Profile: Adrianne Wimberley Kautz (MFA Interior Design ’11)

Adrianne Wimberley Kautz has a newly minted Masters of Fine Arts in Interior Design, as well as undergraduate degrees in both English and housing from Florida State. She calls herself a Seminole at heart and says she never seriously thought about going anywhere else for her education.

“The Interior Design program did a wonderful job at preparing me for the creative aspects of being an interior designer — specifically, the foundation we received in the fundamentals of design — being able to create a design driven by form and function, creating a design with a solid foundation in history that is also forward-thinking and environmentally responsible, and ultimately being able to communicate that design to others and see it implemented,” she says.

Kautz’ MFA thesis research surrounded the 880 Square Foot House, which was constructed to serve as a prototype for a way to live well in a small space. The project helped her to realize her goal: to create “a design with a solid foundation in history that is also forward-thinking and environmentally responsible, and ultimately being able to communicate that design to others and see it implemented.”

“Fortunately, my education also prepared me for the realities of design – you’re not ALWAYS designing. The Interior Design program gave me a taste of the business side of being an interior designer, which served as a good foundation for the knowledge I’ve gained on the job.”