Interior Design at CU Denver
The Interior Design studies in the College of Architecture and Planning teach fundamentals of interior design through a holistic, integrated, and experiential approach. Interior design combines the pragmatics of space planning and programming with the poetics of human experience and placemaking. The rigors of Interior Design lie at the intersection of environmental stewardship, social justice, cultural diversity, and human-centered design.
Interior Design is a field that complements other offerings in the College of Architecture and Planning and provides those pursuing other degrees with an opportunity to amplify their skills and distinguish themselves in the marketplace.
Our program is unique in its access to Denver and the city’s professional community. The curriculum integrates professional engagement with hands-on and high-impact design build opportunities that enrich the learning experience. Our program is unique in its attention to sustainability; justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; adaptive reuse; furniture and lighting design; and entrepreneurship.
CAP offers the only Interior Design program in the State of Colorado that benefits from having Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Planning programs.
Meet, Sarah McGarry Director of Interior Design at CAP
Sarah McGarry, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP, joins the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) as the new Director of Interior Design. McGarry comes to CAP with nearly 20 years of experience in interior design. Most recently, McGarry served as a principal at Stantec, where she was responsible for the business and operations side of the practice as well as design leadership, management, and execution. She is now starting her own design firm, Clic Design Studio. Prior to Stantec, Sarah worked at RNL (now Stantec) and Hixson in Cincinnati, Ohio. Read More
Interior Design Lecturers
Lynn Coit
Lecturer
- Administration and Instruction Services (CAP)
Email Address:rebecca.coit@ucdenver.edu
President, Founder
Elsy Studios
Lynn Coit has built her career on raising the bar for interior design in Colorado. An accomplished business leader and award-winning designer, Lynn brings more than 25 years of experience to her role as president and founder of Elsy Studios, a full-service commercial interior design firm based in Denver.
Following the successful co-ownership of another local design studio, Lynn founded Elsy Studios in 2012 with the goal of creating memorable, people-focused experiences through design. She’s since established a reputation for delivering highly customized spaces that reflect each client’s business and inspire their teams.
In addition to a passion for good design, Lynn brings a deep understanding of the effects a building has on the interior environment – insight gained from a professional background that includes both architecture and ground-up construction. Drawing on this expertise allows Elsy Studios to craft more impactful design solutions and to more effectively oversee projects from concept through occupancy to ensure clients get quality results and a space that’s as unique as they are.
Over the course of her career, Lynn has led dozens of award-winning commercial interiors projects including headquarters spaces for Healthgrades, Newmont Mining and CH2M, and projects for Hyder Construction, Liberty Media and NetApp, earning recognition from influential publications including 5280 Home, Modern in Denver and Colorado Homes and Lifestyles. Her work has also been featured in Interior Design Magazine, Sources in Design and Midwest Construction.
Away from her work at Elsy Studios, Lynn has helped to shape Colorado’s dynamic aesthetic, building a more inclusive design community in the process through appointments as President of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Colorado Chapter (2018) and Chair of the ASID National Chapter Support Team (2019).
Personally, Lynn’s contributions to the community have been recognized with multiple honors including 2022 ASID Albie Award, the 2016 Denver Business Journal’s Corporate Citizen of the Year, the 2013 Outstanding Women in Business Award and the 2009 CREW Women of Influence Award.
Lynn holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Mississippi State University and is an NCIDQ-certified interior designer. In her free time, Lynn volunteers with organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Colorado, for which she sits on the board of directors.
Course Offerings for Fall 2023
The following interior design courses will be offered in the Fall 2023 semester. Both courses are available to those seeking to complete the minor or the certificate program.
- INTD 4200 / 6200 – Interior Design Workshop (3 credits)
- INTD 1005 / 5005 – Intro to Interior Design (3 credits)
- INTD 2000-001/5000 – History and Global Perspectives of Interior Design (3 credits)
- INTD 3100-001/5100 – Drawing Out the Interiors (3 credits)
Minor in Interior Design
The Minor in Interior Design amplifies the mission of the College of Architecture and Planning, igniting evolution that enriches places for people and the planet. The Interior Design Minor provides students a breadth and depth of knowledge and skills integrating sustainable building practices, social justice, and spatial poetics to enhance health and wellbeing through creatively exploring interior environments. The minor offers students opportunities to apply design thinking, engage in design-build projects, learn directly from industry leaders, and participate in interdisciplinary team-based projects reflective of the professional practice of interior design.
Open to any student at CU Denver, this minor is designed to provide students with an immersive learning experience in the creative, practical, technical, environmental, and ethical aspects of the professional discipline of interior design. The minor complements a range of majors from architecture to construction management, art, business, sociology, and many others.
Admissions
Certificate in Interior Design
The certificate provides aspiring interior designers the professional knowledge, competency, and applied skills necessary for the practice of interior design. With a focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship, and health and wellness, this certificate integrates human-centered approaches with appreciative inquiry, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation for interior environments.