Creative Design Intern

Location: Linthicum, MD / Washington, DC Metro Area
Schedule: 10–15 hours per week, flexible; additional hours may be available during busy project or holiday décor seasons.
Employment Type: Paid seasonal internship
Compensation: $16–$18/hour to start; up to $20/hour for candidates with strong Canva, design, proposal, sourcing, or hands-on production experience.

Work Environment: Small creative studio, hands-on, design-focused, supportive, fast-moving

About Rooted Wonders

Rooted Wonders is a women- and minority-owned boutique botanical design studio based in the Washington, DC Metro area. We specialize in preserved moss walls, faux greenery, faux florals, custom planters, seasonal décor rental services, and branded botanical installations for commercial spaces.

Our work blends nature, design, craftsmanship, and storytelling to create spaces that feel warm, elevated, and connected to their surroundings. We are a small, growing studio with a creative, hands-on environment where every project is different and every detail matters.

At Rooted Wonders, we believe beautiful spaces can help people feel more grounded, inspired, and connected to nature. Our goal is to create long-lasting, low-maintenance botanical designs that bring warmth, beauty, and a brighter, more sustainable future into the places people live, work, gather, and visit.

About the Internship

We are looking for a creative, organized, and motivated intern who wants hands-on experience inside a growing botanical design studio and creative small business.

This internship is a great fit for a student or early-career creative interested in biophilic design, interiors, floral design, event design, hospitality, visual merchandising, marketing, entrepreneurship, or creative business operations.

The intern will support a mix of design, product research, proposal preparation, project organization, studio production, and occasional installation/site visit support. This is not a traditional desk-only internship — the right person should be excited to learn by helping with both creative and hands-on work.

Some tasks may be completed remotely after training, while other work will take place at our Linthicum, MD studio/warehouse, on occasional site visits, or during project prep and installations throughout the DC/MD/VA area.

Internship Responsibilities

• Assist with design boards, mood boards, Canva presentations, product boards, and visual concepts
• Help research faux plants, planters, moss, florals, seasonal décor, signage, vendors, and installation materials
• Support client presentation prep, proposal organization, product pages, and project documents
• Help organize vendor links, product pricing, dimensions, lead times, notes, samples, and design references
• Assist with studio production for moss walls, faux planters, florals, seasonal décor, and custom botanical installations
• Organize project photos, portfolio images, materials, samples, inventory, and project files
• Support occasional installations, site visits, vendor meetings, client meet-and-greets, or industry events when helpful
• Help with occasional portfolio updates, marketing materials, website content, or social media content as needed
• Learn how custom botanical design projects move from inquiry to proposal, sourcing, production, and installation
• Support seasonal décor planning and prep, including holiday décor concepts, product research, inventory organization, production prep, and occasional installation support
• Support general studio/admin tasks in a growing small creative business

The Right Intern Is

• Creative, organized, and eager to learn
• Interested in design, plants, interiors, events, hospitality, branding, marketing, entrepreneurship, or creative business
• Comfortable using Canva, Google Drive, Gmail, and basic computer tools
• Detail-oriented and willing to help with both creative and hands-on work
• Reliable, professional, positive, and open to feedback
• Comfortable working in a small business environment where each day may look different
• Curious about product sourcing, proposals, materials, design presentations, and how creative projects come together
• Able to take notes, follow directions, ask questions, and stay organized
• Comfortable working both independently and alongside the owner

Helpful Experience, But Not Required

• Canva, design boards, mood boards, presentations, product pages, or visual projects
• Interior design, floral design, event design, architecture/interiors, visual merchandising, hospitality, marketing, or entrepreneurship coursework
• Experience with social media, photography organization, portfolio updates, or website content is a plus
• Experience with hands-on creative work, crafts, florals, installations, displays, art, styling, or event production is a plus
• Interest in biophilic design, botanical design, sustainability, creative production, or small business ownership

What You’ll Gain

• Real-world experience inside a growing creative design studio
• Exposure to commercial interiors, hospitality, corporate spaces, branded environments, and custom installations
• Hands-on experience with moss, faux greenery, florals, product sourcing, proposals, presentations, production, and installations
• Experience helping organize real client projects from concept to completion
• Portfolio-building opportunities through design boards, presentations, product pages, and project support
• A behind-the-scenes look at running a creative small business
• Mentorship and practical experience working directly with the owner of a growing boutique studio
• Exposure to the business side of design, including client communication, proposals, pricing, sourcing, marketing, vendor relationships, and project coordination
• Exposure to seasonal décor planning and production, including how commercial holiday décor projects are sourced, organized, prepared, installed, and stored
• Insight from an owner with a background in business, marketing, design, and commercial real estate, including nearly 20 years of combined experience in marketing/design-related work and 8 years in commercial real estate
• A helpful experience for students pursuing business, marketing, interior design, architecture/interiors, hospitality, event design, entrepreneurship, or other creative fields

Compensation + Growth

This is a paid seasonal internship, typically 10–15 hours per week depending on availability, project needs, and school schedule. Additional hours may be available during busy project or holiday décor seasons.

Rooted Wonders is happy to work with students seeking internship credit when available through their school or program. Students are responsible for confirming their school’s internship credit requirements, and Rooted Wonders can provide basic documentation, learning objectives, hour verification, or supervisor feedback as needed.

Rooted Wonders is growing, and there may be an opportunity for the right intern to continue into a part-time role, project-based role, or future studio assistant position.

To Apply

Please send your resume to natalie@rootedwonders.com and a short note that tells us a little about you — not just your experience, but what you are curious about, what you are studying or hoping to pursue, and why this internship feels interesting to you.

Please also include:

• Your general availability and preferred weekly hours
• Any examples of creative, design, Canva, presentation, mood board, floral, event, photography, writing, social media, or hands-on work if available
• One thing you would be excited to learn at Rooted Wonders

A formal portfolio is not required. If you have creative work, school projects, mood boards, presentations, photos, or anything that shows your style or interests, we’d love to see it.