Fall 2012

iD NEWSLETTER Interior Design Program| Mississippi State University | 2012 – 2

Welcome Time has been flying by this semester in Interior Design. We are excited to have Professor Riehm back from his trip to The Gambia this July and enjoyed learning about his experience. Read more on Page 4. Our juniors recently travelled to Chicago and had a chance to tour many of the top Interior Design firms. Check out the photos from the trip on Pages 6-7. We are also excited to now have one of our studios sponsored by Knoll Furniture. Read more on Page 8.

Students in the Interior Design Program must complete an internship related to the Program the summer after their senior year. The former seniors presented their experiences at Fall Convocation on Sept. 7. Many had the chance to work with MSU alumni and have now secured full-time positions. Below are a few highlights.

Beth Miller Director

Contact Please send awards, honors, job openings, internship opportunties, or other items of interest to Christie McNeal Communications Specialist College of Architecture, Art + Design [email protected] (662) 325-9839

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Emily Ford (fourth from left in photo above and top left caricature drawing) interned at Gensler in Atlanta, Ga, and is now working at the firm full time. The company had several events planned throughout the summer for the interns, including a summer project and having caricatures drawn. Brooke Warrington described her internship at RE:BE Design in New Orleans, La., as her dream job. Shown at left is a rendering she worked on for a music festival.

Summer internships 2012

Gensler in Dallas, Texas, knows how to add some fun into the work week, and Jennifer Gates had a chance to experience some of the activities while an intern. Gates (right) even managed to place third in the toilet paper dodgeball competition, which was one of the firm’s challenges planned during the London Olympics.

Other internships: Annie Bryan MKDA New York, NY Hettie Brewer Anthropologie Birmingham, AL Britney Buie Southern Institute of Faux Finishing Jackson, MS Lorin Chancellor Pryor & Morrow Architects and Engineers Columbus, MS

LaTrunda Grice Bill Mann, Architect Starkville, MS Elizabeth Goodnite The Crump Firm Memphis, TN Aimee Grimes Callison Dallas, TX Janay Jones Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital Memphis, TN Rachel Lantz Dale Partners Architects Jackson, MS

Andrea Coleman Mark Cutler Design Los Angeles, CA

Lindsey Leggett Jones Home Builders Starkville, MS

Caroline Cummins Manning Architects New Orleans, LA

Brianna Smith Taylor Design Group, Inc. Ocean Springs, MS

Allison Evans Interior Elements Jackson, MS

Bailey Sullivan VeenendaalCave Atlanta, GA

Adrienne Glover Fleming Associates Architects & Planners Memphis, TN

Kristina White M3A Architecture, PLLC, Jackson, MS

Holly Davis did her internship at Studio 121 in Nashville, Tenn. This was the firm’s Christmas card that shows the four partners, including MSU alumna, Brandy Sobley

Haley Haverstock interned at Earl Swensson Associates in Nashville, Tenn. The designers enjoyed “lunch and learns” like the one above throughout the summer.

Scholarships – fall 2012 Margaret Bateman Scholarship Kate Berryman Junior

This scholarship will take off some of the pressure for books and supplies next semester! Future plans: I want to get an internship somewhere in the South! Hopefully in a firm that does residential, retail, hospitality or commercial design.

Sherry Wingo Scholarship Faith Blocker Junior

First and foremost I would like to thank the family of Sherry Wingo and the scholarship committee for awarding me this scholarship. Interior Design is something I am very passionate about, and this scholarship will help me be one step closer to achieving my goals and dreams. Future plans: After graduation I would like to work for a theme park and attractions firm – designing theme parks, museums, aquariums and resorts.

Sherry Wingo Scholarship Mary Clair Cardin Junior

I am very honored to receive this scholarship. I plan to use the scholarship toward my class trip to Chicago. Our class is going to tour many different architecture firms and showrooms. This will be a great way to apply what we have learned in class to the real world. This money will definitely help with this trip. Future plans: In the future, I would like to pursue a career in retail or hospitality design.

Linda Clark Scholarship Shadow Cox

Linda Clark Scholarship Keeton Craig

Sherry Wingo Scholarship

Receiving this scholarship was truly a blessing! Money is always an added stress factor when it comes to school. Knowing that I have a little bit extra to help me out this semester means the world to me.

I am honored to be the recipient of the Linda Clark Scholarship. As a senior this year, our class takes a trip to New York to learn about several different areas of design. Receiving this scholarship will help cover some of the expenses on the trip and will also help me continue to learn all I can about the interior design world on a professional level.

The Sherry Wingo Scholarship is a true honor. This scholarship will help to pay for this year’s Interior Design field trip to New York. I am looking forward to this trip and all that I will be learning.

Junior

Future plans: After graduating I plan to work in a firm, preferably focusing on the conceptual design phase. After a few years at a firm, I would like to branch off on my own and open a small business. I would still like to do design work but on a smaller scale and add my love of restoring furniture and photography into the mix.

