Interior Design Assistant - Part-time Carpenter

Job Description

Job Description

Interior Design Assistant/Carpenter

Location: Hudson Valley (Highland, NY headquarters). Must live within reasonable commuting distance — Ulster or Dutchess County, or within 15–45 minutes of Highland.
Type: Part-Time

A rare hybrid role: the eye of a stylist, the hands of a carpenter

We're looking for someone who can do two things genuinely well, build beautiful creative looks for high-end stagings and repair, reinforce, and restore the furniture that makes those looks possible. This is one role for one person who is both. If you have a real eye for styling and you're also the kind of maker who's comfortable with a clamp, wood glue, and a saw, keep reading.

You'll work inside our Creative Looks department at Highland Passive House, the first multi-use Passive House Certified warehouse in North America, a stunning design center set on four acres surrounded by orchards in the Hudson Valley.

Cathy Hobbs Design Recipes (CHDR) is led by 5-time Emmy Award–winning television host, author, and HGTV Design Star finalist Cathy Hobbs. We're consistently ranked among the Top 10 staging companies in the U.S. and Top 5 in Manhattan, with honors including Top 10 Luxury Vacant Staging and Top 10 Short-Term Rental Staging of the Year. We specialize exclusively in real estate staging, styling, and short-term rental and vacation home design, not traditional interior design, so the best fit is someone who lives and breathes visual merchandising and loves working with their hands.

What you'll do:

Styling & Creative Looks:

• Build creative looks, vignettes, and accessory groupings for high-end stagings.
• Pull and curate accessories alongside our design team.
• Help maintain the eye and standard that defines the CHDR brand.

Carpentry & Furniture Restoration:

• Repair, reinforce, and restore wood furniture — joinery, gluing, clamping, minor rebuilds.
• Touch up and repair artwork and framing.
• Keep our inventory install-ready, sturdy, and pristine.

Inventory & Creative Looks Support:

• Organize and maintain our accessories library and curated collection.
• Kit and stage accessories so the team can pull quickly and beautifully.
• Support both the Hudson Valley and Manhattan design teams as needed.

Who you are (both required):

• You have a genuine eye for styling, visual merchandising, or prop styling — ideally in home decor.
• You have real carpentry skills — you can repair, reinforce, and restore wood furniture, and you're comfortable with basic woodworking tools and techniques.
• You're a self-starter who brings fresh ideas to inventory and creative looks.
• You're impeccably organized and take pride in a beautiful, orderly space.
• You're not shy about physical work — staging and restoration are hands-on.
• You keep up with trends in interior design and home staging.

A plus, but not required: an AAS or BFA in Interior Design; prior home staging or prop styling experience; visual merchandising experience specifically in home decor (not fashion).

How to apply

A cover letter is required,  it's the best way to show us both sides of what you bring, and applications without one won't be reviewed. Tell us about your styling background and your hands-on carpentry experience, and include any photos of furniture you've repaired, restored, or built.

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