Vantaggi
This place is great is you live nearby and have limited access to commercial design related firms. Mary the receptionist will brighten anyones day with one look at her smiling face.
Svantaggi
You will work with a 'senior' designer who has never worked anywhere else in their life, and has a complex. They are one of those people that walks around, talks to people, looks busy, and then has to stay after hours to get their work done. You will be sure to hear about it the next day about how much work they have, etc. I'd say it's just one person and you could zone it out, but the design dept. is only 5 1/2 people, and this person has to have their touch on everything. The owner's wife works there on a part time basis, so sometimes it is frustrating to try and pick up that slack as well. The way the company works is this: Salesmen bring in the clients, sell them the display furniture for their optical, and the design dept. provides the interior design service. The salesmen will hound you to get their projects done because they receive commission, however as a designer you receive a low base salary. It is made known to you that anyone can do your job, so get it done. The management / sales staff has no comprehension as to how long CAD drawings actually take, and some sales people who do their own CAD and want you to PDF it have corrupted the drawing so badly it takes double the time, and then you really get reemed out. There is no place to grow, your ceiling is interior designer, working with clients, designing their spaces, rinse and repeat.