2008 Internship at Victoria Cooke Interiors Matt Leers ‘08

Victoria Cooke Interiors 8 Willow St. Mystic, CT Located in the beautiful historical district of Mystic, CT.

Victoria Cooke Interiors  Independent interior design business run out of the home of Victoria Cooke in Mystic, CT. She is self-employed.  Most of her jobs are in SE Connecticut and along the shore of Rhode Island. She also does some jobs in Boston and New York.  Her jobs are primarily high-end residential.

Jobs of Interest  The Steamboat Inn, Mystic, CT  Mystic Seaport Museum Membership Bldg.  “Valiant” yacht, Mystic, CT  Historic “Morgan Point Lighthouse,” Noank, CT  Long Trail at Stratton, VT

Work Environment  A small yet busy office. There was always something that needed to be done.  The work environment was comfortable and Victoria was willing to answer any questions at any time.

The Victoria Cooke Interiors Office There was a vast number of fabric samples organized according to size, fabric type, outdoor/indoor use, color, etc.

The Victoria Cooke Interiors Office Rugs and carpet samples had their respective rooms, as did trim and lighting samples. The trim room (bottom left) was also where fabrics samples were sorted to be sent to customers.

Responsibilities  Worked very closely with Victoria, but also independently at times  Assignments included: –Organizing office space (putting away fabrics and files) –Picking up material shipments and blueprints –Speaking with fabric and furniture companies (asking for in-stock colors and custom options)

Responsibilities  Other assignments included: –Corresponding with clients (discussing decoration options) –Aiding in on-site visits (measuring floor space, taking notes for client folders)

Representative Visit  First-hand experience with fabric salesperson  Lesson learned: “Know your clientele.”  Victoria chooses carefully which company lines she wishes to carry.

On-site in Mystic, CT  Transcribed interactions between Victoria, construction head and tile guy  Visualized bathroom space for design  Suggested placements of shower stall and bathtub

Designing Victoria’s Home  Took measurements of spaces to be expanded (specifically the kitchen, living room and bathroom)  Worked alongside Victoria in initial planning stages

Designing Victoria’s Home cont.  Helped to draw up preliminary sketches and blueprints  Learned scaling and drafting techniques

Work Schedule  Worked two days a week, four hours a day  The schedule was fixed, but tasks varied day to day depending on how busy Victoria was and what she needed to be done.

Reflection  Improved during internship: –Organizational skills –Telecommunication skills –People skills –Multi-tasking  Developed during internship: –Drawing & scaling skills –Design & decoration comprehension –Critical & creative eye for room decoration

Reflection cont.  The best parts of my internship were: –Going on site to various homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island –Suggesting my own ideas to Victoria for client residential decoration –Working alongside Victoria during the first stages of designing her new kitchen and living room. –Gaining experience in drafting

For Other Students I highly recommend this internship to architectural studies majors, especially to those looking for other options in the field of architecture besides basic building planning.

Contact Information Victoria Cooke Interiors 8 Willow St., Mystic, CT Tel/Fax #: (860)