Interior Design BA(Hons): After you graduate

"I loved the course – the tutors were very interesting and made the degree really challenging. I also learned a lot from the guest tutors who were practising professionals and I really enjoyed working late in the studio. One of the great things about Kingston is the big studio students work in.

"The highlights of my degree were: the great people I met; doing the Erasmus exchange in Finland; and best of all, my final year teacher who gave me an enthusiasm for China. From his experience, I decided to work in Shanghai.

"However, after graduating I went back to my home country of France. I found having a diploma from the UK helped me a lot and I got a job as an interior designer at Western Design, a design agency in Paris. But I still wanted to work in China and, in January 2005, I went to Shanghai for two weeks, attending interviews at over 20 architecture agencies. The experience was great; I had a lot of good comments about my work and a few job offers. But none were exactly what I was looking for. So I went back to Paris.

"In March 2005 I got a position at Naço, a French architecture studio that was opening an office in Shanghai. Naço is divided in three parts: architecture, design and graphic design.  This means we provide a complete design service for our clients. For example, with a hotel we take care of the architecture, the interior design, furniture design and graphic identity such as logo and signage.

"I spent eight months in the Paris office, working as an interior designer and being trained for China. Then in October 2005 I started the office in Shanghai with two other designers. By early 2006 there were ten designers under my supervision. I organise the project schedules, decide who will work on what and report to the Paris office. I also follow projects onsite, build our client-base and take care of publicity. We are developing projects in Beijing and Tokyo, as well as Shanghai, which means lots of travel. It is a tough job, but I love it!

"I enjoy the travel, having a lot of responsibility and I like the fact that, even though I am young, people listen to me. My studies at Kingston gave me the foundation I needed to succeed in my career. As well as developing a very strong creativity, I acquired the capacity to analyse situations. My advice to those starting their degree is: be creative, show the best of yourself and study for your future. The world is in your hands, if you want, you can!"