Phoebe Nguyen Interior Design Portfolio 2026

or tfolio

by PHOEBE NGUYEN

hello.

hi!

“I gravitate strongly toward projects that celebrate empathy and consider the emotional—not just physical— impact of design on our lives.

My background in both industrial design and interior design has helped me build a strong foundation in critical thinking and push creative boundaries when problem-solving, developing innovative, empathetic solutions that enrich our future built environment.”

EXPERIENCE HONORS + AWARDS

Research Assistant

Illinois State University, Normal IL

August 2025 - Present

Assist with research as part of a multidisciplinary team exploring the use of virtual reality in speech-language pathology rehabilitation and aging-inplace initiatives.

Design and produce 3D home environment. Lead workshops to introduce professionals from other disciplines to interior design concepts and processes. Developing foundational skills in Unreal Engine to develop interactive virtual environments.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Illinois State University, Normal IL

August 2025 - Present

Assist with teaching and provide Revit support in Interior Design: Studio II

Interior Design Intern

CannonDesign, Chicago IL

June 2025 - August 2025

Assist with concept design and 3D modeling. Produce perspective renders for client presentations. Present design concept during team meetings.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Illinois State University, Normal IL

Assist with teaching in Interior Design: Studio I.

Phoebe

Nguyen

Top 3 finalists

2025 Kimball International Prelude Student Design Competition

2025 PAVE Global Inspired by Design: Student Visionary Awards Nominee

EDUCATION

Illinois State University

January 2024-May 2026

GPA: 4.0

University of Illinois at Chicago Masters in Interior Design

August 2011- May 2015

Bachelors in Industrial Design

SOFTWARES

January 2025 - May 2025

Provide feedback on students’ work and design development. Conduct SketchUp and Enscape workshops. Support students with software troubleshooting both inside and outside of the classroom.

Assist with grading students’ weekly assignment and final projects.

01 HOUSE OF TALIA

TIME: Fall 2025

LOCATION: AlUla, Saudi Arabia

SOFTWARE: Revit, Enscape, Twinmotion, Photoshop

CONCEPT STATEMENT

Adapting core principles from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, House of Talia celebrates AlUla’s heritage by emphasizing education and facilitating opportunities for cultural exchange within the guest experience. Talia’s brand identity lies in the celebration of life by incorporating various symbolic images significant to AlUla’s history: water and date palm trees.

Reflecting the strength and femininity embedded in its name, the hotel emphasizes the female experience—particularly for women of faith— creating a space that feels intentional and inclusive.

The visual aesthetic offers a notable contrast to the intense warm palette of the desert landscape by incorporating tones of blue, white, and gold, which hold significant meaning in the Islamic faith.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

RECEPTION LOBBY

The tree represents the date palm, locally known as the Tree of Life. Life and agriculture are possible because of its expansive shade. The symbolic tree connects all three levels of Talia, emphasizing the connectedness between its services and the celebration of life within Talia’s brand identity.

concept sketches

CROSS SECTION (NOT TO SCALE)

AMENITIES FLOOR

GROUND FLOOR RCP

GUEST FLOOR

GROUND FLOOR

CULTURAL WORKSHOP

Aiming to create an educational experience, the workshop is intentionally placed within the line of sight behind the reception, setting the tone for the stay. Local arts and crafts are displayed and open for inquiry. The space allows guests to learn about local customs and practices, engage in handson local arts and crafts such as Sadu weaving, palm frond weaving, tile painting, and more. The adjacent gift shop features products from local traders for sale and recommends nearby shops that guests can explore during their day excursions.

Outdoor restaurant Workshop

Local arts and craft products

Woven Sadu fabric

Equipment storage, curtain closer

A CULTURE OF STORYTELLING

AlUla’s culture is deeply rooted in its storytelling practice. The city’s history and traditions have been kept alive through both conventional and unconventional methods: verbal campfire stories, passed down by local Alrawi (i.e., the “storyteller”) for hundreds of years; imagery depictions in ancient rock carvings; written records; and Sadu weaving. The finished product is a representation of family lineage, linking the past to the present.

TALIA’S ADAPTATION

House of Talia incorporates rock carving and tile painting practices into its cultural workshop. Guests can participate in these activities during their stay and choose to keep their work or leave it to be embedded in the hotel’s outdoor walkway. In this way, Talia celebrates her guests as the physical bricks and tiles that build the hotel, while permanently weaving their experiences into the fabric of her history.

RESTAURANT

The restaurant is intentionally designed to maximize flexibility in both seating and privacy. The custom privacy curtain provides privacy for women of faith who observe face covering, allowing them to uncover and dine comfortably while still enjoying the lively ambience. The platform seating enables wheelchair users to equally participate in the cultural experience of traditional Saudi floor seating alongside other guests.

The window design is flexible, supporting both private pair seating and group dining arrangements. The patterned motif helps filter strong southern exposure, reducing glare while maintaining natural light.

GUEST ROOM

Talia proudly offers a complete ADA guest floor with 16 accessible guest rooms: 2 double-queen rooms, 9 singlequeen rooms, 3 king suites, and 2 double-twin rooms.

The mini lounge encourages guests to spend time outside of their private rooms, facilitating opportunities for new connections.

GUEST FLOOR PLAN

05. Guest lounge

06. Staff-access laundry

07. Linen storage

08. Guest-access laundry

for accessibility

AMENITIES

The amenities floor features a signature lounge designed to support guests after a Turkish spa visit or outdoor activities on the terrace. Gender-assigned ADA-compliant wudu washing stations are provided to accommodate ritual cleansing before prayer, ensuring accessibility and comfort for religious guests.

TERRACE

The terrace houses multiple activities for guest to participate during the day such as desert farming learning, yoga, prayer space for religious guests, etc., and night time activities such as story time with a local Alrawi (storyteller), and stargazing.

