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K-State Today

July 11, 2018

Interior design team takes second place in competition

Submitted by College of Human Ecology

Allison Stout, Bethany Pingel and Angie Leek, third-year students in interior design, recently took second place in the national Interior Design Educators Council video competition.

The competition challenged students to create videos that engage a general audience to think differently about the human-centered interior design and the impact the profession has on user lives and experience. Video submissions were asked to focus on one of the following themes: culture, pedagogy, practice, social impact and boundaries.

The team created their three-minute video centered on the aging population. 

"The aging population is growing and will double in the total American populations during the next 25 years. Interior space has a prominent role in the quality of life of the elderly," Leek said about their project. "Interior designers greatly contribute to factors of change in the environment. We seek to improve independence and movement among the aging populations through the study of anthropometrics. The main purpose of an interior designer is to enhance human well-being. Making the public aware of our importance is essential to the understanding of our social impact." 

"This competition was a great way to showcase some of the things we are learning here at K-State to non-designers," Leek said. "It challenged us how to clearly express the importance of our profession and the impact it has on the interior environment. Placing in a competition like this helps showcase how well K-State's program prepares their designers for real-world discussions and challenges."

Though out of class for the summer, the three students continue to put their design skills to practice through summer internships. Stout is currently interning at GSBS Architects in Fort Worth, Texas, while Pingel is interning at the Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation in Lincoln, and Leek is in Kansas City interning with BRR Architecture.