I have been saving this section of my website until I have something of actual design merit to speak about. I moved to New York about four months ago and although I did not find myself immediately successful I finally feel like a might have a project or two to share with you.
About 2 1/2 months after moving here I FINALLY found a job, and one somewhat related to my degree as well. I was hired as an administrative assistant/ design intern at a metal fabrication shop but quickly turned into the administrator/drafter/designer as there was no Architect mentor to my mentee.
My first week there we got a call about some shelves that a man wanted fabricated. This is a relatively small job for the shop and so the owner handed all of the pre-planning responsibility onto me. The client, a successful Icelandic man living in Dumbo, had very specific ideas about what he wanted. He sent us inspirational photos and images of the the space he wanted to fill. Here is the inspiration image:
The space he wanted to fill was much smaller than this, about 3′ wide by 8′ tall. So I set about designing a shelf with this design in mind. It was so strange to suddenly be a designer in need. I am used to being surrounded by designers who would chomp at the bit to design a bookshelf for themselves or anyone who asked and here I was being asked.
It was up to me to think about what the shelf will look like and specify the features and measurements. I made some hand drawings and computer renderings, 
and after a little back and forth with the client, and a lot of strife with the construction floor due to lack of proper tools (entirely hurricane Sandy’s fault), this was the end result. 
An exciting venture in the end. Among the important things learned: weight of material is VERY important, as is the size of the service elevator, but that’s another story.
Aurelia Nightingale Rohrbacker 