Personal Statement

Mary Armintrout | MFA Interior Architecture, George Washington University

Interior Architecture is the ultimate human-centered design. Its output is not an object we hold in our hands, but the space in which we exist. Interior design enables the built environment to serve its tenants, balancing aesthetic with function and individual needs with broader context.

During my course of study, I have taken full advantage of studio projects that have few constraints in terms of budget and client demands—understanding that it is a short-lived reality in this career. That said, I am genuinely motivated by problem solving in the face of parameters and people’s unique needs. My previous career and passion for innovative, research-driven human-centered design speaks to this interest. In my portfolio, you’ll notice projects with inclusive, intuitive, and user-responsive choices for all end-users: from custodial staff, front of house employees, and customers.

Interior Architecture is a career change for me, but there are apparent common threads from previous experience. As an undergraduate studying policy and social justice, I became aware of how spaces are built to welcome or exclude people: from instances of hostile architecture on city benches to historically private buildings repurposed for public use. Like policy, interior design requires us to think about the intersection of global and individual demands such as sustainability, equity, workflow, and accessibility.

My previous career was focused on human-centered design for government programs. A core function of the job was to listen: conducting ethnographic interviews, synthesizing outputs, identifying themes, and recommending solutions. The result is an open-minded approach to learning and collaboration. The human experience offers so many clues to problem-solving; clues that we often leave behind when operating on autopilot. As I approach graduation and a career in Interior Architecture, I feel a renewed sense of purpose to maintain this client-centered approach and respond creatively.

Interior Architecture has been a series of problem-solving projects. It is renewing existing spaces that no longer serve their intended purpose, it is finding solutions in a field of competing priorities, and it is a dialogue between the left and right brain. As a natural strategist, I constantly work to strike a balance between the creative, professional, and technical aspects of this profession.

I look forward to working on projects that empower individuals, families, and organizations to thrive in well-designed, functional, and harmonious environments — acknowledging that the concepts of functionality and space will continue to evolve as our human needs change.

Mary Armintrout