VCAD’s Interior Design Students Shine

 

“For this event, we not only pulled in alumni and students from their final terms but also ones from their first and second term,” said Agerico Ong, Interior Design instructor at VCAD. “This is a very rare opportunity. The school tries to give skills and knowledge to students but what is most important is experience from working on-site. There are a lot of things that are based on experience like critical thinking. Your design can be fantastic but what if it can’t be applied? There are a lot of conditions on-site that’s going on. That’s where more critical thinking needs to be developed.”

 

Hosting this year’s Dinner by Design event, Harbour Events Centre featured over a dozen spectacular designs, each inspired by the unique vision of its creator. As mentors for VCAD’s students, designers from Sherwood Cabinetry, Jamie Banfield Design, and Monica Jeffers Design presented teams of students with a docket consisting of their concepts for versatile lounge and dining spaces. While students worked as teams to bring the sketches to life, they were also free to consult with their mentors to introduce new elements to the designs.

 

“I’ve always seen the benefit of hands-on experience,” said Matt Herbert, owner of Sherwood Cabinetry. “Rostina, [one of VCAD’s Interior Design instructors], and I hatched a plan to test the students and drop them in the deep end and test the abilities they learned in the classroom in the real world.”

 

Over 20 Interior Design students and alumni participated in the event that went from 8pm to 2am. Attended by local, national, and international designers, Dinner by Design provided students with the opportunity to not only showcase their skills but also meet with professionals they aspire to become.

 

VCAD students are amazing! My team anyway,” joked Meaghan Jones of Sherwood Cabinetry. “They were very well organized. They kept to their schedule and always came to their meetings prepared, more than prepared. They always went above and beyond and exceeded my expectations so I’m really proud of them. They did a really good job and they took criticism really well.”

 

“My company will be looking to integrate students into my company,” said Herbert. “I’m very confident with the skills that they bring through the school, we’ll be able to transfer into the industry with some sharpening here and there but that’s natural. They’ve got what it takes!”

 

“The students at VCAD are so dedicated,” said Monica Jeffers of Monica Jeffers. “They still had other project deadlines, homework, and work of their own but they were still here night after night perfecting the install and being proud of that work. That, to me, speaks volumes. That level of dedication and commitment was above and beyond and I couldn’t be happier. I would absolutely work with VCAD’s students again in the future.”