‘Going Frugal’ Students Design and Furnish Home To Aid Charities; Tickets Available for Tours

June 3, 2009 - PRLog -- Interior Design students from California State University, Chico and Butte College are showcasing their creative talents to benefit the North State Symphony and other local charitable organizations for a unique event, “Design for the Times – Going Frugal,” taking place June 11-14.

A team of 23 interior design students from Butte College and CSU, Chico, led by faculty from both colleges, will design and furnish the interior of a newly constructed home built by Aspire Homes at 2625 Swallow Tail in Chico. Students will integrate recycled and refurbished items collected from local thrift stores, including the ARC, Salvation Army, PAWs and Habitat for Humanity.

“The Design for the Times – Going Frugal” designed home will be open for tours and conversations with the aspiring interior designers beginning June 12 and 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and June 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for the advance preview reception on June 11 are also available.

“This is a sustainable project. The students are working with items from local thrift stores and recycling and refurbishing them to completely decorate the interior of a home. It will be a ‘frugal dream house’ that showcases the students’ talents, benefits local nonprofits and offers cost-effective design ideas,” said Deverie Jarrett, Butte College interior design instructor.

Jarrett said that every item in the home will be available for purchase at a good price, with furniture and merchandise available for pick-up at the end of the weekend-long event.
Pat Macias, chairperson of the event, said that while the fund-raiser will primarily benefit the North State Symphony, a portion of the proceeds will support other nonprofit community organizations, including the thrift stores who are making merchandise available to the design students.

To participate in “The Design for the Times – Going Frugal” project, students made formal presentations of their design concepts to select which designs would be used for the project.

“The idea was to create something spectacular in a first-time homebuyer’s home,” said Jarrett. “Students went to work making trips to local thrift stores to choose the furnishings for their rooms—from art to window coverings and furniture. Students will work like ‘real’ interior designers, coordinating time schedules, subcontractors and the demands of making the final project look appealing and creative to the client, which happens to be the local community.”

According to Jarrett, the project gives students real hands-on work experience that they might not otherwise receive for years. In addition to the experience, she said, some Butte College students also receive internship credit for the project.

The project continues to garner sponsors and partners, many providing in-kind gifts of supplies and labor to help make this project possible.

“Our goal is to show that even in difficult times, Chico is a community that stays together and plays together when it comes to supporting its citizens, education and the arts,” said Ann Prater, director of Advancement for the CSU, Chico College of Humanities & Fine Arts.

Tickets are available for the preview reception on June 11 for $25 and $15 for the open house/tour held June 12-14. The public can purchase tickets at various local businesses or in person at the North State Symphony, its Web site: www.northstatesymphony.org or by calling 898-6692.

Butte College’s interior design program prepares students for careers as professional interior designers. Faculty lead off-campus field trips exploring various businesses and careers related to the interior design field. Students have the opportunity to meet with practicing interior designers, explore product showrooms and experience significant interior environments. Students are encouraged to participate in the Butte College American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Student Chapter which offers active participation in a nationwide professional design association.

To prepare the students for professional practice, the Interior Design BFA curriculum at CSU, Chico emphasizes both the theoretical and the practical, from concept to articulation. The goal is to provide students with an education that is well rounded and applicable to the next generation of interior design professionals. Courses encompass design theory, design history, human behavior, critical thinking, problem solving, building technologies, codes and life safety, communications skills and professional values. Department of Art and Art History professor Kijeong Jeon is Interior Design Program coordinator.

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