EdenLA internship gives sophomore Conrad inside look at interior design

By Guadi Rabino

Staff Writer

Mira Costa sophomore Kalea Conrad simply wanted to learn about the history behind interior design. Her curiosity has generated much more than she ever expected, as EdenLA gave her the opportunity to go behind the scenes of a professional interior design company.

Last September, Conrad contacted Jamie Roddy, chief executive officer and chief designer of EdenLA Interiors, an interior design company that produces custom furniture. Conrad asked Roddy, a family friend, questions about the art involved in interior design due to her own curiosity for the field. Although Conrad did not have intentions of pursuing an internship, Roddy then offered her a position working alongside her for the rest of her high school career.

“By working with us, we’re fostering her creativity and aptitudes,” Roddy said. “When she commits to tasks, she has the dedication to finish them to our exacting standards in the time frame she promised.”

In the first two months of Conrad’s internship, she observed Roddy and her assistant, Kaitlyn Brandt, which allowed her to learn the logistics of interior design. Conrad then began working on Roddy’s office and helping Roddy with hands-on activities, such as filing drawings, sketches and sourcing of home decor items from immense catalog libraries.

“Kalea is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone who has no experience in the design industry,” Roddy said.

Although this job started as an unpaid internship for Conrad, Roddy has encouraged Conrad to paint original art pieces to sell to homeowners for payment. So far, Conrad has painted three six-by-threes for $100 each and two five-by-fives for $150.

“I’ve never really considered myself an artist,” Conrad said. “When Jamie first would talk to me about painting, she basically would tell me she sees it in me, and it really inspired me to try.”

Through this internship, Conrad hopes she will have an advantage over others in the interior design industry. She is grateful because the times she has spent interning with professionals has given her experience in all aspects of the interior design  industry.

“Now that I know how interior design works, I feel it’s definitely an option for me later in life,” Conrad said. “I see this internship as a way to open up a lot of different opportunities for me.”