COLUMBIA, SC – November 8 – Quackenbush Architects + Planners is proud to welcome Whitney Meeks Steinbrecher, IIDA, NCIDQ, to the firm as interior designer.

Credentialed by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), the industry’s highest standard of excellence in the practice of interior design, Steinbrecher brings to the firm experience and a commitment to design as part of a comprehensive approach to architecture. “Whitney’s portfolio reflects the highest caliber of interior design an architectural firm could want,” says firm President Doug Quackenbush. NCIDQ-credentialed designers have a proven record of knowledge and proficiency in the latest interior design principles and practices, Quackenbush notes, including competency with contract documents, administration and decision-making skills.

Most recently, Steinbrecher was a senior design and project manager at GMK Associates in Columbia, where she took a lead role in transforming space within the West Columbia, S.C.-based Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community from a skilled nursing facility into a thriving 22-bed rehabilitation program. The challenge of the renovation, notes Steinbrecher, was to meet the needs of a new patient community within the constraints of an existing building envelope. The result is the 7,500-square foot, $1.2 million state-of-the-art Sanders Guignard Rehabilitation Suites, which houses both therapeutic and dining amenities, including a training kitchen and bathroom. Opened in August 2012, the facility features designs aimed at stimulating rehabilitation and replicating the comforts of home.
Steinbrecher has more than six years of experience managing a variety of corporate, hospitality, and senior living projects.

In addition to NCIDQ certification, Steinbrecher is a member of the International Interior Design Association and is a licensed interior designer in the state of Florida. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from Winthrop University, one of two South Carolina schools accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

“We’re thrilled to have a design professional like Whitney, whose experience with and enthusiasm for creative collaboration complements our team,” Doug Quackenbush notes. “Her expertise and ideas reflect the emphasis we place on the integrity of interior space.”

Quackenbush Architects + Planners is a full-service architecture and planning firm located in Columbia, SC. The firm specializes in educational, institutional, civic, and commercial projects. Its services span from building design to land planning to interior design. The firm’s portfolio includes projects for universities, cities, colleges, government agencies, school districts, and private clients. The team’s work reflects commitment to innovation, sensitivity to our regional context, and the richness that comes from collaboration with our clients and the community.