At Grigoriou Interiors, we are guided by three core pillars:
- Environmental care and positive impact
- Social wellbeing and positive flourishing
- Economic value and high value flow
This year, our internship program became a real world example of how we practice social wellbeing and positive flourishing.
Within this pillar, our goal is to improve industry and society’s ability to support people’s health, wellbeing, and flourishing by making knowledge available and influencing culture and thinking. Our internship program was designed with this in mind.
How We Selected Our Interns
We wanted our internship program to attract dedicated, passionate, and curious graduates who were aligned with our values. Here’s the process that worked for us:
- Video applications – Every applicant submitted a one-minute video. This small step helped us filter out those simply sending CVs, ensuring we connected with motivated candidates who were willing to go the extra step.
- Interactive workshop – All shortlisted candidates joined a group workshop. Beyond CVs and grades, we assessed cultural fit, interest in the subject, and teamwork skills.
- Balancing needs and interests – We carefully matched what our business needed with what graduates wanted to gain from the program, co-defining project themes so that interns felt invested in the learning journey.
Tips for Designing an Internship
Through this experience, we uncovered some practices worth sharing:
- If the shoe fits, don’t be afraid to expand. Originally, we intended to take on two interns, we took three because the selected three all met the mark. Beyond our primary goals, we also made strides in addressing the growing issue of loneliness among young professionals navigating a remote working world.
- Introduce new technology. Our interns explored brainwave-sensing wearables and how technology can be applied to wellbeing-focused design. It was a forward looking way to expose them to innovation in practice.
- Offer hybrid working. Interns split their time between home and office, experiencing both environments to understand which suited them best. This was valuable insight for their careers.
- Encourage critical thinking. We challenged interns to assess projects from the perspective of client needs and business cases, moving beyond personal bias to develop practical and balanced solutions.
- Provide presentation opportunities. Each intern presented their final project to our team and mentors in a supportive environment, building their confidence in presenting and defending ideas.
- Give and receive feedback. We closed with two way feedback: sharing insights with the interns and listening to their reflections and what they would pass on to future cohorts.
- Celebrate achievements. Finally, we treated our interns to a visit to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and celebratory drinks. Recognising their hard work and accomplishments is just as important as the work itself.
Why This Matters
This internship program wasn’t only about providing work experience. It was about giving back to our industry by exposing more emerging designers to the importance of wellbeing in design. For us, that’s what social wellbeing and positive flourishing truly means, helping graduates grow, feel supported, and equipping them with the mindset and tools to integrate wellbeing into their future design work. We not only upskilled potential future leaders but also influenced culture within the design industry and hopefully contributed to society’s wellbeing in a small but meaningful way.
If you’ve ever considered offering internships and would like insights on how to get started, or improve your current approach, we hope our insights help you and you meet great professionals on the way.