SECOND FLOOR + TERRACE PLAN

01. Signature lounge

02. Turkish bath - Men

03. Changing room - Men

04. Turkish bath - Women

05. Changing room - Women

06. Gym

07. Laundry

08. Wudu washing room - Men

09. Wudu washing room - Women

10. Women’s bathroom

11. Men’s bathroom

12. Janitor

13. Cafe storage

14. Multifuntional terrace

Desert vegetation shelf, farming teaching

Breakout lounge, floor seating

Flexible space for praying, yoga, stargazing

Motorized shades

Thassos marble (used at Holy site, Mecca) for natural underfoot cooling

Washing sink

Prayer mats and shoes storage

Yoga mat, gardening supplies, cushions storage

Firepit gathering, night time storytelling activity

02 OSPREY MEDICAL

TIME: Fall 2025

LOCATION: Sarasota, Florida

SOFTWARE: Revit, Enscape

CONSTRAINT: non-modifiable exterior walls and windows

CONCEPT STATEMENT

The concept is inspired by the dragonfly’s life cycle— the transformation from a water nymph to a winged adult. The dragonfly represents the speed and agility of Osprey Clinic’s care and internal workflow, while at the same time maintain patients’ physical and psychological well-being throughout their visit. Features such as soft, layered natural light, natureinspired patterns, and calming colors create a strong sense of peace and balance.

WAITING ROOM

The artificial skylight compensates for the limited natural light, creating a hopeful environment during times of uncertainty. Seating is arranged in smaller, intimate groups to foster a more residential and welcoming atmosphere that feels less clinical. Nature-inspired art and paintings introduce biophilic elements, working together with sounds of nature from ceiling speakers to effectively calm the mind.

Inspired by the Crown Fountain in Chicago, the animated screen brings occasional movement to the static environment, providing a point of engagement that keeps patients interested and helps prevent boredom.

The furniture is selected from trusted healthcare brands and intentionally varied in style to accommodate different body shapes and sizes. Each piece meets healthcare standards while providing comfort, and ergonomic support for all users.

NURSES STATION SIGNAGE DESIGN

Transitioning to the dragonfly’s adult life cycle on land, the nurse station signifies a grounding and supportive point of care, where clinical support strengthens patients’ future independent well-being. The aesthetic incorporates strong green, vegetation-inspired color palette.

Aquatic element, mimics waterfall

360 view of exam rooms

Wayfinding cue back to the waiting area

Aiming to lessen anxiety in wayfinding for older adults, patient room signage is designed to be distinctly different from typical signage, offering stronger contrast so it can be seen clearly from a distance.

Sliding function accomodates future changes

EXAM ROOM

The design is functional and provides peace of mind, incorporating residential elements such as shelf décor and warm wood tones that cohesively tie to the waiting room and calming blue accents. Nature-inspired wall art adds a stable biophilic element to the space.

The exam chair offers great flexibility to accommodate all patients’ needs, considering body types, mobility, and comfort. Large storage capacity minimizes restocking time, maximizes time spent with patients, and supports efficient care delivery.

03 MILNER LIBRARY

TIME: Spring 2025

LOCATION: Normal, Illinois

SOFTWARE: Revit, Enscape, Photoshop

CONCEPT STATEMENT

The design concept for Milner Library is to foster a positive attachment to the library in students. The goal is to create a space that minimizes anxiety and encourages the continuous use of library services and resources.

This will be achieved by increasing visibility for academic services, and slowing down the traffic flow around the reference desk to convey a frequently used space.

The atmosphere should feel whimsical, uplifting, and fun. This will entail the use of abstract geometric forms and dominant primary color scheme of blue, yellow, and red. Material selections will focus on offering high contrast both visually and tactilely through soft, textured fabric, clear acrylic, wood, and metal.

Not in contract

Metal storage cabinets

Acrylic book cart can be rolled away once full

REFERENCE DESK

The desk’s whimsical design demands attention and serves as a conversional piece that can facilitate interaction between students and librarians.

MATERIALS PALETTE

Open slots for temporary placement of returned books when cart is rolled away

ADA compliant surface

Doors replace traditional book slot, slowing students down and increasing opportunities for interaction with librarians

Clear acrylic integrates the books into the visual décor

ACADEMIC SUPPORT HUBS

Each hub functions as an informational kiosk, where students can receive information about campus services located outside of the library, conveniently in one place.

The adjacent interactive map then allows students to locate their destination after a brief meeting at the kiosk.

DONOR WALL

Donors’ names are printed on the books’ spine, and the book thickness and colors indicate donation level. The design allows spaces for future addition without it feeling unfinished.

MATERIALS PALETTE

EVENT SPACE + GALLERY

This corner of the library is multifunctional, designed to host a range of events, from school functions to art galleries. Flexibility is the main focus of the space. The furniture is intentionally selected to support different types of events and works in tandem with movable partitions to expand or divide the area as needed.

The addition of whiteboards makes this corner an ideal spot for collaborative group work when it is not being used for events.

GROUP STUDY AND GALLERY SETTING PERSPECTIVE

Addresses active touch, sound, and visual sensory affordances

Textured slides of different materials to produce sounds

SENSORY SUITE

The inclusion of a sensory suite within the library is a very new concept, but a fascinating and necessary one to accommodate neurodiverse learners. Touch and sound are the two main sensory affordances the room aims to provide through its interventions, while the fidget wall alone can achieve all three: active touch, sound, and visual.

Lamhults - Bau modular seating

Schiavello - Hedge seat

Rest pods

“Buffer” zone

Backpack and foot rest storage

Tactile wall, active touch

Passive touch affordance

or tfolio

by PHOEBE NGUYEN

thank you.