Summer Thornton is an American designer known for decorating with the wildest abandon, creating lively bold
and colorful interiors! Her book Wonderland: Adventures in Decorating(Rizzoli 2022) was a #1 New Release,
Amazon Best Seller, and a top selling architecture & design book. Summer’s work has been featured in AD,
Veranda, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, The Wall Street Journal, NY Times and more including several national
cover stories. Headquartered in Chicago, her team of 17 works on projects coast-to-coast throughout the US and Mexico.
Primary job responsibilities can be found below:
Assist Designers in overseeing large-scale, long-term design projects from concept through installation for high-end residential and boutique hospitality projects
Assist in the drawing & development of comprehensive design plans & construction drawing sets including sourcing, floorplans, elevations, etc
Collaborate with outside consultants and project partners including Architects, General Contractors, Craftsmen, & more
Maintain strong relationships and communication with Designers, Senior Designers and outside vendors
Prepare proposals for product & labor
Prepare materials & organize presentations before client meetings
Design custom furniture, cabinetry, textiles and more to achieve the design vision
Create finish schedules and coordinate construction with architects/builders
Contact vendors for pricing & samples
Organize materials for client presentations
Assist with project installations
Assist with photo shoots
Capture photos for social media and internal documentation
Office tidying & organization as well as resource library maintenance/organization
Pick-up and return unused product & samples as required
May require up to 15% travel out-of-state
Seamlessly transition orders and contractor-management to Project Management group at firm
Key Qualifications & Skills:
Minimum 3 years (ideally 4-6 years) professional experience. Priority is typically given to those in a related field – interior design, architecture, product/furniture design, textile design, hospitality design, etc – though career changers may apply and have been successful in the past.
Bachelors degree (or Masters)
Strong 2D AUTOCAD & Photoshop experience preferred.
Rendering, hand-sketching, and 3D skills a plus but not required.
Ability to problem-solve, try new things, and seek solutions with limited supervisor direction
Strong multi-tasking skills and ability to manage multiple projects with varying timelines and deliverables at once
Teamwork & collaboration-minded
Proactive self-starter – shows both initiative and detailed follow-through/completion
Strong attention to detail & strong organizational skills
Studio Webware experience a plus
Equal parts talented & nice
Positive and fun, team player, utmost integrity, honesty, & no-drama/ego attitude a necessity
This is a Full-Time, in-office position in our Lincoln Park/Chicago office. Relocation assistance is possible for the right candidate. Unfortunately this position does not allow for a remote or hybrid work schedule.
TO APPLY: Send resume, portfolio, and professional references to CAREERS@SUMMERTHORNTONDESIGN.COM
Summer Thornton is an American designer known for decorating with the wildest abandon, creating lively bold
and colorful interiors! Her book "Wonderland: Adventures in Decorating" (Rizzoli 2022) was a #1 New Release,
Amazon Best Seller, and a top selling architecture & design book. Summer’s work has been featured in AD,
Veranda, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, The Wall Street Journal, NY Times and more including several national
cover stories. Headquartered in Chicago, her firm works on projects coast-to-coast in the US and Mexico bringing joy to everything it touches.
