About NDA

Lynn Gillham: Inspiration and Imagination prompts

Date Published: 18/6/2009

In 2005, student Lynn Gillham enrolled on the National Design Academy Course in Professional Interior Design and gained our Open College Network (OCN) Diploma.

Four years on, Lynn tells nda.ac.uk all about her experience on the NDA course, from enrolment right through to her ambitions for the future.

Lynn began: "The best thing about the NDA's Diploma course is that it is structured in such a way that is easy to understand and incorporates the fundamentals of a career in Interior Design. During the course, I purchased course materials such as a series of videos and these helped me tremendously, in particular with the paint finishes, giving good tips and showing step by step instructions on how to go about producing paint effects such as wood grain and marbling finishes, amongst others. One thing I have learned from this is that we are all individual and have our own unique way of producing designs.

The inspiration from the course prompted a surprise for Lyn's mother-in-law law, who was about to move into her new apartment. She continued: "I tried out the marbling technique on her fireplace. I searched the internet for a warm colour marble and chose Siena Red as my colour. After some research into the natural formation of this beautiful stone, I used various brushes and even a feather in order to create the very fine veins that natural marble has. After trying out a test piece and feeling satisfied that this could be used on a larger area that would be a focal point in the room, I then applied the glaze and the paint in stages, usually whilst the paint was wet. The last stage was to varnish the whole area. The most challenging part was to make the marble look authentic, I found using a fine brush along with a feather, very helpful as it gave a natural look. The room is of neutral and rustic colours and I felt that the vibrant orange colour of the Siena marble effect would give a warm appearance to this focal point. So far, I have had some very good feedback, my mum in law is delighted with the finished product."

This project is one of a but a few that Lynn has undertaken since studying with the NDA, part of her commitment to improving her skills and knowledge, thanks, she suggests, from the 'helpful, supportive staff at the NDA'. Lynn has also embarked on colour schemes and material updates in her bedroom and a wall mural painted in acrylics of a grape vine in the kitchen.

Lynn has clearly taken the new skills she achieved on the NDA's Diploma course and used them in real-life settings. But that is far from the end of the story, by her own admission, Lynn has so much more left to achieve.

She concluded: "Based on achieving the Diploma I am now undertaking the Foundation Degree with the NDA which I am finding extremely interesting and challenging. I would thoroughly recommend the Diploma course to anyone thinking of enrolling. It is my goal to work for an innovative design company and to be able to use the skills gained from studying with the NDA."