Interior Designers on the Move
The O’More College of Design Interior Design Department will head to Lewisburg, Tenn., July 29 through Aug. 3 for its seventh consecutive Studio on the Square, a hands-on design program that promotes the revitalization of struggling town squares. Participating students will have the opportunity to collectively engage with eight real clients during the weeklong project, culminating in proposals to re-design the businesses’ interior and exterior spaces.
This is the second consecutive year the College has partnered with the Lewisburg Downtown Alliance merchants and property owners around the Marshall County Courthouse. It’s the first time the program has revisited a community.
“We had such a positive experience in Lewisburg last year and found many good projects, some of which are beginning implementation,” said David Koellein, O’More’s interior design department chair. “Studio on the Square is a really interesting and unique aspect of what our program does. We had a smooth partnership with the local community there last year and we’re excited to return.”
For the students, the on-site experience is a pivotal one. They will spend Sunday through Thursday assessing the needs of their clients, taking measurements of the existing space and preparing boards to illustrate the redesign concept. At the end of the week, the students will present design solutions to the property owners, who then decide on implementation.
“This is a wonderful opportunity because students are able to practice interviewing skills, create as-built drawings and design within a budget under a very tight deadline,“ said Rebecca Andrews, interior design instructor.
A project that could normally take several weeks is completed in five days. Andrews says that it promotes another important facet of her department: an emphasis on using design skills to positively impact an individual’s world.
“The idea behind Studio on the Square is to challenge our students to exercise their knowledge of interior design while revitalizing our great communities,” Andrews said. “Community service as a part of their career path is a rewarding lesson.”
The students will be using the First Presbyterian Church fellowship hall on the Lewisburg Square as their temporary studio. The eight individual projects involve a diverse set of small businesses, from a restaurant and a theater to the local chamber of commerce office.
Founded in 1970, O’More College of Design is a four-year, not-for-profit institution offering bachelor of fine arts degrees in interior design, fashion design and visual communications. The College is located in the downtown historic district of Franklin, Tenn. To learn more, visit www.omorecollege.edu.
