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Nicole Katzarkov | Interior Design Portfolio

Savannah College of Art and Design | 2026

Nicole Katzarkov

Interior Design Candidate

I am often asked how I became interested in Interior Design. I am not someone who knew from the start that this was the field for me. It took six transformative years. I had a very different plan. I was a competitive athlete for many years and thought I would find my passion in being an Athletic Trainer.

Fortunately, it did not go as planned. I have done a great deal of traveling over the years and found myself being drawn to the beautiful architecture and interiors that I was lucky enough to experience. There was an unspoken language in these spaces that was mesmerizing. I had to learn more. From there, my life took another direction.

I believe that great ideas start with research. Only through knowing everything that has come before can we truly move forward toward an innovative future. I approach design with the hunger and drive to push ideas to their limits. There is always room for growth.

As a designer, I believe that Interior Design is more than just designing beautiful spaces. It is a means of challenging myself to create spaces that promote thought and provide new perspectives

CONTACT

Phone: 305-333-6603

Email: nicolekatzarkov@gmail.com

Online Portfolio: https://issuu.com/nicolekatzarkov

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ nicole-katzarkov-b34311152/

SKILLS

SOFTWARE SKILLS

• Revit

• Enscape

• AutoCAD • Photoshop • Illustrator • InDesign

SketchUp

Microsoft Office

NICOLE KATZARKOV

DESIGN SKILLS

• Drafting

• Hand-Rendering

• Researching

• Material Knowledge

• Conceptual Thinking

• Creative Problem Solving

• Collaborative Working

• Detail-Oriented

• Spatial Analysis

• Technical Documentation

WORK EXPERIENCE

AutoCAD Drafter (Contract)

Norwegian Cruise Line Miami, FL / May 2025 - December 2025

• Developed general arrangement (GA) files by organizing all vessel deck layouts for

• proper structure and alignment before detailed versions.

• Revised ship GA plans in AutoCAD three cruise brands (NCL, Oceania, Regeant),

• using precise area measurements to determine venue sizes in order to determine

• cost and feasibilty decisions.

• Maintained structured documentation systems to support traceability, version control,

• and compliance with technical standards.

Interior Design Coordinator

Pierson A Design Company Miami, FL May 2024 - April 2024

•Performed on-site assessments and collected quantitative data to inform design and •safety evaluations.

•Produced Revit drawings and 3D renderings to visualize space layouts and present

•ideas to clients, improving communication and workflow.

•Prepared construction documents of detailed floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, •elevations, and finishes for commercial bathrooms, ensuring smooth execution from concept to completion.

•Developed strong relationships with clients through excellent communication skills,

• actively listening to their needs and providing tailored design recommendations.

Junior Interior Designer

The H. Chambers Company Naples, FL June 2023 - April 2024

• Prepared design development (DD) and construction documentation (CD) sets in

• Revit for private clubs, ensuring accuracy and compliance with industry standards.

• Collaborated and effectively communicated with team memebers to create design

• progress PowerPoint presentations for client meetings, leading to increase in client

• satisfaction.

• Scheduled vendor meetings to determine samples for and existing projects, resulting

• in a diverse selection of high quality materials that met client expectations and

• enchanced project deliverables.

• Maintained the material library, including labeling sections and organizing samples,

• improving accesibilty and efficiancy for design teams.

Architectural Design Intern

Royal Caribbean Group Miami, FL June 2022 - August 2022

• Graphically adjusted Stateroom design proposal in Photoshop, resulting in a visually

• compelling presentaion that impressed leadership and contributed to project approval.

• Developed a Mockup Booklet on PowerPoint showcasing all public venues on a ship

• under strict timeline, facilitating clear communication and alignment among team

• members.

• Collaborated with other interns to brainstorm ideas for an improved onboarding

• experience, resulting in innovative proposals presented to executives.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Preservation Design Intern

Thomason & Associates Nashville, TN June 2019 - August 2019

• Edited SketchUp drawings of design guidelines for commercial and residential

• buildings, including stairs, elevations, and landscapes, improving clarity and

• accuracy of the guidelines.

• Conducted field investigations and archival research to support risk assessments

• and historical incident analysis.

• Performed esearch and assisted in the writing of the Highlander Folk

• School Library Building National Register nomination, showcasing expertise

• in historical preservation and preserving cultural heritage and community.

MENTORSHIP

Savannah College of Art and Design / Savannah, GA March 2023 June 2023

• Provided students with design feedback and support throughout each

• design phase.

Wonders

sustainable practices to magnify, reduce, and educate on degraded ecosystems.

•Designed Revit model based on the research.

•Produced a design development (DD) set.

