Thank you for your interest in a career with Sparrow!
We are a small team periodically looking for inspired and self-motivated individuals who have demonstrated professional experience in the high end residential design field, whether as a designer, drafter, product expert or project manager. As a small team, we only hire those with direct experience.
If there are any open positions, they will be posted here. You are welcomed to respond to a position via the form below if you meet the requirements. Occasionally we accept interns who are in design or design management programs. Scroll to learn more and see if there are available opportunities.
There are no current positions available at this time.
If you believe you would be a good fit for our team, whether as an experienced residential interior designer, design assistant, drafter, or project manager, please fill out the form and share your relevant experience.
If we believe there may be a fit now or in the future, we’ll be in touch to learn more!
internships with Sparrow
how it works
We bring on interns for 6 weeks up to 3 months depending on the time of year, level of experience, and our staff capacity.
Interns are either recent graduates or students of design or construction management in their 3rd or 4th year, who already have the language and basic skill sets, including drafting (for design interns).
These qualifications ensure the richest internship experience for all and mutual benefit to the student and to our small team. If you’d like to be considered and you meet the requirements above, click the button below and tell us how your experience meets these qualifications and why you’re interested in an internship with Sparrow! If your experience is a fit, we will invite you from there to directly email us your resume, portfolio, and cover letter for consideration during one of our internship periods. Internships are unpaid.
Students in their 1st or 2nd year of school may be able to join us for singular opportunities, such as project installs or photo shoots, when we have them available. If you are a 1st or 2nd year student, you’re welcome to contact us to express interest.
Dipping your toe into interior design with little to no experience?
Here’s our advice
Good interior design isn’t just about your passion or about working with beautiful things
While having natural passion and taste certainly helps, interior design also requires an understanding of function and layouts, knowledge of materials, construction processes, codes, standards and requirements. All of this is used on a daily basis by designers and not having this knowledge can hinder the design process.
You might be surprised to know our principal designer/owner’s degree is not in interior design. But she worked hard and charted her own course to get where she is. When she decided she wanted to be a designer, even with “some experience, the passion and an eye,” she was not hirable (and she has the “no’s” to prove it). It took her a lot of initiative, time, and learning—she enrolled in design training, drafting courses and certification programs, all done before and after work hours while at another job (and with young kids). She read countless design and construction books, studied design history and immersed herself in the world of design, just to give her a foundation to build from. From there, she took on small projects for free and eventually her own remodel investment projects—all before ever stepping foot into the field formally. It was a long road and a labor of love.
Without a doubt, experience is the best teacher, but any designer you approach for a job will expect you to already have applicable knowledge and skills. But if this is truly your dream, don’t give up!
take the time and initiative and get prepared.
You can generally find design and drafting courses, even certification and degree programs, at your local community and technical colleges. Or even YouTube, if you’re the type to dig in and be disciplined like that. Expect to spend a minimum of 2 years on design training and education; and you don’t have to give up your current job to do this, as many courses are offered after hours and remotely. But keep in mind that when you do apply to a design studio, you will be competing against interior designers with 4-year degrees and internship experience. So get creative about your path into the industry, and we have some advice there too…
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All across our communities, there are showrooms for kitchen and bath design, flooring, fabric, lighting, furniture, and more. Showrooms need employees who are good with people, have an eye, can draft (especially for kitchen and bath showrooms), and provide product and design advice to customers.
They are a great place to learn and gain industry experience, and the education/skill requirements are generally way less rigorous.
Here’s what to do:
1. Enroll in drafting courses (preferably with a cabinet design software like “2020”; if you enroll in a kitchen and bath design certificate program that includes drafting, even better because you’ll be taught about products and codes too);
2. If you want to work in a showroom for kitchen and bath design (our top pick for gaining the broadest experience) and you don’t find a certificate program, teach yourself relevant design codes (NKBA is the foremost authority on kitchen and bath design and they have great resources!).When you’re ready, polish up your resume with your education and new design skills, and apply! If your goal is to become an interior designer, by starting off in a showroom you’ll learn A LOT about the industry, products, and a specific area of design, as well as hone your skills in drafting, working with clients and presenting design concepts—all of which makes you valuable to interior designers!
Best wishes!