Chicago, IL, May 2nd, 2023 - OFS, Carolina, and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) are proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Student Design Competition. This year's competition attracted an impressive 90 entries from interior design and architecture students worldwide, showcasing their innovative ideas and design talent. The competition offered emerging design professionals a unique opportunity to gain exposure in the interior design industry and receive recognition for their work.
After a rigorous judging process, a jury of leading interior design and business professionals selected the top three winners based on criteria such as innovation, creativity, functionality, human impact, fulfillment of program requirements, and presentation of information.
The IIDA Student Design Competition 2023 tasked design students to create critical areas in a newly built assisted living facility in Austin, Texas. The goal was to inspire innovative and inclusive spaces that catered to the diverse needs of aging residents with varying levels of need, including those who required physical assistance, had memory impairments, medical conditions, or other needs. Half of the healthcare furniture solutions used in each submission were required to be from Carolina and OFS including, Embrace, Elide, Ice, Mile Marker, Modern Amenity, Seek, and Theatre.
Mississippi State University takes 1st place with "The Collective"
The first-place award went to Mississippi State University's Anna Madison, Hayley Wilson, and Anny Roberts for their project, The Collective draws inspiration from the quilt—a collection of unique pieces of textiles that are unified to create a beautiful work of art that stands the test of time. The Collective integrates the six human experiences, similar to joining pieces of a quilt together. The six human experiences are the collective moments in someone's life that connect with one's purpose. Physical experiences require interaction with one’s surrounding environment. Mental experience involves training and stimulating the mind. Emotional experiences play a role in the way that one perceives events. Social experiences are a crucial part of basic human needs, involving contact and communication with others. Virtual experiences refer to one’s ability to connect with the world around them through technology. Spiritual experiences are subjective and unique for each resident. These key aspects combined, create a purposeful and fulfilling lifestyle for residents of The Collective. The overall aesthetic of The Collective draws moments of inspiration from mid-century modern design to connect residents with their younger years.
2nd and 3rd place designs also inspire
The second-place award went to Mississippi State University's Sydney MacMann, Aidan Taylor, and Tori Waldbieser for their project, "Terrene Assisted Living Facility," which prioritizes preventative care, individualized treatment regimens, and tactile forms of therapy.
And third-place went to West Valley Community College's Shraddha Karalkar for her project, "The CuraBlu Assisted Living Facility," which seeks to incubate a nurturing environment for rehabilitation, restoration, and connection through its design elements.
The IIDA Student Design Competition has been a highly regarded platform for emerging interior design professionals to showcase their talent and innovative ideas. This year's edition attracted a diverse pool of participants from across the globe.
For more information on the 2023 IIDA Student Design Competition, including eligibility criteria, submission guidelines, and deadlines, please visit: https://iida.org/competition/2023-student-design-competition
About OFS
OFS is a family-owned contract furniture manufacturer dedicated to crafting experiences and products that contribute to places where people want to be. Founded in 1937, OFS provides furniture and logistics solutions for office, healthcare, education, lifestyle, government, and home office markets worldwide, offering seating products, tables, casegoods, and open plan products. OFS is based in Huntingburg, Indiana.
About Carolina
For over 75 years, Carolina has designed and manufactured quality healthcare furniture for customers around the globe. Founded in 1947, Carolina has constantly evolved their products and expanded their knowledge to meet the needs of tomorrow’s challenges, as well as today’s. Carolina is based in High Point, NC, and was acquired by OFS Brands in 2007. Due to the unique connection to OFS, Carolina can also draw from their full offering of products designed for administrative working spaces.
About IIDA:
IIDA is a commercial interior design association with a global reach. We support design professionals, industry affiliates, educators, students, firms, and their clients through our network of 15,000+ members across 58 countries. We advocate for advancements in education, design excellence, legislation, leadership, accreditation, and community outreach to increase the value and understanding of interior design as a profession that enhances business value and positively impacts the health and well-being of people’s lives every day.
OFS Press Contact: Aaron Estabrook - aestabrook@ofs.com
