“The best learning environments begin with listening—bringing people together around a shared vision that supports students, educators and communities.”
Emily Czarnecki, NCIDQ is a Design Principal and Director of Interior Design with over 27 years of practice focused on educational, civic, community, workplace and recreation environments. Working closely with educators, institutional leaders and project stakeholders, Emily helps establish a shared vision early in the design process, translating educational goals, operational priorities and user experience into thoughtfully designed interior environments.
Her experience spans every phase of design, from visioning, programming and space planning through documentation, furniture selection and project occupancy. That hands-on involvement, combined with years of observing how spaces perform after completion, has shaped a practical and empathetic approach that balances creative, inspiring design with functionality, adaptability and long-term value. Emily believes the most successful environments are created through listening carefully, building consensus and remaining engaged from planning through occupancy.
A passionate advocate for educational design, Emily has shared her expertise through presentations at EDspaces, LearningSCAPES, the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) Northeast Region Conference, the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium and the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education National Conference. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the University of New Haven and is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ).
Awards and Recognition
Barack H. Obama Magnet University School, New Haven, CT
AIA Connecticut Design Merit Award (2020)
Martin Luther King, Jr., Campus, Hartford, CT
AIA Connecticut/Connecticut Preservation Elizabeth Mills Brown Award (2023)
AIA Connecticut Merit Award for Interior Architecture (2022)
Connecticut Building Congress Project Team Awards, Award of Merit (2021)
University of Connecticut Student Recreation Center
National Intramural Recreation Sports Assoc. (NIRSA), Outstanding Facility Award (2021)
Athletic Business Association, Facility of Merit (2021)
Project Experience
K–12 education
Independent schools
Higher education
Workplace
Civic and community facilities
Recreation facilities
Representative Clients
Basinger Center for Film Studies at Wesleyan University – Middletown, CT
Bullard Havens Technical High School – Bridgeport, CT
New Fairfield High School – New Fairfield, CT
Tyngsborough Middle School – Tyngsborough, MA
University of Connecticut Student Rec Center – Storrs, CT
Representative Projects
City of Hartford
New Fairfield Public Schools
State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (CT DAS)
University of Connecticut
Wesleyan University
Presentations & Panels
“Constraint to Opportunity: Value-Driven Learning Environments that Inspire Student Growth,” A4LE Northeast Regional Conference (2026)
“Bridging Pathways: Building Synergy of STEAM and CTE in High Schools,” A4LE Northeast Regional Conference (2025)
“Engaging Minds: Integrating Students and Teachers in School Furniture Selection,” MHEC Furniture Expo (2024)
“Meaningful Integration of Student and Teachers into the School Furniture Selection Process,” EDSpaces Conference (2023)
“Designing a Learning Community: Creating Places for Active Learning on a Budget,” EDSpaces Conference (2021)
“Telling our Stories: Places that Create a Sense of Belonging,” Learning SCAPES, CAE and A4LE Northeast Regional Conference (2018)
“Seeing people experience a space for the first time is always rewarding. But the greatest measure of success is hearing years later that the environment continues to positively shape the lives of those who use it.”
Experience
27 Years
Capabilities
Interior design leadership
Educational environments
Programming and space planning
Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E)
Stakeholder engagement and consensus building
User experience
Post-occupancy assessment
Credentials
National Council of Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) certified
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, University of New Haven
