On the Clock: Jessica Carr

Twenty-four year old Jessica Carr represents the new face of interior design - young, motivated and schooled in the computer technology that reflects a real trend in the industry.

"It's definitely the way everything is going," she said of computers.

Carr is a recent graduate from the Illinois Institute of Art in suburban Chicago, where she studied interior design, with a specialty in the latest computer tools of the trade. She now applies those skills as a designer with Design One Interiors in Breckenridge, where she's worked since January.

"Whether it's going out and getting measurements of a space itself, or getting some kind of floor plan from the client, I can put it in the computer to the scale that we want," Carr said. "And then once we have the floor plan in scale, we can work with it realistically. We can really figure out what's going to fit."

Carr uses a program called AutoCAD, as well as other programs like Photoshop, to generate designs in a cyber milieu before committing to anything the real world.

"It's a great way to show the client what things are going to look like. But it's mostly a tool for us that makes our jobs easier," Carr said.

Carr's approach to interior design is an interesting contrast to her fellow designers at Design One - owners Bob and Beverly Voss. Beverly, for instance, has been in the interior design business for more than 20 years.

As a recent graduate, Carr is working toward the two years of experience required for her to take the industry standard certification test - the National Council for Interior Design Qualification, or NCIDQ.



Q: Are your clients very demanding here in the High Country?

A: "It varies a lot. You'll have a client that comes in who knows exactly what they want, the price they want to pay, and are very picky. But that's a good thing, because they know what they want. Other times you'll have clients who just don't know - they'll say, 'I just want it to look good.' Then, you don't have a lot to go on, so it's a lot of trial and error - getting a reaction and then taking what they like and trying again."

Q: What sort of style are people looking for up here?

A: "You usually get to design in a different style than what they're used to, because they want something different in a second home. Once you get to know them and see what they like, it's still not easy because they want something different. You have to know how to work with and read people."