Interior Architecture Student Annie Carter Wins Prestigious Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship
Annie Carter, a Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design student, has won the prestigious Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship.
Annie Carter, a Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design student, has always loved art and design. When she made her way to college, Carter chose a major that could blend her creative abilities with her passion for helping people: interior architecture and design. She shapes spaces with purpose and care.
"I always want it to be a space that creates a positive feeling and provides a sense of belonging," Carter said, now a fourth-year interior architecture and design student at the U of A. "I feel like, as designers, there are so many things we can do to make a space welcoming."
In 2024, Carter was named as a winner of the Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship, established in 1999 as a memorial to Don Brinkmann, an interior designer who incorporated design, vision and leadership. She was one of three outstanding students who each received $5,000 in scholarship money.
"This is the second year in a row one of our students has won this prestigious scholarship from the largest design firm in the world," said Carl Matthews, professor and head of the Department of Interior Design. "It is a testament to the talents and intelligence of our students and commitment and support of excellent educators."
Carter was nominated by Fay Jones School faculty members at the end of the fall 2023 semester. After that, Carter began her application, submitting her resume and a design sketch. She then collaborated with a local videographer to create a video about herself and her design for the next round of the process.
Throughout her childhood, growing up in Little Rock, Carter was always trying something new. She credits her many hobbies, including calligraphy and embroidery, as factors in her success.
"Picking something up and trying it is kind of how I got to where I am today," Carter said. "If I never tried art in the first place, I never would have developed these skills."
An Office Space Focused on Community
For her project, Carter designed a space for an up-and-coming architecture and design firm in Dallas, Texas, putting an emphasis on the idea of community over convenience. With a focus on the horizon as a design concept, Carter used pinks, yellows and oranges, along with circular elements, to create a balance between work and rest.
"I took all of the visual elements from the horizon," Carter said. "Symbolically, the balance between the city life and this kind of suburban, slower pace lifestyle is what I wanted to balance in my design."
In her design, Carter incorporated custom built circular elements similar to the shape of the sun on the horizon. By integrating the repeated semicircular ceiling, circular booth seating in the cafe and patterned wall coverings, Carter created a space that connected the office and the horizon.
The color scheme and materials Carter used mimic a sunset and tie the office space to the natural environment. The main level of the building represents the sun with warm pinks, oranges and yellows. In the mezzanine, the colors transition to cool colors representing the blue sky. Everything in her design was meant to allow natural light into the office space.
The goal of Carter's space planning was to promote the idea of balance that comes with the horizon. Carter wanted to slow down the fast-paced city life outside the office and create a space that provides balance of work and life, ultimately designing a space that fosters community and meaningful relationships.
Carter's focus on community derives from the benefits of returning to an office after prolonged remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carter felt that, during the pandemic, people were isolated at home and lost the sense of community that an office environment creates.
Early on in her project design, Carter established that an emphasis on community was going to set her office design apart from others.
"It was my priority," Carter said. "I arranged the workstations in a way that grouped people together instead of being so isolated."
When Carter created this office project, she was in a studio course that allowed her to develop her design skills. The studio professor, Madeline Ferm, played a big role in Carter's growth, giving her the freedom and confidence to make design decisions.
"Overall," Carter said, "I've learned a lot in every single class I've taken here, but it's been the professors that have consistently taught me so much and gone above and beyond to help me through it all."
Importance of Encouragement and Mentorship
If not for the encouragement of her professors, Carter said she would never have tried for the Gensler Brinkmann scholarship. This rewarding experience has deepened her love for design and passion for helping others.
"I feel like it has given me a lot of confidence and validation in my work. I work really hard, and I love design, but I never would have imagined that something like this would happen to me," she said.
Last summer, Carter interned for Hastings Architecture in Nashville, Tennessee. Her time with Hastings immersed her into a real-world design experience with architecture and interiors.
Carter believes that design is a unique form of art, capitalizing on the beauty all forms of art offer and the opportunity to inspire community by creating physical spaces that bring people together.
Contacts
Maureen Roberts, communications intern
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
479-575-4704, maureenr@uark.edu
Michelle Parks, senior director of communications and marketing
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
479-575-4704, mparks17@uark.edu