The first Interiors Addict + inSTUDIO Scholarship winner

Sponsored by iscd inSTUDIO

Vintage aficionado Kimberley Robinson is quitting her job and moving from Queensland to Sydney after being chosen as the recipient of the first Interiors Addict + inSTUDIO Scholarship. Myself and the fellow judges (Greg Natale, Darren Palmer and iscd’s Lucy Sutherland and Peri Mooney) were so impressed with the standard of applicants that we ended up offering an additional partial scholarship to fellow finalist Lisa Dingelmaier, who will also start her studies next month.

“When I first saw the post about the scholarship, I honestly felt a rush of excitement and daydreams at even the thought of winning and having the opportunity to work with such amazing mentors,” Kimberley said. “It took a little encouragement from my partner and close friends to actually begin my application but once I began it became a fun, yet challenging process that led me on a journey of self discovery that started to define what I want out of my design career and what I wanted my design practice to become.

“After the initial thrill of being shortlisted wore off, the preparation for the presentation in Sydney began. With such an exciting brief, there was a world of possibilities to explore. How many people get to create their dream living space without limits? This creative process created the opportunity to present my mid century inspired space to an amazing panel of judges including Darren Palmer and Greg Natale, in a welcoming and warm environment.

“The biggest shock came when I received the call from Alycia (Raco, of iscd), on my birthday no less, to let me know I had been awarded the scholarship. So many emotions have come since and I am so very humbled that the judging panel took the time to listen to my presentation and choose me to represent them through this amazing opportunity. I am excited at what will come in the next 12 months and also can’t wait to learn everything I can from the team at iscd and Darren and Greg. Moving from Brisbane to Sydney to study is a big step but as quoted by Hellen Keller, ‘Life is a daring adventure or nothing’, so let this be a chapter for a daring adventure.”

Kimberley has quit her admin job and packed up her vintage store Kijaro so she can concentrate on studying for the next year. Her scholarship gives her a year’s free education worth more than $18,000 at iscd’s new inSTUDIO campus. As part of her inSTUDIO course, she will learn all of the elements of interior design and decoration, but also gets to experience hands on briefs, assignments and potential internships  from industry leaders such as Scentre (Westfield), Temple and Webster, Belle Magazine and Designer Rugs. Enrolments are still open for the next intake, starting next month.

Lisa also impressed us with her all-singing all-dancing presentation, a part of which you can watch in the video below. Lisa said: “When I read about this opportunity I couldn’t believe it and immediately started putting my first designs together. Meeting my idols was a high point for me in this industry. Presenting for them and hearing their professional feedback is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was so excited to hear that I got the chance to study at such a great school as well as mentoring from amazing interior designers and can’t wait to begin!”

Greg Natale said: “Lisa is full of energy, so prolific! Her output is incredible and her aesthetic is on point – really in my world. I admired her tenacity and I’m excited to see where she can go creatively.

“Kimberly is a real story teller! Her concept blew me away and I was really impressed with her dedication to vintage – she lived and breathed that style and it came through. It wasn’t a fashion, it was her.”

Lucy Sutherland, general manager iscd, said: “We are so excited to have both Kimberley and Lisa join our inSTUDIO campus. The finalists in the competition were all exceptional and talented individuals who could all have a promising future in the industry. We are so happy that we get the opportunity to teach and mentor Lisa and Kimberley to fulfil their creative and career dreams.”

Find out more.