Tanya Fogarty is a Newcastle based interior designer who has worked in the industry for the last 10 years. Tanya, after working as a nurse for several years, started studying interior design via correspondence however quickly moved onto full time work for Urban Basic Design Studio based at The Junction, Newcastle. Tanya worked her way up from assistant to consultant over a 3 year period gaining valuable industry experience. Over the last 7 years Tanya has been building her own small business while juggling family life.



Tanya’s current project list includes the seasonal set design for fashion displays at Westfield Kotara and Tuggerah, residential apartments and homes around Newcastle, styling of the Macquarie Designer Home on Glebe Rd Adamstown, and the material selection boards for two apartment developments in Newcastle.



Tanya’s tips for interior designers starting out is to network. The majority of Tanya’s clients including her work for Westfield, have come from networking events and word of mouth. She cannot advocate more the importance of networking for gaining work. Other tips are to start small by getting your foot in the door either by working for a paint company, kitchen, tile or furniture showrooms. This experience will help you gain valuable knowledge of not only the particular product you are selling but how to work with clients. Tanya also advocates keeping up to date with the latest products and building a good library of samples.



Westfield Display



Westfield Display

Thank you to Tanya for talking to Hunter Design School and we look forward to seeing her future work.