Dominican Republic. With an education in economics and marketing, her passion for interiors was always bubbling, but when she first arrived in Australia, her focus was on gaining employment quickly. She did in fact study interior design at home, but at first, Australian residency laws restricted her ability to begin practicing as a designer. But the urge to design would never leave her.
Once settled into Australia, and with two young kinds in tow, she decided to tool-up on her interior design skills, Australia style.
“As I grew older, I realised that interior design could have a real, meaningful and long-lasting impact on human wellbeing. That deeper purpose is what made me choose interior design as the career I truly wanted to pursue.”
As Carolina progresses through the interior design RTO programme, she compares it to her previous studies overseas and says that she is surprised “how different the Australian regulations and standards are compared to those in my home country. Even though I studied interior design overseas, retraining here has helped me refresh my knowledge and align with the expectations of the Australian industry. Understanding these standards has been incredibly interesting.”
Carolina is a mother of two young children so choosing to make such a career pivot was not going to be an easy choice. There are risks involved in taking the leap into a new career as well as the logistics of home life responsibilities. When scouring the internet looking for the right course, Carolina found that the flexibility that an online course offers, coupled with the recognised accreditation and affordability of the Academy, was everything she needed.
When she first embarked on the course, Carolina was leaning towards commercial design, especially hospitality, but “at the same time, I wanted the Australian accreditation to confidently re-enter the design field after working in different roles when I first arrived in Australia.”
Now that she is approaching the end of the programme, Carolina is “even more convinced” that she is on the right path.
Carolina says her “current project, which focuses on designing for a family with disability needs, has been one of my favourites. It has pushed me to be extremely meticulous with accessibility requirements and compliance with AS1428. It has also strengthened my negotiation skills when working with suppliers who don’t always offer access to specialised materials.”
But the Academy can teach a person more than just the skills and knowledge it takes to become a designer, all valuable and necessary skills, but there are other lessons to take away.
Carolina has “learned how valuable my past experience is. My background in administration, marketing and client communication blends naturally with my design work. Studying has shown me that none of my previous skills were wasted; they all contribute to the way I manage projects and communicate ideas.”
Inspired by residential designers such as Jamie Drake and Caleb Anderson, if money was no object and she had total freedom to do anything at all, Carolina’s dream project would be a high-end thoughtful residential design solution. Or perhaps a boutique hotel along the lines of Susan Anderson’s refined, timeless style and detail.
And this does not have to be an imaginary ambition. In five years, Carolina sees herself running her own design studio, specialising in commercial and high-end residential design. Her “goal is to build a practice that balances creativity, function and meaningful client relationships”, and there’s nothing to stop her now!
