The Interior Design program at Samford has always hosted a unique number of students compared to any other major on campus.
There has been a consistent fluctuation in the last five years of 20 students to under 100 students within the program- the numbers are always changing, especially after the student’s second year. The numbers have been steadily increasing, but only marginally each year keeping the major exclusive.
The major has a parallel relationship with the architecture major; the two go together, overlap. The Architecture program is larger than Interior Design, but they feed each other in an equal way. When a student studies one, they must study the other.
Shelby Acedo is a second-year Interior Design student.
She describes it as, “More intense and more labor based than other majors… You must have tough skin when it comes to critiques.”
Acedo said that when someone is faced with the workload, extensive creative output and the demand for materials to complete assignments for the major, many pivot paths entirely.
Students navigating the major must learn not merely decorating, but also structure and detailed design. They start building their portfolios early, starting with foundations within their cohorts. There are about 20 students in the second-year cohort this semester- all women. They are a select echo chamber of creativity and share in the experience of building their future towards a career in design.
“Design is really different from decorating- design is a comprehensive whole with techniques… many do not fully understand what comes with studying interior design.” said Brooks. Catherine Brooks, an Interior Design professor, says the limited numbers are due to a combination of these qualities: a lack of passion for design, overwhelm of the number of projects or the simple desire to do something else.
The size of the Interior Design major/program displays its exclusivity and uniqueness. Samford’s schools of Business or Nursing for example, are much larger and far more common paths to take, although still challenging. It is unheard to have a cohort size as small as 20 students.
Brooks stressed the relationship between Interior Design and Architecture. “The two are closely symbiotic… we (Samford) help students see that.” said Brooks. “Samford’s program is really strong in that way… educating on design.”
Interior Design students are required to apply their knowledge of structure, rebuild if faced with an issue and be flexible when creativity clashes with functionality.
Staff Reporter
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