contributed by Denise Homme, PhD., ASID, FCSD, IDEC, IIDA, AIA Allied [DISD program director / practicing professional / itinerant traveler] 

An interior design program definitely has its challenges. Huge projects, not enough sleep and the looming specter of “life after graduation.” Talk to any soon-to-be graduate and you’ll probably find a talented, highly skilled designer saying to themselves, “In a few months, I’m going to be leaving school to practice interior design. Can I REALLY do this”” With forty years of practice behind me, I can still recall the feelings of apprehension, uncertainty and – let’s face it – down right white knuckle fear about making the transition from the hallowed halls of design school into the big, scary business of interior design practice.

I made the transition, as everyone does, but the memory lingers. Now, in my role as Program Director at Design Institute of San Diego, this particular memory has been a great motivating factor when I work with our faculty in developing the type of classroom projects and activities that offer our students “real world” interior design experiences. Considering our faculty is made up entirely of practicing professionals, we all share the collective memory of making the transition from design school to the work place. So when just the right opportunity comes along, we’re very excited about making it possible for students to “test the waters”, “get their feet wet”…all those clichés we associate with the special type of learning that goes along with doing a real project.

Opportunity Knocks

Last spring, a representative from the student housing department at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) contacted Design Institute with just such an opportunity! Here was a chance for our students to compete with one another in developing unique interior concepts for a new campus dormitory complex. Perhaps even more exciting was the opportunity for our students to present their concepts to an actual client; a client who held the power to choose the best of the best. You can’t get any more “real world” than that! So, after discussing the idea with one of our faculty, it was decided that this was a job for our upper division students and – drum roll – the UCSD interior design project began.

Over the first few weeks of the project, six student design teams put in hours of class time developing their design concepts and preparing for the upcoming client presentations. Specific project objectives, an established budget and a critical time line were, as they are in all design jobs, deeply embedded issues defined by UCSD; real issues that impact interior designers in every project they do.

The UCSD challenge asked the student teams to develop unique interior design concepts for dormitory units that would a.) be attractive to university transfer students, b.) be realized for a budget of $2,000 per housing unit (in addition to the standard dormitory furnishings package) and that c.) could be installed within a brief period of time in order to accommodate students starting classes in the fall. Tall order” Not for these interior designers!

Quiet Please – The Presentations Are About To Begin

The presentation hall was alive with excitement as the design teams organized their concept boards on easels, tested their Power Point presentations, and reviewed their notes. A brief wave of anxious conversation bubbled up among the designers when the panel of administrators from UCSD came through the door and took their seats within a few feet of the presentation area! Take a deep breath, relax. The presentations are about to begin.

What an incredible evening! Six design teams took center stage to present their concept:

• Urban Nature –incorporating various images, sounds, smells and textures of nature
• Urban Palette – featuring custom murals of city streets
• Eco-System – a concept that interpreted the lower floor as “under the sea” and the upper level as a shoreline and coastal reef study lab
• Through The Looking Glass – a living space based on the narrative of Alice and Wonderland
• ReUse, ReCycle, RePurpose – an environmentally conscious concept that explored an ideal living environment for art students
• Modern Modular – an interior designed for male students who are interested in surfing and music

As each design team finished their presentation and stood at the front of the room to await the remarks from the UCSD review panel, they were bombarded by comment after comment from real clients commending them for their creativity, professionalism and for the incredible range and content of their design concepts. Talk about good design strokes! Hmmm, but this wasn’t quite over. The question now in everyone’s mind was “which of the concepts will UCSD choose””

A Memorable Ending

Not all stories have a happy ending, but this one does! UCSD was so impressed by the outcome of the design competition that they decided to offer each of the six teams a dormitory unit, $2,000 in working capital and a target date for completion. Besides offering up the obvious – the opportunity for the design teams to see their interior design concept come alive as a full-scale environment – UCSD didn’t stop there.

To honor the student’s hard work and to make the experience of this project even more memorable to the designers, USCD planned a gala media event! And what an event it was! A star-studded evening underlined by something that many people that toured the dormitory units were likely not aware of. In offering Design Institute students this outstanding opportunity, UCSD provided six design teams with an incredible learning experience – complete with a dazzling showcase finale they’ll never forget.

Here’s what some of the Design Institute interior design students had to say…

“This experience has really made me realize that being an Interior Designer is what I want to be. This project really was a chance for us to see our ideas in real life and not just on paper.”  (Brandi B.)

“Working with vendors and real clients in a professional setting” and “Learning the critical components of installation – time management, budgeting, creative solutions to on-site, unpredictable opportunities.”  (Kevin R.)

“The client presentation at UCSD was a really great learning experience. The best part, though, was getting to install our design. We learned what worked from our presentation, what would need tweaking, and all the difficulties that come along with an actual installation.”  (Laura M.)

Good Times, Great Program

Life – and design – is good at Design Institute of San Diego. For more information about our CIDA accredited BFA degree in interior design, please visit our web site at disd.edu.