by Megan White
Susannah Gray is an interior designer and artist from Bell, Florida, a small town in north central Florida. Growing up in a town where the white modern farmhouse look was everywhere, Susannah always felt the need to break away from that and create something different. Her biggest inspirations are from the Art Deco era and the Mid-Century modern era. Over time, she’s developed a style that mixes traditional details with bold elements. Her work blends traditional touches with modern, eclectic elements like intricate moldings, bold wallpaper, or sleek lines mixed with vintage eclectic style lighting. She credits her growth to seeing other students’ projects, completing her internship, and working through real-world design problems. Over time, she’s built a style that feels both thoughtful and full of personality, exactly like her. Her senior show features three works that reflect both sides of her creativity, her technical interior design skills, and fine art with a focus on human connection.
The first piece is a graphite drawing of several hands, done on white paper with a painted black background. The contrast between the dark paint and the soft pencil lines makes the hands pop, drawing your attention straight to the center of the composition. The way the hands hold each other shows a sense of care. Susannah said this work was about exploring human connection, something that carries across both her interior design work and her artwork. This piece is a quiet but powerful reminder that our hands, which we don’t usually think twice about, play such a big role in how we connect with other people.
The second drawing is based on a still from the classic Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday. This piece was done in graphite, it shows Hepburn facing forward with a man behind her kissing her cheek. The background looks like leaves blowing in the wind, giving the scene a romantic, nostalgic feeling. The piece was part of a class assignment to recreate a black-and-white movie still, but Susannah used it to dive deeper into her ongoing interest in human connection. You can feel the closeness between the characters in the way she’s drawn them, similar to the hand drawing, it’s all about connection and emotion.
Her final piece in the show is her senior interior design capstone project, a luxury hotel design located in Dubai. This hotel includes a restaurant, guest suite, prayer rooms, in-between lounge areas, and a grand lobby space. The design reflects old Dubai architecture with a modern spin, pulling in soft, sandy neutrals that reflect the desert landscape around it. This space feels thoughtful and really tied to its location. Susannah said she aimed to create something both functional and accessible, with a focus on how people actually use the space. Her design not only captures the aesthetics of the region but also respects its culture and values, blending tradition and innovation in a really thoughtful way.
Across all three works, what ties them together is Susannah’s human-centered approach. Whether it’s an emotional drawing or a floor plan for a hotel, she’s always thinking about how people interact with each other, with space, and with design. Her work feels warm and thoughtful. She’s not afraid to mix different styles, and the way she blends modern with classic shows how confident she’s become in her design voice. After a lot of growth and figuring things out, Susannah Gray has really found her style, and it shows.
Megan White is a Spring 2025 Graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design with a Minor in Art.