Anu has always been interested in design and aspires to design an activation for concert and stage design, as she has always admired the effort put into set design.

After her A-Levels, Anu completed a foundation year in Art & Design, which she used to build a portfolio in visual design and interior architecture to help with her application for an Interior Architecture and Design degree.

Anu won a design competition for a recycling initiative for her local council and was proud of her drawings to be displayed in her local area. “Patience is required!” Anu has learnt the value of patience while working in the industry, as projects at university could take a few weeks or months, though, in the industry, projects can sometimes take years.

Anu had a mentor at university who helped her understand that there are many paths in design you can go into and that her skills are interchangeable across many different roles.

“Each day is different!” A typical day for Anu can range from being on-site for projects, visiting suppliers and showrooms, client meetings, or admin work in the office. “The job can be quite stressful at times, but having a team that I enjoy being a part of is so helpful.

Absolute Project Management focuses on residential properties which is great to be able to design for people’s future homes, designing joinery and furniture layouts to then seeing your creations come to life on site.” “Put yourself out there, socialise and make friends within the industry.”

For those looking to join the industry, Anu’s advice is to continue to practise your current design skills, while also trying to expand on learning new skill sets that can contribute to your design journey. “The journey within design isn’t easy and can sometimes feel a bit slow but continue to practise and have patience.”

Anu is becoming a confident designer and is working towards becoming a project leader in the future. Anu’s pathway to becoming an Assistant Interior Design Project Manager is just one of the many routes into the diverse furniture industry available to you.