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For Joanna Jablonski, design is all about perspective. From working in the commercial interiors industry for 16 years to helping influence the user experience of a CET Extension, Jablonski has gained valuable perspectives that have shaped her design career and help her become resource for other designers.
Originally from Poland, Jablonski moved to Chicago almost three decades ago where she launched her design career. While in Poland, Jablonski completed art school. When she moved to the United States, Jablonski continued her studies and found herself weighing two career paths: art and architecture.
“I was deciding between continuing my education in art or to follow a career in architecture, and that’s when I discovered interior design,” Jablonski said. “Interior design was perfect for me because it’s both creative and three dimensional.”
Jablonski spent the last 16 years of her career working at leading commercial furniture dealerships in the greater Chicago area, and 12 of those years designing spaces with CET. Jablonski began using CET when Steelcase launched its SmartTools Extension over a decade ago and saw how it made a positive difference for the design industry. This inspired Jablonski to dive into CET and she has even participated in the development of a CET Extension by providing input from the user perspective.
“CET is such a user-friendly software. It makes you a better designer and makes you think differently. It shifts your mind from thinking flat to thinking three dimensional, and that’s what I love about it,” Jablonski said. “CET offers so much creativity and allows you to see spaces in 3D, which is helpful for meeting with clients. “
Currently, Jablonski is a senior designer and team lead at Henricksen, one of the largest Allsteel dealers in the United States. A few years ago, she participated as a beta tester for the Allsteel Extension and helped implement the Extension at Henricksen.
“After all those years with CET, you understand what goes into the creation of an Extension,” Jablonski said. “I have a strong understanding what Extensions are at the beginning and what they can be, and I find it rewarding to share this perspective with the CET community.”
Rendering created in CET Commercial Interiors by Joanna Jablonski
Jablonski uses CET every day and for all her projects. She uses CET for live design which has made it easier to share projects with clients quickly and receive feedback in real-time. Jablonski says this makes her work exciting and has eliminated the back and forth between designers.
“One of my favorite parts of CET is live design because you can be interactive with client,” Jablonski said. “People get so excited when they see a space for the first time and feel so engaged with the design process.”
One of Jablonski’s favorite time-saving tips is creating shortcuts. She recommends creating shortcuts for different views, which saves time during live design because it allows the designer to switch quickly between views.
“I believe you can always learn something from others and discover new ways to shift your thinking,” Jablonski said. “The CET community is a great place to share ideas and learn new perspectives which in the end makes us better designers.”
When Jablonski isn’t designing spaces in CET, you can find her spending time learning about aviation with her son who recently graduated from pilot school. Jablonski also loves seeing the world and one of her last adventures prior to the pandemic was sailing a catamaran across the Caribbean.
Do you also want to create beautiful renderings and get automatic bill of materials? Download a trial today to see the power of CET for yourself.
