Living Being Design was founded in 2018 by S. Christine Cavataio as a resource for those wishing to incorporate environmental stewardship into interior design projects.

Christine received her Bachelors’ of Fine Art in Interior Design from Syracuse University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Cambridge College. She is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), Certified Cruelty Free (CFF) and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional
(LEED AP).

Growing up next door to fields and woods filled with domestic and wild living beings, Christine’s childhood environs instilled a deep admiration for nature. From her parents, she learned to observe beauty in the environment and recorded her surroundings by drawing and painting. Helping her mother periodically rearrange furnishings in their home for the purpose of changing room layouts and behavior patterns among family members, she observed firsthand how furniture placement and interior circulation impacts
human interactions.

 After graduation from Syracuse University, Christine began her interior design career working in firms that allowed her to apply knowledge and skills to a variety of commercial and institutional projects. Improving employees’ and visitors’ day-to-day experiences with thoughtful space planning and design rank among her proudest achievements.

 Developing an effective review course to prepare NCIDQ exam candidates propelled Christine’s career into higher education. For over two decades, she held full-time faculty positions in two undergraduate Interior Design degree programs and has taught and served as an outside critic at three other nationally accredited ID programs in and around Boston. After becoming an Associate Professor, she shifted her personal practice to primarily residential projects; the focus on home design created opportunity to more closely examine the impact of interior design decisions on ecological footprint and alignment with occupants’ ethics.

 In addition to environmental stewardship and biophilic design, Christine’s areas of academic research include generating concepts and using drawing to support creative thinking in the design process. She presented her findings at two annual Interior Design Educators Council international conferences and she is the author and illustrator for the textbook, Manual Drafting for Interiors.