Darlene Baxter - 1986 FIDM Interior Design Graduate

Darlene Baxter graduated from FIDM's Interior Design program in 1986. She visited FIDM recently to offer students hints and advice on making it in the interior design field. Darlene definitely has expertise to share - she is an interior designer for Isabel Griswald Interiors, a well-known, high-end studio in Beverly Hills. What came across the clearest throughout Darlene's presentation was her boundless passion and enthusiasm for interior design. It was refreshing to listen to someone who truly loves what she does!

Darlene has always been attracted to the arts. For years, she was involved with the theatre - painting scenes, backdrops, and props for plays. She started working at the Pasadena Playhouse and was promoted to stage manager, which led her to professional theatre jobs all over Los Angeles. Unfortunately, she got caught up in a financial fiasco at a playhouse when the producer started writing bad checks. She became embroiled in a stressful liaison between the theatre and the union. When the political ordeal was all over, Darlene longed to return to the simplicity and purity of being an artist and creating.

A good friend of hers suggested she check out the college he had gone to. "You'll love FIDM!" he told her. Darlene was inspired by the energy she felt around the FIDM campus. "To see everyone drawing, creating, and getting their work out into the world ignited my competitive edge. I knew I could do it too!" she expressed.

A FIDM Advisor helped her choose Interior Design and she plunged headfirst into her classes. She got involved in anything and everything relating to art and design - she joined ASID, attended drawing workshops, visited the Pacific Design Center every week, volunteered at the yearly Pasadena Showcase House, and worked in a retail window decor store. She passionately stressed to students the value of being proactive while in school. "Be on the ball! Don't wait for someone to tell you what's happening on campus. Walk the stores and showrooms to know what's out there and religiously read design publications like Architectural Digest!"

Darlene's determination paid off when it came time to job-hunt. She totally impressed Isabel Griswald and landed an excellent position. Her day-to-day work involves meeting with clients, developing ideas, and tons of research! She is a research queen! She creates a "nerd file" for every new project by collecting clippings, photos, fabric swatches, and sketches. When it's time to present ideas, she has endless possibilities to draw from! Details are everything in her job. "You have to be detail-oriented and love it! Get ready to spend 10% of your time designing something beautiful, and the other 90% finding out the details of how to do it."