Senior

Future plans: Once I complete my senior year/internship I hope to find a job in a hospitality or commercial design firm that does work on both a national and international level, allowing me to use both my Interior Design and International Business degrees.

Emily Houston Senior

Future plans: Some of my goals for the future are to design kitchens and baths. I also would like to take the NCIDQ so that I can receive my interior design license. In a few years my husband and I are looking at moving to Anchorage, Alaska, and I can’t wait to see what opportunities that brings my way.

faculty news

Inside The Gambia: Professor studies built environment, culture William Riehm spent the month of July travelling throughout The Gambia in West Africa as part of the Delbert C. Highlands Travel Fellowship he received from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Architecture. Riehm, assistant professor of Interior Design, spent his time in The Gambia gathering information to compare the similarities in and differences between the human built environments of West Africa and the American South. Riehm said he was fortunate to work with the National Council for Arts and Culture of the Republic of The Gambia. He had three translators who travelled with him to explain his work to the people of The Gambia, and he said the people were open-minded and kind once the project was explained to them. “I was able to get access to almost everything I wanted,” said Riehm. Once he was invited into people’s homes, Riehm described the privacy barrier to be one of “etiquette.” He said once you are invited inside, the people want you to treat their home like it’s your own, and you are welcome wherever. The professor focused on asking questions about how the homes were constructed and how people lived. After talking to several people, he found it easier to ask questions like, “What do you do most often?” and “Is anything troubling you?” as opposed to getting them to prioritize things, which was difficult for them. “Their greatest priority is their family. Period. Point blank,” he said. “Even when discussing buildings.” Riehm said everyone’s worries tended to be food security first, then access to primary healthcare for problems we would consider normal health issues. One of their less troubling worries was buildings and roads; however, he said most seemed to enjoy talking about the problem of structure over their bigger worries. “I think they have a sense of control over it,” he said, going on to explain that the poorest people construct their homes out the grass they have lying around. He said he usually talked to them about what

Professor William Riehm was also able to do some research into conservation and preservation. He spoke with an Islamic junior cleric who oversaw a large historic site in Toniataba. The Sacred Hut (top) was the only building he wasn’t allowed in. The cleric told Riehm about the challenges he has training people in preservation and how deforestation is making it hard to find the right palms needed to keep the building in repair. Riehm found this building an interesting contrast to colonial buildings (like the one at left in Janjangbureh), which residents let fall into disrepair. “People don’t treasure those,” he said.

their next step was going to be for more stability and said people dream about having a concrete block home, which is considered very permanent. When he first arrived in The Gambia, Riehm said it was an adjustment. “They have this thing called W.A.I.T.,” he said, “West African International Time. You get a whole bunch of time on your hands. There’s a lot of socializing, and it’s hot. At first, you kind of don’t know what to do with yourself.” Riehm eventually figured things out, though. He would go on long strolls with people just to talk and said he enjoyed that everyone was always concerned about being happy. “I was really sad to leave,” he said.

photos by Professor William riehm

Carpenters in Birkama, The Gambia

Riehm kept a blog during his travels. He said it’s more like a diary of people and a travel log of his experience. The blog includes images of some of the people he met and their structures, and he thanked them with a Polaroid image of their own to keep. Click here to visit the blog and see more photos.

Student news

Interior Design students discuss Brasfield & Gorrie Competition The Brasfield & Gorrie LLC Student Design Competition is an annual interdisciplinary design competition composed of student teams studying Architecture, Interior Design and Building Construction Science. The goal of the competition is to expose students to an interdisciplinary project delivery system (IPD) to facilitate the design of a structure that incorporates sustainability, innovation, and LEED construction principles. This year, each team collaborated on ideas for the renovation and redesign of the MSU Aiken Village Family Housing complex into a new “eco-village” for future student housing and other development. The top three teams were announced on Sept. 10. Meg Jackson was the Interior Design representative on the winning team that split a cash prize of $1,000. Jackson said she really liked her team and that all the winning groups seemed to have that in common. Kellie Wicktora and Mandy Watson Scroubelos agreed that their team, which won second place, was successful because they were able to listen to each other’s advice and split responsibilites. Scroubelos said the group worked on some of the project in Etheredge Hall, which allowed her team members to learn more about what students in the Interior Design Program learn. “They were just really surprised at what we do,” she said. Taylor Webb, a member of the thirdplace team that split $400, added that her group was also surprised that she knew how to use Revit and some of the other design programs. The students all agreed that another key to their success was effective time management and thought the project was a good overall experience.

Kellie Wicktora, Mandy Watson Scroubelos, Taylor Webb and Meg Jackson (left to right) represented the Interior Design Program on the top-three teams in the Brasfield & Gorrie Student Design Competition. The first place team proposed adding a cafe to the site, and this rendering shows what that might have looked like.

This rendering by Meg Jackson, who was a member of the winning team, shows the group’s proposed interior loft space in one of their two-bedroom units.

