Kyra Shepherd believes that design plays an important role in helping people function better in their everyday life. As an Interior Designer at Price Modern, a Haworth dealer, Kyra uses CET Commercial Interiors to create spaces for people to flourish in.

After graduating from Philadelphia University in 2011, Kyra has been in the design industry ever since. She started her career in residential design before making the switch to commercial furniture design in 2016 which is also the year Kyra started working in CET.

In her free time, Kyra loves adventure and all things outdoor like camping and hiking. Last spring she visited four different national parks in just a few weeks. Similarly, Kyra enjoys challenges and changes in the work and design context. “Especially in post covid times, the office will need to be a space where people feel comfortable and that can provide something employees could not necessarily get at home,” Kyra said. “I think there's a whole new level of design that we have to think about in our new world that we're functioning in.”

Kyra uses CET for every step when designing offices. She starts using it in the initial startup phase, uses the software for planning during block plans and works with CAD files in CET. She uses CET to create layouts and to pick out finishes and finally she creates renderings and finishes the installation drawings, all in one software.

“CET has definitely made us more efficient”, Kyra said. “I've only been using it for five years and I have seen so many different manufacturers add extensions over that timeframe. I really think this efficiency comes from the amount of furniture lines that we can now choose from and just drag and drop into our drawings, which saves a lot of time.”

Rendering created in CET Commercial Interiors by Kyra Shepherd.

At Price Modern, working with cutting edge technology and being a force in the industry are some main goals, which was one reason for the dealerships choice to use CET as their design software. Being up to date with the newest technology is also a reason why Kyra and her colleagues love the Yulio Extension which allows their clients to experience their future space in Virtual Reality.

A feature that Kyra appreciates in CET is Live Design. She and her colleagues love using it wherever they can. Especially during Covid times, Live Design and CET has helped them to keep close collaboration among colleagues alive, without being in the same space. “It is also really helpful to our clients to be able to visualize their spaces so easily. They can make decisions faster without a lot of back and forth – we definitely are big proponents of Live Design,” Kyra emphasized.

As a very visual person, Kyra loves how CET allows her to add objects and see them in 360 for exactly what they are. “I also love to do renderings. When I am using Photo Lab and making renderings, I get to be most creative. It is definitely an easy place to be inspired and adds that ‘wow’ factor at the end of a project”.

Kyra shared a rendering of a recent project, where she and her team worked on the furniture layout of a large cafeteria space. Thanks to the team’s creativity and the capabilities of CET, the space turned from being an average cafeteria into an exciting space with highlights like bar seating and the availability of more diverse, collaborative areas where people want to gather.

Being part of the CET Community is something that Kyra values. Attending the CET Experience left her inspired and impressed by what others create in CET. In 2019, Kyra joined the CET Experience in person and was excited to be part of the event. “It was awesome to see how excited people were getting about new extension or feature releases. People were cheering, I felt like I was at a concert - I really enjoyed being part of that,” Kyra said.

Attending the conferences gave Kyra a chance to really submerge herself into the content presented during sessions while learning from and listening to others. “I feel like the content provided at the conferences is getting better and better every year, so it's definitely obvious that people are excelling in CET, and that the community is strong” Kyra said. “I believe that comes from the attitude the members of the CET Community have, to always share all the wealth and knowledge among each other.”

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.