Interior design alum Justine Hebert, ’11, is an adjunct professor at UL Lafayette and owns her own interior design firm, J Design. The experiences Justine gained at UL Lafayette were invaluable to her future in the industry.
“Computer skills were a huge advantage,” Justine said. “Learning the most up-to-date drafting and rendering software appealed to designers who were looking to hire me because they did not have those skills in-house.
“Secondly, working in groups was helpful,” she explained. “In this profession, I am constantly collaborating with designers and architects. Having the skillset to be a team player will take you far in your career.”
Justine developed these skills in her interior design classes.
“The studio courses were my favorite,” she said. “I loved the variety of project types I got to work on.
“I really enjoyed my fourth-year studio course,” she said. “I remember enjoying the research portion and learning about similar projects when finding precedent studies. I also enjoyed the materials class. It was fun to learn about the variety of finishes that can be utilized into a space.”
Justine made sure she had plenty of opportunities by getting involved in the student chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).
“We planned a design-related trip every spring, touring design firms, lighting showrooms and other commercial showrooms,” she said. “The trips exposed me to potential job opportunities and career paths within my field. They were also fun trips in general!”
She recently graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design from Brenau University. She says the biggest difference between starting her undergraduate degree and going into graduate school was a sense of certainty.
“I entered graduate school knowing I wanted to further my education in interior design,” she explained. “When I started as an undergraduate, I started in architecture because I was unsure of interior design as a profession. I feel that most students starting their college path are not 100% sure of their career field.
“Going back to graduate school after working for eight years was difficult as I fell out of the habits of writing papers and researching,” she said. “However, it gave me certainty that I wanted to continue my profession as an interior designer. I would recommend all students intern or work in the field of their choice before investing in the degree.”
Between her graduation from UL Lafayette in 2011 and entering graduate school in 2019, Justine gained experience in her field. She worked in a design firm for 3 years before starting her own: J Design.
“At J Design I work with commercial and high-end residential projects, including LHC Group, the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion, KATC TV3, and several others,” she said.
“As an owner, you have to meet project deadlines and keep the business side organized and operational,” she explained. “The main difference between being an owner versus an employee is the responsibility of maintaining projects and the design business.
“I am involved in all projects,” she said, “unlike larger firms that assign employees to individual projects. I design and draft, visit job sites, work directly with all of my clients, and manage the workflow of my assistant in the office.”
Since J Design has grown into its own, Justine has had to make adjustments to her goals for the design firm.
“When I first started my business, my initial goal was to work hard to earn a good reputation and be able to focus on projects that I want to work on rather than taking any work to get my business off the ground,” she said.
“Now that I am almost six years into owning my design business and achieving my original goal, my goals have changed,” she said. “My new goals are to work on projects that are impactful to the user in a positive way; such as their well-being, and to be environmentally conscious by using sustainable designs and finishes.”
