7th Annual Student Interior Design Challenge
From Classroom to Showroom: 5 Teams Compete in Design Showroom
Story by Ashley Wait
Photography by Josiah Kopp & Ashley Wait
SCHEELS Home & Hardware partnered with HOME by Trendsetters to host the 7th Annual SCHEELS Design Challenge. NDSU Interior Design students had the opportunity to design and showcase their talents in under four hours, for a randomly assigned theme of either grand-millennial, classic contemporary, lake retreat, luxe lounge, or contemporary cowboy. After each team received their theme, they were allowed to order one statement chair and were given $500 to special order any decor items through SCHEELS Home & Hardware’s amazing vendor partners.
Adding to the challenge this year was the option to use wallpaper. Students were able to select and order wallpaper, under one condition: they had to install it themselves! Using peel-and-stick wallpaper from York Wallcoverings truly transformed the spaces within the store to allow them to impact their designs in a dramatic way.
Judges arrived as the final floral touches were perfectly placed. All local designers, these judges bring a professional perspective to the designs, offering feedback and critiques to help the students advance in their interior design careers. Using a rubric, they judged on theme, design concept, design composition, display presentation & creativity, and marketability with a score out of 100 points possible.
Grandmillenial
Grandmillenial design can be referred to as “granny chic.” It is a style celebrating tradition, including pieces that have been handed down through generations, a mix of modern decor with bold patterns, textures, and colors. This theme really allows you to enjoy the heirloom pieces that you have while adding in your fun, unique personality.
“My favorite part of our design was the wallpaper. It was a great way for us to add a focal point pattern to our vignette.” – Ella Gustafson
“If I could change one thing about our design, it would be the coffee table. I would select an heirloom piece that better reflected the uniqueness of granny-chic!” – Mable Simpson
“I learned how to work in a team dynamic and allow each member of my team to have a voice. This benefitted us because we all had a say in the design, and we critiqued it until we were all happy with the final product.” – Alexandra Tihanyi
Classic Contemporary
Classic Contemporary style focuses on combining refined elegance, with timeless traditional pieces. It encourages a natural, minimal look, pairing with soothing colors like whites, greens, blues, rich browns, soft pinks, and metallic accents, giving a clean, beautiful space.
“The favorite part of our design is the floral wallpaper with the warm tones in the fabrics. The green chaise lounge is also such a fun element of the design!” – Olivia Peterson
“The hardest part of the challenge was finding an art piece that didn’t take away from our wallpaper, but brought out our color palette and tied the space together.” – Reilly Jorud
“I learned that highs and lows when designating is important and to notice the proportion of decor pieces to the space. I also enjoyed learning how to do wallpaper and I will be using that skill in the future.” – Nyla Johnson
Lake Retreat
Lake Retreat theme captures the cozy, cabin vibes, incorporating elements from the trees and water that surrounds us. Natural wood and stone, accents like pinecones and birch trees, paired with a calming color palette of green and blue provide a space to simply relax in.
“My favorite part of our design was the wall art.” – Olivia Elfman
“My favorite part of our design was the console table and the decor on it. I thought all the decor was so perfect for our theme and it looked amazing.” – Madeline Nelsen
“The hardest part was finding the main pieces for our space. We went through 4 couches, 8 rugs, and 3 coffee tables before we found the perfect pieces.” – Kendra Ovsak
Luxe Lounge
Luxe Lounge brings the feeling of a cigar lounge or bourbon room to your home. This theme exudes elegance by combining rich textures of velvet and leather, daring color palettes, precious metals, reflective surfaces, and pushes the boundaries by using extreme scale within a space. You will be transported to the Hollywood regency era through its sophistication and lavish elements.
“I think one of the biggest lessons this taught me was that not everything is going to go smoothly and how to work around sudden changes.” – Erin Tschetter
“My favorite part of our design was the way that we used bold colors to create a unique design without being overwhelming.” – Anna Robinette
“My favorite part of the design was the prints on the wall.” – Emma Buysse
Contemporary Cowboy
Contemporary Cowboy design is a unique combination of Midwestern and Southwestern aesthetics to produce a rustic, yet sophisticated look. Defining elements include distressed leather, rustic wood decor, cowhide, decorative accents made of metal, with a splash of rust, olive, or turquoise to move your eye around the space. It creates a warm place to relax after a hard day’s work.
“My favorite part of our final design is the mix of textures that we included throughout the space. I thought it looked very balanced, and I love the color palette we settled on.” – Brianna Bluiett
“I think the most valuable lesson that this challenge gave me was how to work as a team, all designing the same space. I had a great experience with my team in that we were all open to giving constructive feedback on what we did or didn’t like about our design and in the end, it helped us to create a wonderful space.” – Maggie Opatril
“Contemporary cowboy is so different from anything I’ve ever done, so it was challenging to envision a space with that theme. I learned to not be afraid of combining patterns and colors that you wouldn’t really think would compliment each other.” – Megan Fliehs
Leah Martin, Interior Designer
“Allowing students to order merchandise gives us a fresh perspective in our store. They ordered art pieces that were bold in color that we may have never thought about ordering, but we fell in love with once they arrived,” – Leah Martin, Interior Designer at the SCHEELS Design Studio
Congratulations to all of the NDSU Interior Design students!
Judge’s Choice Winner: Contemporary Cowboy
People’s Choice Winner: Lake Retreat
Awards: Office Sign Company
Wallpaper: York Wallcoverings
Photos: Josiah Kopp & Ashley Wait
Scheels Home & Hardware
3202 13th Ave S, Fargo, ND 58103
@scheelshardware
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