Product Design
Meg Coull
Open Colleges Student Studying the Certificate IV in Design (Specialising in Interior Decoration)
Meg Coull was attracted to studying interior design. “I knew I had to complete the Certificate IV before moving on to the Diploma,” she explains, “and taking on some further study.” She says studying at Open Colleges was “just incredibly flexible,” and that, “the units that we were covering were really pertinent to what I want to continue on doing.”
She explains how online study is done. “The amazing study periods give us brilliant outlines to various projects that we’d be completing towards our portfolio and a lot them give different examples of residential interiors or commercial fit outs.”
“This gives you the confidence to be able to go and talk to various other makers and designers and see how they put together places. This has been amazing because there are so many great people (in Tasmania) who are very encouraging in letting you come on board and gain experience.”
The product design. It’s taken me away from working just on pen on paper or on the laptop and actually being able to make something that could be used in a design interior. It’s been a lot of fun and a bit challenging, tested my woodworking skills. It’s good brain expansion.
It had to be specifically something that could be catering for the design marketplace at the moment, something that you find in one of those trendy homeware stores. I go to work making some plywood wall tiles that could be used in a chevron pattern and each of them were cut as individual arrow heads or triangle shapes and then had different gloss black finishes put on them.
I haven’t had any face to face contact, but through the student lounge, it’s always easy to just log on and there’s always someone available to have a chat. The student forums are places where people will ask, “have you read this magazine,” or, “are you watching this episode of Grand Designs?” and it’s always good to have contact with people who are doing the same thing.
Yes, it’s always awesome to get feedback from the trainer, a little bit intimidating to start with getting back into some learning after having kids, but they’ve been amazing and really, really great in boosting your confidence and giving you great feedback where you could be improving.
I used to work as a visual merchandiser for David Jones. Since relocating here to where my husband is, I’m looking to boost my education again so I can do some freelance visual merchandising and interiors for people.
I’m hoping to do freelance work - that would be amazing. Working with public spaces that people generally have to engage with would be a very exciting and productive industry to work in.
Absolutely - sustainability is at the forefront of most people’s minds down here. Everyone is very conscious when they’re building a new home or renovating an older place. Reusing stuff is a huge industry down here and every time you can get your hands on something that’s recycled it’s a big win.
Working with Kevin McCloud would be amazing!
I think just spaces that really need a lot of thought, especially schools and hospitals, are attractive. When people have to be away from their families, to be able to make environments that are calming and happy, would be a pleasure.
Remodelista is an absolutely wonderful website. Design*Sponge is another, and I follow a lot on Etsy.
My next goal is to put together a quality portfolio that I can distribute around to people, and a long term goal would be building up something that’s not just pictures that have come out of my head, but actual visual displays that I’ve completed for a client.