Portfolio – Claire vanDonkelaar

Claire vanDonkelaar
8793594
claire@www.redearthicons.com
(519) 664 2061
June 6, 2021

I declare that the contents of this portfolio are my own work. I understand that any misrepresentation of material as my own will result in rejection of my application to Conestoga College’s Bachelor of Interior Design program.

Signed,

Claire vanDonkelaar
my desk space || coloured pencil and marker

our coffee making process || pencil

my bedroom || water-soluble graphite

the family’s WunderCabinet || coloured pencil

an origami hawk

the family’s clock || pencil

my favourite seat || coloured pencil and watercolour crayon

The Reason I am Interested in Interior Design

Shortly after I was born, my parents moved into a house that was built in the 18xx’s, which had been abandoned for x years before we moved in. Since then, our family has grown – I am now the oldest of five. Fixing the house and figuring out our use of space within it has been an ongoing project. Because of this and the fact that we have always done the work ourselves, much of my life has been spent scraping paint, installing drywall, and looking at interior spaces as both a problem to solve and an opportunity to make something beautiful.

Interior design is appealing to me for several reasons. To start, I love the problem-solving aspects of the work – especially in small spaces. Ensuring everything necessary is present in a space without making it feel crowded or overworked is a wonderful challenge and deeply rewarding.

I also love the tangibility of what is being made. I can create something beautiful with the knowledge that it will have a real effect on the people around it.

The inherent variety of what is being made is massively appealing to me as well. Different people want different-looking spaces that do different things, which means the opportunities for exploration are endless and that no two projects will be the same.

The other point of interest to me as someone who loves to dive deep into a multitude of different subjects – and then apply them to my life and work – is the sheer breadth of the career. I could research anything from the history of the home to the making of textiles and anywhere in-between or beyond, and know it would be knowledge that would come to use. This breadth means that there is always something to learn, and as such, it is difficult to imagine interior design ever becoming boring to me.

As something that has been both a key part of my life and a source of genuine joy, interior design is something that I would love to delve deeper into and work with more closely. The traits of interior design mentioned above are immensely important and valuable to me. With this in mind, I look forward to pursuing it as both a career and a continuation of my creative lifestyle.