Cole Johns: Designing Through Research to Create a Positive Impact

How did you become interested in Interior Design? 

It’s kind of a family thing. Both my dad and my grandpa are draftsmen in the Greenville area, and so going into architecture and design was a natural path for me. From the time I was in middle school, I knew I would be in the architecture industry, as it balanced both the technical and artistic sides of my personality.  

I thought I knew exactly where I wanted to go to school, however, when I didn’t get in, it became clear that God had other plans for me. In hindsight it was a blessing, and after touring a few schools, I decided to attend Anderson University. I’m from Greenville, and it was close enough that I could still come home on the weekends, keep my job, and visit family, but far enough away to where I felt like I had some independence. The campus was beautiful, the people were kind, and it didn’t hurt that I was offered numerous scholarships. 

When we toured the School of Interior Design, my dad and I sat in on one of the junior level classes discovered they were using industry standard software like Revit, AutoCAD, Photoshop and InDesign, which are programs architecture schools weren’t even teaching. That was a big draw to the program. 

Tell me about your work. 

I currently work as an interior designer at Craig Gaulden Davis | PBK. We are now part of the largest K-12 A&D firm in the United States where 60-70% of our work is K-12 and the rest is broken up into various typologies—higher education, libraries, performing arts, hospitality and civic work. I work primarily in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, but through this merger, there will be a number of opportunities to expand our reach.  

With interior design, there isn’t really a “typical day,” which I personally love about the career itself. Some days are more monotonous where I review submittals or write specs. Other days I create renderings or graphics, meet with clients and go on site visits. There’s a lot of variety to our work and each of the interior designers in our office are working on at least ten different projects, so it’s pretty fast-paced.  

In addition to my interior design role, I lead a lot of visualization efforts in our office. If anyone needs a rendering (interior or exterior) they often come to me. It’s great, because I feel as though I can help bring ideas to life that a client may have a hard time understanding. I’m able to create something visual for them to react to. Additionally, I’ve helped to incorporate environmental graphics for a number of projects, particularly our K-12 sector. These range from large scale murals to education walls, wayfinding, and even creating school mascots. It’s been great to push my artistic side and create one-of-a-kind experiences for students in a number of different schools.  

At the end of the day, what gives you a real sense of accomplishment? 

At our firm, we’ve always had a strong focus on research in both the initial stages of design, as well as after we’ve completed the job. We are always trying to get feedback by interviewing students, staff and even parents on their experience with their new environment. Sometimes you may get feedback that isn’t always positive, but I think that is some of the best feedback you can get, because it helps you to learn what can be done differently (and better) on the next project.   

Recently, I was watching some interviews from students and teachers for a recent project, Bethel Hanberry Elementary School in Richland District Two. There was one teacher who headed up a mentorship program for students, and she shared with us a conversation she had had recently with one of her students. The quotes from her students were that “I feel safe at my school. I feel accepted here.” And most of all, “I feel like I belong at my school.”   

While recognition from peers and colleagues is great, this is the kind of recognition I think everyone in the field of architecture strives for. Especially with education, our students often spend more time here than at their own homes, so its important that they feel comfortable in their space. I think it’s exciting to always be striving to create a better community for our students. I always find it incredible that design can impact such a huge group of people, whether that’s through the incorporation of biophilic elements, utilizing movement-encouraging furniture, creating a sense of a place or history through environmental graphics, or by injecting sustainable building practices whenever possible.   

Where are you based? 

Our firm is located in Greenville, South Carolina.  We were founded in 1957, so we have a well-established history in the area, and have touched a number of local projects.  We are currently renovating the Peace Center, adding several different music/performance venues to their site. Additionally, we’ve done work with Greenville County Schools, working on projects like the Environmental Science and Sustainability Building at Roper Mountain Science Center, or Fountain Inn High School. We’ve also worked closely with our satellite office in Baltimore, Maryland, where they primarily work with schools in that area. I’m currently working on the JoAnn Leleck Elementary School, which will one of the first Net-Zero schools in Montgomery County. Now with the merger though, we have additional offices in California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Virginia and Washington.  

What are some special memories that stand out from going through your program at Anderson? 

The Interior Design department is a slightly different animal to the rest of the campus.  Our workload is pretty intense, so I didn’t find that I had a “normal college experience.”  One thing that makes the program unique is how small it is. When I started my freshman year, we had roughly 35 people in my class. By the time Sophomore year rolled around, we had dwindled down to just 10, which at the time was one of the largest graduating classes in the program’s history. With that though, came an extremely tight-knit group of people. We always jokingly said that our class was just our second family because we were so close. To this day, I can call any of my classmates because of the lifelong friendships we made. 

Additionally, I would say the professionalism and general resilience that was instilled in us has been one of the greatest things I could have asked for. Ms. Martin can be a stickler for certain things, and while at the time we may not have appreciated it, she made sure we had a sense of pride instilled in us, and I think it made us much more prepared for the real world. I think everyone in our class had jobs before graduation, and we were all extremely confident in being able to present our ideas, interact with design professionals, and excel in the working environment.  

I always found it interesting that critiques didn’t seem to bother any of us, just because we were so comfortable with it. Presenting publicly is an incredible skill to have, especially in such a creative job, where opinions vary wildly. It’s our job to make sense of these varying opinions and present them in a clear, concise and unified manner. I’ve been back several times as a guest reviewer for student work, and I find the same thing to be true. Everyone takes critique well but also has a strong reason to back up their design decisions, which again, will become a necessary skill in the professional world. 

I know that all Interior Design students do internships. Where did you intern? 

I decided to do two internships, one small residential internship and another at a larger commercial firm, which I recommend to anyone going through the program.   

My first internship was with a fellow AU alum, Kerry Howard, who specialized in high-end residential design in the Atlanta area. It was a wonderful experience, but it also taught me very quickly that I did not want to do residential, and simply didn’t have the patience for it. What it did teach me is that I really enjoyed a small-scale firm (I believe there were four of us there when I did my internship) and the sense of camaraderie between employees.  

My second internship was at LS3P here in Greenville. I loved the commercial aspect of it, as well as the variety of projects I was able to work on, but I missed the more intimate environment that a small firm offered.  

When it came time to graduate and find a job, I was lucky enough to find the best of both worlds. I ended up working for a three-person design firm who specialized in healthcare and senior living design. Being in a smaller firm, I was given a lot of responsibility at a young age and was able to grow into the role of Design Director, where I did manage other designers, as well as my own projects. I’ve now been at Craig Gaulden Davis | PBK for three years, and while our firm has 1100+ employees, our office is around 25 people, which feels like it offers large firm impact with a small firm approach. 

What advice would you give to somebody with an interest in interior design? 

First and foremost, it is nothing like HGTV, as much as everyone likes to think. There is a lot of technical work to do, and as interior designers, we do have a responsibility to the health, safety and wellbeing of the public. As I mentioned earlier, I think interior designers have an opportunity to make a significant impact on the world around you, and that is a responsibility you shouldn’t take lightly. Also, know that each day will never look the same, and that you must be able to defend your designs and to have confidence in your own work. Most of all, I would say that the career path is whatever you want to make it. A lot of people don’t realize how many avenues are available within the interior design field. You can go straight into working for an A&D firm, you can become a product rep, a furniture dealer, you can focus on environmental graphics, sustainability research, or even do visualization full time. Go into it having fun and knowing what you excel at, because I’m sure that if there isn’t already a niche, you can make one.