For Lydia, interior design offers a unique opportunity to design with purpose—and reason. “I feel that a thoughtful approach is the most successful way to meet a client’s needs,” she says.

Lydia brings that philosophy to work as she focuses on education projects at Q+. Lydia has managed educational, residential and commercial projects. As a designer in the Facilities Design and Construction department at the University of South Carolina, she oversaw projects throughout the campus that included small upfits, classroom enhancements, and large capital projects where the University partnered with architecture and design firms, most notably USC Athletics (Rice Athletics Building furnishings), the College of Arts and Sciences (Humanities Office Bldg, Discovery Bldg., Arnold School of Public Health, and Horizon I), and the College of Nursing.

“I enjoyed collaborating with architects and designers and working with various departments involved at the University,” she says. “No two projects were the same, and I was able to learn something new on each one.”

Lydia also is a member of the International Interior Design Association and is an NCIDQ certificate holder. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from Harrington College of Design in Chicago as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of South Carolina.