Therese Diederich has always known that design was an inherent part of her makeup.  She can remember constantly rearranging the furniture in her bedroom and begging to help her mom decorate her home growing up.  

Design had always come naturally to Therese, whether that was in the form of interiors or fashion. After graduating from the University of Kansas, she began working her way toward pursuing a career in interior design.  Her first job after graduation was at an architecture firm as a receptionist and marketing assistant.  She saw this job as an opportunity to get her foot in the door in the design industry.  It was not long before Therese moved on to a boutique interior design firm where she worked as a project manager for the owner of the firm.  This position allowed her to begin developing her design skills as she became more integrated in the design process and after some time working on design projects of her own. 

While completing the Master Certification Program at Heritage Denver, Therese took an internship opportunity with Studio Como, a stylish showroom featuring high-end, contemporary, Italian furniture: including beds, sofas & tables.  After graduating with her Master Certification, she became a full-time design consultant for Studio Como.  This position allows her to do what she loves, working on space planning, room layouts, and furniture selection for clients. The collaboration with clients and design professionals is a part of her job that she truly enjoys. Therese appreciates that working as a design consultant allows her to focus on the design work that she is most interested in and be further removed from the construction administration side of the business. 

As a new design consultant, Therese immediately began learning about the exclusive brands and lines that Studio Como carries within their showroom.  Learning this detailed information was a big project, but one that she found greatly influenced and inspired her design aesthetic. Her love and passion for design is constantly being fueled by learning about the designers of lines carried by Studio Como, such as women like Patricia Urquiola, who has designed for many iconic brands. The talented designers Therese interacts with daily are another source of constant inspiration. She admires their skills and learns from each of them, as they all bring a different perspective to a design project.   

Therese realizes that her path to becoming an interior designer may have been a more alternative approach. She recognizes that this was a challenge at times, yet turned out to be her biggest career benefit. Taking on design positions before receiving her formal design education allowed her to gain hands-on knowledge and experience before learning in a classroom setting. She is thankful for the experience she gained before Heritage because it allowed her to have a thorough understanding of what the day to day requirements of the job would be and knew the questions she wanted to ask while in school.  Although Therese had worked in the design industry before enrolling at Heritage, she appreciates the fact that her time at Heritage helped to prepare her for a full-time career in the design world.

We can’t wait to see the progression of Therese’s interior design career!