A rendering by Meg Jackson of what a kitchen might look like in the first place team’s student units.

This rendering by the second place team with Interior Design representatives Mandy Watson Scroubelos and Kellie Wicktora shows off the group’s idea to have a courtyard in the center of the community.

student news Eleven juniors in the Interior Design Program recently went to Chicago, Ill. The goal of the trip was for students to visit firms and industry partners and to participate in other activities meant to enhance their learning experience. They visited The Art Institute, explored numerous interior spaces and went on an architectural boat tour that explained how Chicago’s architecture played into the city’s growth after The Great Fire. Click here to see more photos from the trip!

The group was excited to meet with Sales Rep. Melissa Huff and Designer Kathy Szepanski at izzy+.

The Cloud Gate

On the tour at Izzy+.

Camille holland

Claire thompson

Bryan Clark, the Steelcase representative from Birmingham, flew to Chicago to meet the juniors. The firm’s Chicago representative, Jeremy Davis, led the group on a tour of the showroom.

Claire thompson

Boat tour

Claire thompson

student news

The group visited Merchandise Mart, which is a large building dedicated solely to industry partner showrooms.

Michael Tajer, left, led the group on a tour of the Daltile

Claire thompson

MIchael Day led the group on a tour of Gensler.

The students enjoyed visiting two contract furniture showrooms: Knoll (right) and Haworth.

Claire thompson

Claire thompson

The juniors enjoyed meeting a principal at RTKL, Margi Kaminski.

program news Featured Supporter of the College of Architecture, Art, and Design “Interior Elements is an innovative, progressive and dynamic organization bound to meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations by providing a design-based and consultative approach to the contract interiors marketplace.”

Ben Chappell principal Interior Elements

in-elements.com 601.352.9000 830 Wilson Drive, Suite A Ridgeland, MS 39157 Ben Chappell knows firsthand the difference a little help can have on a student’s future. Chappell, who worked his way through Auburn University, received a full, meritbased scholarship while in college, and it was something for which he will always be grateful. “Even a small $1,000 per semester scholarships goes a long way when you are working through college,” the principal at Interior Elements in Ridgeland, Miss., said. “Even if you are already able to take advantage of a scholarship or grant, additional scholarship money helps with hidden costs like books, housing and living expenses.” For that reason, Interior Elements and Chappell decided to enter into a $35,000 pledge in December with Mississippi State that will sponsor scholarships for students in the College of Architecture, Art, and Design and establish the Knoll Design Studio in the Interior Design Program. Though Chappell did not go to MSU, the Auburn alumnus said he still wanted to support the university. “So many of the designers that



come from your program end up being clients of ours, and each one of them has been instrumental in our success throughout Mississippi and elsewhere,” he said. “We’re committed to this investment with MSU because we felt the need to reciprocate all of the loyalty and support we’ve received from the MSU architecture and design professionals that we work with on a daily basis.” Chappell was originally recruited from an Atlanta financial brokerage firm to manage a manufacturer’s representative group in Birmingham, Ala., about eight years ago. “The entrepreneurial spirit kind of just hit me,” he said, “and I felt like I could really make a difference in this industry.” The Ridgeland branch of Interior Elements was founded in June 2010 when Chappell took over the Knoll, Kimball, and DIRTT representation. This move allowed the firm to grow exponentially and access additional vertical markets unable to be reached with the smaller, Birminghambased group. Interior Elements is now one of the top two contract furniture dealers in state and the largest K-12 educational furniture dealer in Alabama and Tennessee. The company is a Knoll dealer, and Chappell said the brand is widely and internationally recognized as the leading manufacturer for mid-century modern furniture. “It’s the most respected brand in our industry, and that gives us immediate credibility with clients,” he said. Some notable clients include C Spire Wireless, Butler Snow, Comcast, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, MSU, Ole Miss

and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Chappell said the furniture dealer is able to support the unique needs of all their clients because they also have access to 85 other manufacturers that specialize in specific areas such as health care, higher education, K-12 education and more. “That access enables us to be much more of a specialized unit,” he said. According to Chappell, a lot of Interior Elements’ success is owed to the commercial architects and designers that consult with the company, and he said they are blessed to have assembled such a dynamic, progressive group of team members. “Our salespeople are truly recognized as consultants by customers throughout our footprint and our design, and the account management department offers a holistic project management model that is unique in our industry,” he said. “We have dedicated, NCIDQ-certified designers assigned to each client and project to closely navigate our customers through budget development, programming, implementation and warranty servicing.” Interior Elements has 11 employees in its Ridgeland office and is reaching out, with two representatives in Birmingham, Ala., and one in Knoxville, Tenn. The company’s primary focus, however, is Mississippi, and Chappell said he has been very impressed with the architectural design community in the Jackson area. He said, “It’s great to see that there are some insightful architects that are really making strides right here in Mississippi.” And he is happy to have a part in helping that success continue.