Hi Marguerite here, I am an interior designer based in Cork. Having studied Interior Design and Technology in TUS Co. Limerick I moved back home to Cork to complete my placement with Mairead Collier Interiors and Boulevard Interiors. I was then hired full time in Boulevard Interiors and I am working there ever since. My goal as an interior designer is to create better quality of life for my clients by creating more functional and tailored spaces for them to live in. Intern this will make them feel more motivated and improve their moods by seeing spaces that intrigue them and that they find exciting to be in. Interior design is often seen as a luxury only the more well off can afford and coming from the Irish countryside I see that it is not as common a practice for more traditional people as it is for people who live in more urban areas. I want to change this. When I first mentioned about wanting to become an interior designer my father always said "name one interior designer in Ballingeary" (the village I came from) my answer was always "maybe I'll be the first" Interior design to my parents’ generation and older was seen as something you don't need and you can live fine without it. But.. Besides the aesthetic aspect of interior design there are countless ways living in a well-designed space can improve your life. Colour psychology, space and circulation planning and use of natural and artificial lighting are only some areas that studies have been done in to understand the significant impact good design can have on a person’s mental health, motivation etc and in turn every aspect of their life. Although my passion wasn't fully understood by my father he never tried to hold me back from becoming what I was meant to be and I am very grateful for his open mindedness. (Not that it would have stopped me anyway I knew what I wanted and I was going to get it either way.) Now that I am working in the interior design industry full time my parents have a better understanding of the importance of interior design. As I mentioned it is a goal of mine as a designer to make interior design a thing every household has, no matter their budget, size of their home or anything else. We all deserve a home we feel happy and safe to be in.