Silvia Leone, Iris van der Moolen and Franka te Lintel Hekkert entered the profession from different directions. When did they know they wanted to become (interior) architects, what are their ambitions, and who are their role models?
team captain
Iris works in the tenders team and is working on her BEP. From a young age, she realised how meaningful buildings could be: her father worked for a major contractor and regularly took her to construction sites. Iris would like to grow into the role of ‘team captain’ so she can contribute ideas and keep an eye on planning, stay in contact with clients, and connect the right people within the practice to move a design forward. “That versatility and responsibility suit me. By the way, the fact that I don’t yet have an official architect’s title doesn’t mean I’m not given responsibility. Recently I presented a tender design, because I knew it inside out. I always try to alternate between serious content and a lighter topic, so it doesn’t become a monotonous presentation.”
survival hut
Franka’s route into interior design ran via the Willem de Kooning Academy. In a period when there was little work for designers, she rather fittingly graduated with a ‘survival hut’. She enjoys her work as a designer at cepezedinterieur. “I always assumed I preferred working with my hands. Now I work behind the computer and I’m on site, and that variation is great. The fact that we start from reused materials for many projects fits who I am. I see the constraints that come with working with existing materials as a challenge: it demands a lot of creativity. I’d like to be responsible for the course of the entire design process and for maintaining the core of a design, but I’m still looking for the right balance between that role and motherhood.”
a place of memories
Silvia became a professional musician at a young age. Her wish to be financially independent and to explore the world from Italy led her to take an additional degree in architecture. At cepezed she is one of the project leaders on a large-scale, complex renovation assignment with new-build. Silvia is fascinated by the fact that, as an architect, you become part of other people’s lives. “You design something tangible and at the same time you create something intangible: harmony, an emotion, memories.” Silvia sees her current position in the team as an opportunity to bring extra diversity to leadership styles. “The world of architecture is a bit behind on this. Based on my earlier experiences as a young architect, I think it’s important to encourage teamwork. If you start from equality, the work also becomes more efficient, and it creates a pleasant atmosphere.”
first love
Asked about role models, Lina Bo Bardi and Zaha Hadid are names that come up. Iris: “Not that I’d want to design the same things as Hadid, but with her buildings you do think, ‘wow, what is this!?’. She came from the Middle East and built a career in London among male competition.” Silvia calls Lina Bo Bardi one of her ‘first loves’: “She had an unbound way of thinking, worked with raw materials and minimal means, and focused her designs on society.” Franka values a certain contrariness, as seen in the work of Joep van Lieshout. “Like Det van Oers (the head of cepezedinterieur), I like designs that rub a little in a funny, positive way and make you think. In fact, Det is also a role model for me.”
