A new student organization, the Interior Design club, aims to expand and create a sense of community for people needing a creative outlet.
President Cassidee Raffa and her team want to show people that Interior Design is a form of art, not just decorating.
“Many people think Interior Design is just decorating. Our program is much more than that. We take architecture, sustainability, and art history classes, as well as many computer program classes teaching things such as Photoshop,” Raffa said.
“The goal for this club is to get people from all disciplines and backgrounds together to understand what interior design is and maybe inspire some people to look into our major a little more.”
The club is based around the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID), a nonprofit organization that advances interior design expression and communicates the impact of design on the human experience.
Last year, the Design, Merchandising, and Textiles major underwent an accreditation program, and a new Interior Design program within that major was built. Before this, students could only minor in interior design, and now they can choose to make it their concentration within the major.
“I talked to our professor mentor, Treva Sproutz, about starting an ASID chapter at UW to help promote our program and get people involved in what we do. We had a huge discussion about ‘planting the Interior Design flag’ at UW, and it inspired me,” Raffa said.
“The process took some time. After talking to the RSO department and planning out the club, then applying to become a chapter of ASID, the dream finally came true.”
Meetings will entail design activities, guest speakers, and going on field trips so students can become more involved in the interior design industry.
“It is a club open to all majors and promotes creative expression, technical design, provides peer mentoring, and information about internship opportunities,” treasurer Elyse Rutherford said.
“I would say I am the most excited about the professional development within the club. Getting our foot in the door and going to conventions and seeing sourcing shows will help the club greatly,” member Jenna Holyfield said.
ASID chapters across the country at universities allow students to build a great future career. Opening a chapter at UW has allowed students to expand their careers with something they enjoy.
