Hi, and welcome to my bio! I am Tracey Harbaugh, and I’m a junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. I anticipate graduating in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.

This is my second journey through college. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Indiana University in 2004. I spent several years raising a family while freelancing as a ghostwriter. When COVID hit, businesses and existing clientele stopped hiring. I made the decision to finally follow my long-time dream and become an interior designer.

What do I love about interior design? Unexpected color combinations surprise me every time. Challenges take me out of my comfort zone. I love researching and poring over websites looking for the latest trends, new materials, and the most sustainable and ecofriendly building products on the market.

As an older student, I tend to lean toward practical, real-world design solutions. I wanted to break from my comfort zone and embrace as many design styles as possible. For the Fall

2023 semester, I stepped into the realm of modern, sleek, and futuristic offices and schools. The future of school design awes me, and the building I construct for my Independent Study will reflect my research into teaching styles and educational environments predicted for the year 2035.

In the Winter 2023 semester, I designed using Baroque and Hollywood Regency themes. I sourced furniture for a condominium project from vintage resellers. That is the type of challenge I can take on while still a student with creative and budgetary freedom. If future clients request vintage finds, I would search the world for client-specific pieces. I found a carved bench shaped like a crocodile for my project partner’s two-story townhouse design. For a Baroque-themed living room, treasured finds included 18th century antiques: a vitrine, secretary, writing desk, and chairs. Textiles were sourced from French textile supplier Etoffe. Wallcoverings reproduced authentic Baroque leather wall panels.

To view my photography, art, and interior design projects, click on the Junior Portfolios tab and scroll down to Tracey Harbaugh. Thank you for looking at my bio and my portfolio.

Play with color!