Interior Architecture

Turning dreams into reality.

That’s what drives Carolina Marty as an architect and designer. For the Dominican Republic native, there’s nothing better than having her clients walk into a space and see exactly what they envisioned.

It’s that passion for people that spurred her to take a giant leap of faith and move to the United States to pursue a master of fine arts in interior architecture at UNCG.

“I knew I wanted to do more,” said Marty, who received a Fulbright scholarship to attend UNCG. “I knew I could learn so much in a master’s program. I want to be the best that I can be.”

Marty can trace her love for design back to when she was a young girl.

“When I was 12 years old, my parents told me they were buying a house,” she said. “I started to reimagine the space and think about how I could make the house better.”

Marty attended Universidad Central Del Este in San Pedro de Macorís to study architecture. It was during her time as a college student that she became very interested in interior architecture.

“I started researching the field, and I realized that interior architecture was so much more than interior design,” Marty said, noting that interior architecture is multidisciplinary and often includes full-scale construction.

After graduating in 2012, Marty worked for one year as an intern in the department of urban planning in San Pedro de Macorís and then landed a job with an outside contractor that worked closely with the department.

As she began to research master’s programs in the United States, it was UNCG’s program that stood out.

“I’m very interested in historic preservation and sustainability, so UNCG seemed like the perfect fit,” she said.

The MFA in interior architecture allows students to tailor the program based on their specific interests and career goals. For Marty, a focus in historic preservation will allow her to guide redevelopment in her city while preserving its historic buildings.

Ultimately, Marty is interested in returning to the Dominican Republic not only to work in historic preservation, but to teach.

“I’d love to return home to teach,” she said. “Most students in the Dominican Republic aren’t familiar with interior architecture – they think it’s just decorating. I want to change that.”

Story by Alyssa Bedrosian, University Communications
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
[Original Text]