Interior Design competition engages students in hands-on learning

Creating warm and inviting spaces is the goal of today’s interior designers. And students in Tidewater Community College’s Period Residential Design class plied their trade during a design competition that focused on various time periods ranging from Ancient Greek to Contemporary.

The competition involved designing a living/dining space and a bedroom for a condo unit located at the Oceanfront. Students worked with “clients” with strong likes and dislikes. Using this information, they designed a floor plan, renderings and isometric computerized presentations to sell their ideas to contest judge Ross Millard, an architect and project coordinator for Ainslie Group.

“This is how design work is actually done. You have to develop your plan and then prove why your way is the right way,” Millard says. “I’ve been judging contests here for more than five years, and I’m amazed at the work being produced year after year. It just keeps getting better.”

Eleven students presented designs and were critiqued on originality, presentation and livability.

The top winner was Deborah Reilly (shown here with Ross Millard) who produced a concept based on the American Arts and Crafts movement. She added a wide front porch to the space, as well as a stone fireplace in the living/dining area and Shaker-style furnishings throughout. The textured wall coverings and upholstered pieces were selected for their warm tones, and area rugs added additional comfort to the spaces.

Second place went to Susan Michaels who designed an Ancient Greek-inspired, column filled space that included ceramic tile flooring, stone accents and Greek coins inlaid in the kitchen backsplash. She added sparkle by using gold accents throughout the space and bedding made from a silky material.

Tawanda Mayo delved into the Art Deco period and added a splash of Greek to the setting. She also added a dome to the living/dining space to let in more light. Her space featured wood floorings, mosaic tile in the entry and gold, green and blue accents colors in furnishings.

Millard provided all participants feedback on their design ideas, offering suggestions for improvement in addition to accolades.

The top winners received gift certificates from Ron Steele at Jerry’s Artarama.