AWARDS and RECOGNIZATIONS

• IDA Silver International Design Awards 2023

• Senior Showcase Finalist SCAD 2023

•

Project Prompt

The Wonders

Capstone Project

Senior Thesis Studio Project

Design

Concpet - Mixed Use

17,298 Sqft

17,290 Sqft

Miami, FL

20 weeks, Fall 2022 - Winter 2023

10 weeks, Sept 2022-Present

Project Prompt

In order to introduce educational opportunities on environmental degradation, the design will implement sustainable practices to magnify, reduce, and educate on degraded ecosystems through biophilia, change theory, and interior ecosystem model.

Port of Miami, FL

The site is growing in popularity with 5.5 million people traveling there every year that brings a wide variety of cultures. Has a strong industrial and ship culture embedded in it as it is the busiest homeport in America.

It has a strong industrial and ship culture as it is the busiest home port in America.

“68% of Americans say that the federal goverment is doing too little to protect water quality.”

This non-profit organozation promotes the science and the art of soil, water, and related natural resources to achieve sustainablilty. They promote and practice an ethic recognizing the interpendence of peoople and the environment.

Range from adminsitrative staff, chefs, gardeners, families, college students, employees, who work at Royal Caribbean, entrepueners, environmentalist, and seniors.

In 2021 “58% of Americans were alarmed and concerned about the effects of climate change depleting our natural resources

“Majorities of Americans say the federal government is doing too litttle for key aspects of the environment, from protecting water or habitats to reducing the effects of climate change.”

1/6 million people have been displaced in Miami, FL due to sea level rise, resulting in polluted waters, to habitat loss

A significant number of Americans say that climate change is damaging forests and plant life. Only 11% of the water in the world is used domestically.

Social Space

Invites users to choose a herb from the greenhouse and plant it into the mirrored paneled column. This allows for hands-on experience and provides an opportunity for users to see a reflection of themselves creating a more sustainable future. The panels on the wall are perforated to entice guests to explore more.

Tropical Greenhouse

Need in America for new learning opportunities that will motivate people to implement sustainabilty that will encourage people to practice sustainable efforts within their homes while reconnecting them with nature in order to reroot the biodiversity our ancestors used to live in centuries ago. `

To gradually create a growing and impactful community that shares new perspectives.

The space will provide pockets of reflection, hands-on experience that will awaken the user’s adoption to practice sustainabilty within their daily lives for a better tomorrow and future.

sustainability that will encourage people to users

Incorporates a dome-like structure with paneled mirrors to provide moments of reflection when entering and exiting. As they look up they are becoming aware of how to be more sustainable. By using a curvilinear floor pattern it brings people into the space, thus creating a transition rather than a transformation.

Users engage with educational content by activating a green LE that visually demonstrates the effects of natural resource depletion. The curved forms invite conversations. The buttons are represented of the past, present, future, and key takeaways. centuries ago.

Exhibition Gallery

Concept Moodboard

Acoustic Beech Panels

White Oak Veneer Panel

Volumetric Sketch Rendered

Rain Drop Exhibit Gallery

This exhibit focuses on water conservation. Each rain drop cascades down to reflect a root. Without water, we cannot live as it is essential to our daily lives and for our survival. When walking to each one, the floor lights up to have that rippling effect of touching water.

InteriorEcosystem Mod

Elevation

Material Pallete

The Interior Ecosystem Model illustrates effects on the human organism of the interaction of the natural, behavioral, and built environment (Guerin, 1992). Therefore, the design implements natural materials, surrounding landscape colors of grays, blues, browns, and immersive experiences to entice the users to become more conscious of water.

Changing Landscape Exhibit Gallery

Throughout the learning experience, users immerse themselves with different key experiences from lush forest to 80% of it being destroyed, that are connected with change theory.

Change Theory:

Unfreeze: Preparing for the desired change

LED screens will enable the users to be able to see the drastic change from the past to present of forests. They first create a feeling of anticipation to entice visitors in.

Change: Implementing the desired change

The sensory and mirror experience with the glass materiality create an emotional connection with the users by showing the consequences of their actions on the planet and making them want to do something about it.

Refreeze: Solidifying the desired change

Once the users go through the learning experience they have the opportunity to be more aware of the situation and to appreciate our forests.

Stolen Time

Collaborative Studio Project Hospitality Design

Project in collaboration with Berkeley Cowherd*

All displayed work is mine unless otherwise noted

Project Prompt

Throughout the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, sometimes we need to slow down and steal some time back. Inspired by the feeling of finding something that was lost, the design will focus on creating moments in space that allow the users to loose track of time and drift away.

2805 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, U.S.

Previously known as Canine Palace, a pet accessory retail space, from 2013 to 2020.

It is a one-story brick building, located in the historic Jackson Park neighborhood.

Late Air is intended to be an extension of home, pantry and the dining room table with a focus on conversation and creativity. It provides the public a getaway into a world that seems to slow down for the moments we cherish the most over food and wine.

Users are locals, college students as it is next to a dorm and nearby university halls, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and families ranging from 18-65 years of age that share the same values of connection.

Connection

A boundless experience that comes with the feeling of connection, conversation, and sharing through the atmosphere of being at home with loved ones.

