Home renovation projects lay foundation for student’s interior design/architecture path

Some of Autumn Howard’s formative childhood memories were home renovation projects she eagerly completed alongside her father. Those experiences, coupled with a propensity for drawing, were early signs of her future goals.

“It wasn’t a fine arts drawing,” said Howard, a fourth-year interior design student graduating this month. “I’ve always liked to be more precise and strategic with how I draw.”

Before long, she was connecting her skills with interior design and architecture aspirations, which she is fulfilling at RIT in the interior design program through the the 4+2 BFA/M.Arch pathway. 

When Howard took the Office Design class last year, the direction of her career was placed even more in focus.

The course awakened a passion for designing sensory and human-centered interior environments, particularly concentrating on individuals with neurodiverse needs such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. 

“I saw how the psychology of our human experiences is impacted by the spaces we design,” Howard said. “It’s designing spaces that are flexible for people with different sensitivity needs, whether they need to be in a quiet space to work or something more social.

“I’m always thinking about what types of users are interacting with the space,” she added. “Just thinking about how my design is going to feel and look to others who have neurodiverse needs or physical disabilities.”

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Autumn Howard

A rendering of a client presentation room, created in the Office Design course. The class set her down a path of designing interior environments with neurodiverse needs top of mind.

For her capstone project, Howard created an interior design package for an elementary school that supports the social and developmental needs of students with autism. The idea for the research stems from the work she is doing at CPL, a local architecture, engineering and design firm that holds K-12 education as one of its specialties. 

Howard has interned with CPL for the last year.

“I’ve been doing a lot of sensory design, and taking it to a younger level rather than corporate has allowed me to see that full range,” she said. “Seeing what we do in the program and how that’s applied in the real world to projects being constructed is rewarding. Making connections and having the experience of knowing professionals all over Rochester has also been very helpful.”

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Autumn Howard

A calm sensory room Howard designed as part of her capstone project.

As she prepares to graduate from the interior design program, Howard will remain at RIT to pursue a master or architecture degree through the 4+2 BFA/M.Arch pathway. The accelerated pathway enables interior design and industrial design students to earn BFA and M.Arch degrees in as little as six years in one consolidated experience. 

“I want to see both sides of a project and see it all the way through,” Howard said of her ambition to be both an interior designer and architect. “I’m a self-driven person so I’m always looking for new opportunities and ways to grow.”

With exposure to both interior design and architectural teams in a professional setting at CPL, Howard is motivated to elevate space planning with her knowledge of each area. As she transitions to graduate school, Howard will join the architectural design team at CPL after being an interior design intern for the last year.

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Through involvement in RIT’s International Interior Design Association (IIDA) student chapter as well as an IIDA scholarhip, Howard went to conferences in Chicago (pictured), New York City, and Dallas.

“(Interior design and architecture) are an integrated system of working together and I think being someone who wants to do both can help connect that bridge of letting people work together from all different sides,” Howard said.

Last year, Howard and Teresa Uhl ’24 (interior design) started RIT’s International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Campus Center to connect students with industry professionals through networking events. Howard’s involvement as chair of RIT’s IIDA student chapter also led to a scholarship, attendance at various conferences around the country, and visits to design firms. 

“Being at my internship and being here,” Howard said, “has been eye-opening and shows this is where I’m meant to be.”