SONIKA FOURIE DECHOW

INTERIOR DESIGN ASSOCIATE

As Interior Design Associate, Sonika contributes in both a creative and technical capacity to the success of each Space as Art project. A self-described optimist, she enjoys helping to create positive, inspiring environments for our clients through teamwork and enthusiasm in all parts of the design and construction process.

Born in South Africa, Sonika has lived in Florida since the age of nine and is bilingual in English and Afrikaans. Sonika discovered her natural passion for interior design at a young age and graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design and was President-Elect of the school’s Emerging Green Builders student chapter.

Sonika credits her earliest influences as a designer to her childhood growing up in South Africa. There she observed homes being built during frequent visits to project sites under construction with her father, a contractor. She also attributes early interest in changing interior environments to her family moving into a new home every few years, and describes her younger self as “one of those kids who would draw and cut out little scale paper pieces of my bedroom… and then rearrange everything again a few months later.” Today Sonika’s favorite aspect of being a designer is the variety, which makes her well suited for the varied projects she engages in at Space as Art.

“EVERY DESIGN PROBLEM IS A PUZZLE TO SOLVE,” SHE SAYS, “I ALSO LOVE THE VARIETY OF THE DESIGN INDUSTRY WHERE TRENDS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING, SO IT’S A CONTINUOUS LEARNING PROCESS THROUGH BOTH EXPERIENCE AND DESIGN INFLUENCES, FROM NEW PRODUCTS AND ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY.”

In 2015 Sonika successfully earned NCIDQ certification, the highest level of qualification for interior design professionals. She is also certified as a LEED Green Associate for her expertise in environmentally sustainable design. In 2014, Sonika was named one of the Business Observer’s annual “40 Under 40” highlighting the next generation of leaders in our region. In her free time, Sonika enjoys the creative endeavor of designing her yard and learning about different plants, participating in CrossFit with her husband, and infusing personal style into their first home together.