Parisian

Attentive use of shapes and colors from organic lines to subdued colors paired with moments of brightness in which cultural identity is preserved through abstraction of forms.

Purposeful use of color, subject, and details that result in the creation of bringing warmth to the space, amongst dreamy scenarios.

A journey of fleeting moments when time seems to stretch and drift away

First Floor

Design Goals

Personalization

Open, Public Spaces

Semi-Private Spaces Closed, Private Spaces Reflected Ceiling Plan

The three types of spaces allow for flexibility and comfort depending on the users mood. There are areas for more private interactions or larger social engagements All private and semi-private spaces are surrounded by glazing to provide privacy without complete separation.

Access to vast amount of natural light - storefront and windows.

Glass walls in private and semi-private areas.

Use of natural, sustainable materials and earth tones to reconnect with nature and to connect with the landscapes of wineries.

Curvilinear shapes allow users to drift into the different spaces. Open layout provides fluid and organic circulation. A place to share narratives with one another through

The curved bar offers users an intimate view of the natural wine selection. With its curvilinear forms, it provides approachability for users to share narratives with friends, family, and entrepreneurs. Displaying a range of blue hues, it gives the space a parisian feel.

Penny Tile Teak Veneer

White Onyx

Bar Stools

Custom Bar with Custom Signage Divider

Custom Bottle Display

Aqua Linen

Teak Veneer

Custom Wall

The custom wall allows visitors to be guided to the casual dining option. With its fluid shapes, it invites conversations. The warm color palette evokes the warmth and coziness of being at home. The brass and yellow accents create a subtle play of light as if cherishing those last fleeting moments of a sunset.

White Oak Wood Veneer

Cove Seating

This semi-private area is directly across from the retail. It offers users to have more personal conversations with one another. The translucent glass, layered with wallpaper, allows for natural light to enter and gives the visitors an opportunity to see the small bites being prepared in the kitchen.

The retail area allows the customers to shop their favorite wines from whites to reds. Green accents enhance the idea of biophilia while the curvilinear form of the custom shelves create a focal point, drawing the eye to the items being

Elevation View of Custom Paneled Wall

Section View of Custom Paneled Wall

Elevation View of Custom Shelves

Section View of Custom Shelves

Project Prompt

Impiger

Individual Studio Project Hospitality Design

5,000 Sqft Miami, FL

10 weeks, Fall 2021

Impiger will be a restaurant that aims to provide a space for locals (African Americans, Cubans, Haitians, Columbians, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans), tourists, and artisans to enjoy international cuisine with moments of energy. The space will also have a focus on retail.

NW 2nd Ave & NW 23rd St, Wynwood, Miami FL. Eclectic neighborhood in the urban core of Miami, Florida. It is home to art galleries, retail stores, antique shops, bars, bakeries, and one of the largest open-air street art installations in the world, Wynwood Walls.

Chef Michelle Bernstein is a Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent. She owns three restaurants in Miami, Cena by Michy, Seagrape at the Thompson Hotel, and Cafe La Trova, serving an eclectic range of dishes based on her travels around the world.

Attentive use of shapes to embody the diversity of Miami skyscrapers through which cultural identity is preserved and abstracted

Vibrance

Users are locals, tourists, and artisans that share the value of connecting through food.

Purposeful use of color that results in the creation of lively environments amongst dining options.

ActiveA boundless experience that comes with the feeling of exploration, growth, and dynamism

This restaurant embodies the liveliness of the surrounding neighborhood through the simple, yet transformative forms of natural materials. Through the alternating lengths of wood posts, it allows the guests to experience the energetic feeling that makes Wynwood special while also letting the users enjoy their meals without too much distraction. Impiger inherits the city’s active atmosphere with dynamic structural elements, innovative spacial organization, aesthetic elements, and interior construction.

Design Goals

The reception area welcomes the guests with a green wall that gives the users a refreshing feeling as soon as they walk into the space. The walls are paneled to reduce the amount of background noise coming from the restaurant when checking in. By using this design feature, it results in clarity of communication between the hosts and the visitors.

White Onyx

The space was designed so that all circulation paths lead back to the bar. It is strategically placed to face the exterior to create a moment of intrigue as the guests walk up to the entrance. As you move closer towards it, the vibrant energy of Miami reveals itself through layered textures and a colorful backdrop.

Open Kitchen Bar

The open kitchen bar allows for users to have an opportunity to be apart of the of the preparation of dishes. It allows guests to have more flexibility within the space when choosing seating arrangements. The staggering beams celebrate the modularity of the surrounding architecture with its many skyscrapers.

Design in support of Miami’s skyline architecture Provides wayfinding as it guides the users to the area

Staggering effect

Wood veneer finish

Custom Millwork

Wood Beams

The retail area gives the guest an extended experience of the restaurant where they can select seasonings for their meals or items to decorate their kitchen table as they exit the space. The display stands are designed to pay tribute to the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood, energetic and vibrant.