‹ to the career overview
  •  

Our employees

Isabella Klabacher

My internship at Bernd Gruber

Hi, I am Isabella, a student at the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg and I am studying Design & Product Management. During my studies, I completed a two-month internship with Bernd Gruber and am here to tell you about my impressions.

 

It was clear to me from the start that I wanted to do my internship in interior design, as I was planning to complete a master's degree in interior design. The location of Bernd Gruber's studio in Aurach near Kitzbühel meant that I was already familiar with the company. From time to time I stopped there and took a look at the showroom. I was impressed by the style and the products that are manufactured in-house in Stuhlfelden.

I had deliberately applied to Bernd Gruber because I was and still am very enthusiastic about the company's furnishing style. A former professor had also told me about the great working atmosphere at "Bernd Gruber GmbH". With my internship, I wanted to complete my impression of an interior design office and get to know the profession first hand.

When I applied for the mandatory internship at Bernd Gruber GmbH, I had little or no experience in this field. That's why I was very curious but at the same time a little sceptical as to whether I could really cope with the tasks I had to handle with the Archicad software program.

FIELDS OF ACTIVITY

My tasks included checking and processing e-mails received daily from suppliers, for example, regarding current or outdated sample collections. If an e-mail contained a fabric sample that was no longer available, it was my task to remove it from the assortment and update it. Thus, the sample collections were always kept up to date and the designers are guaranteed a smooth workflow.

Receiving and unpacking deliveries of goods was also one of my daily tasks. After unpacking the goods, I was allowed to place and present them in a suitable place in the showroom in order to create an optimal and aesthetic overall picture for the customer.

I was also able to support the designers in their work and helped them draw previews in Archicad, fold plans to DIN sizes, create presentations and select samples.

Every Tuesday there is a Jour Fixe, where the current projects are discussed, and each employee gives a short statement about his projects. I was allowed to participate, as in other internal appointments and meetings, which showed me that my presence and my ideas were appreciated.

THE START // WEEK 1

During the first week I was shown the company by the company management. The creative director introduced me to the employees, I was shown the studio in Kitzbühel and my own production facility in Stuhlfelden. I got to know the studio and the brands like Minotti, Living Divani, B&B, Tom Dixon, etc. with which Bernd Gruber works together. This information was an important component to be able to guarantee a professional consultation later during customer discussions. Furthermore, I got to know the sample room where all fabric, stone, leather and surface samples that are available for projects are archived.
WEEK 2
In the second week, I was allowed to revise the floor plan concept of an architect for a building project in Vienna with two employees. I was also shown how to properly fold the plans from all DIN sizes. Then I was given the task of working on the premises and the complete interior design of a building project in Munich with the Rhino computer program and continuing to build. Already in this week, I was allowed to visit two building sites with a coworker. At the construction sites, I was informed about many important things to consider, many things were explained to me and my questions were answered in great detail.

WEEK 3

At the beginning of the third week, a few employees held an internal presentation of their impressions of the "Salone del Mobile" furniture fair, which they visited this year in Milan. In order to let their colleagues take part, they were given the task of taking pictures, collecting information and establishing contacts with suppliers. All this information and impressions were shown during the presentation and discussed in the team. A Mediterranean snack with Italian salami, parmesan and Italian white bread was served.

WEEK 4-6
In the fourth week, it was my job to update the product list in the studio, which was a great advantage for me, as I gained insight into the entire product range of the respective manufacturers and at the same time a feeling for the price structure. In addition, a glass supplier introduced himself with his samples. During this meeting, the manufacturer talked about the production and processing of the glass, the special uses and the different designs. It was an extremely interesting and informative lecture. I am very happy to have been integrated into all these presentations and meetings, as I got a lot of insight into different areas. Furthermore, I got further tasks which I was supposed to solve with the software program AutoCad. I learned more and more how to work with this program and was thus able to acquire a basic knowledge. This included area calculations, dimensions, views, hatching and the construction of new elements.

 

THE END // WEEK 7

In the seventh week, I was involved in a discussion about the arrangement of the exposed concrete walls on the ceiling of a project. My task was to think about the arrangement of the exposed concrete walls on the ceiling. I was told in detail what to look out for and which symbols and signs to follow. Thus, I learned the plan reading of the ground plans more intensively and my interest in this job direction rose increasingly. On an Aquafix (transparent paper) I drew the rooms of the floor plan and in the following the arrangement in different variants. Thus, I created two to three variants per room, which were then discussed in the project team.

CONCLUSION

I was particularly pleased with the trust placed in me and the team spirit within the company. I particularly liked the pleasant working atmosphere. I looked forward to my work and the team every day. We always had very nice and interesting conversations. Even the "after-work activities" did not come too short and actively contribute to the good team cohesion.

I felt comfortable right from the start. I was warmly welcomed and very well integrated. As my report shows, I was allowed to work on almost every project and ask questions that were explained to me in detail and answered. I found all this very informative and interesting, I gained a lot of insight into various areas, learned a lot, experienced a lot and acquired additional knowledge. The precise work and the extremely elegant style of this company impressed me enormously.