Domaria Wilkinson - Interior Design Portfolio

Right to work in the UK – Partner/Spouse Visa.
I am a keen learner, passionate about what I do, and have consistently been at the top of both my under- and postgraduate degrees. I worked as a Student Interior Architect at Paragon Interface Architects (PI) in 2018, where I learned a great deal about the interior design industry alongside some of the best interior designers, architects, and practitioners in South Africa, where I had an uncompromising focus on the value I could add to their team. Having recently completed my master's at the University of Lincoln, with distinction and a grade of 88%, where I currently work as a part time Associate Lecturer, I wish to gain practical experience in the UK. I believe that my experience during these endeavours provides me with the skills to push boundaries and challenge what interior design can be.

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EXPERIENCE

 

OCT 2020 – PRESENT
Associate Lecturer, Part time, University of Lincoln, UK
Assisting the Program Leaders for both Year 1 and Year 2 in the BA Interior Architecture and Design course. I am active as a tutor in the studio to help student develop their design, assisting in the assessment of design projects and supporting the leaders in engaging the students on a one-to-one basis.

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JUNE 2020 – PRESENT
Interior Design Consultant, University of Lincoln, UK
I am currently consulting on a Design Feasibility for a Local Authority Arts Centre in Lincolnshire via the
Heritage Buildings Consultancy at the University of Lincoln. My role incudes context/history study, drawing up
existing plans, producing 2D and 3D views of the new proposal.

 

MAY 2020 – PRESENT
Interior Design Consultant, Freelance, UK
Along with a Judicial Working Group, I was involved in a highly sensitive project; to provide a strategy for providing jury trial Courts in the Covid-19 crisis. Although the work is still confidential, we received thanks from the Lord Chief Justice, and the proposal is now with government as evidenced by the press reportage on the Nightingale or Blackstones Courts which have been adopted and are in implementation phase. The work consisted of a report and a set of proposed court design solutions; which required interior design skills such as space planning, technical drawing, material specification and presentation skills.
Achievements: Consideration at a high level within the public sector, with acknowledgement that the proposal is deemed a success. A judge has further approached us to help with specific solutions for his court.

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OCT 2019 – NOV 2019
Tutor, Part time, University of Lincoln, UK
The role involved mentoring a group of international 3rd year interior architecture and design students in their
undergraduate course, and consulted with the program leader regarding their progress.
Achievements: Improvement of the students’ development and understanding of expectations required of
them. A sense of trust was created as students could relate to someone seen as a peer.

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JAN 2018 – DEC 2018
Student Interior Architect, Paragon Interface Architects, RSA

My position was demanding; likened to that of someone with three years’ experience, and included all stages
of the design process from pitches to final completion, including: concept & design presentations, tender & construction documentation, 3D modelling in Revit, design, material selection, compiling defect lists on site,
collaborating with suppliers and contractors, and coordinating with engineers and other consultants.
Achievements: The resultant outcome were contributions to designs that have won accolades at international levels (Discovery, Sage), and a contribution to improved efficiency in quality inspection; reducing a large backlog of defects (Discovery). My successful internship paved the way for new graduates to be employed at the company (since I was the trial run).

EDUCATION

FEB 2019 – DEC 2019

M.A. Interior Architecture and Design, University of Lincoln (UK)
With distinction, 88%.

2015 – 2017
B.Sc. Interior Architecture, University of Pretoria (RSA)
With distinction and full honorary academic colours, 78.74%.

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Achievements:
2015, 2016 & 2017: Invited to Golden Key Society (top 15% of degree). Criteria can be found at:
http://www.goldenkey.org.za/about;
2016: Department of Architecture Prize - Best student in second year design in the interior architecture
programme;
2017: Materials Studies Prize - Highest Distinction Average in all Material Studies Modules;
2017: Hans Wegelin Prize - Best set of working drawings in 3rd Year Architecture;
2017: Black Canvas Prize - Student with best detailed assembly and shopfitting drawings in the third year
interior program; and
2017: Department of Architecture Prize - Best student in third year design in the interior architecture
programme.

SKILLS

• Forward thinking: I worked under the Director at Paragon Interface Architects which required
anticipation of her needs in preparation for client meetings.
• Effective Communication Skills: The diverse nature of the South African workplace requires clarity and cultural sensitivity in all forms of communication and collaboration.

• Problem Solving: The courts project challenged me to consider spaces in a different way in light of the Corona virus, to rely less on what is known and instead to pioneer a new way of thinking.
• Adaptable: Having moved from Zimbabwe to South Africa to the UK, I have had to quickly learn and adapt to new norms.

• Problem Solving: The courts project challenged me to consider spaces in a different way in light of the Corona virus, to rely less on what is known and instead to pioneer a new way of thinking.
• AutoDesk AutoCAD & Revit

• Adobe InDesign & Photoshop
• Microsoft Word, Powerpoint & Excel

• Hand drawings

• Illustrator & Sketch Up (some understanding but out of practice)

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ACTIVITIES

Leadership & Volunteer Experiences:
• Captain of school triathlon team, 2013 & 2014
• School prefect, 2014
• Kitten Corner, 2016: I designed and created toys among other objects to entertain and assist with
the rehabilitation of cats in their foster homes at Kitten Corner, where I improved the quality of life for various
cats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnNHCiNFMzM).
• Lomagundi College, 2016: I took on a project in my spare time to help design the offices for the principal and
secretary of a private school in Zimbabwe. The subsequent achievement allowed greater efficiency in work
for the clients due to improved privacy control.
• Entokozweni, Mamelodi, 2017: As part of a team, I went to Entokozweni Crèche to play games with the
children. We were tasked with gathering data on a specific research question and carrying this out through
the use of a game that we designed. This was a highlight for the children and enriched the variation of
activities for educational purposes.
• Wollies, 2018: Animal Welfare - I went with a group from the University of Pretoria Human Resources
department to help out with the dogs and Cats at Wollies for the day. We had a great time grooming and
caring for the various animals, I worked with the cats, in particular.

 

Other projects & activities:

• Amplified Consultants, 2018: I consulted on a project for a hypothetical human resources consulting firm setup by university students. I developed their brand identification, produced look & feel presentations, graphicdesign, and designed their head office. It resulted in a convincing proposal for which they received excellentresults.
• Reuse the Roman Ruin, 2020: In order to keep my skills sharp and active during the coronavirus lockdown, I
signed up to do an architectural competition. The brief consisted of designing a contemporary art museum in
the ancient Piscina Mirabilis cistern/resevoir. The panel of judges are currently still reviewing the entries.

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