Interior Design student is finalist in national competition

Anna Lemmon

Juniors and seniors in Kent State’s interior design program have been submitting their floor plans for the national “I Like Design” competition. Alyssa Prem, senior interior design major, is one of the finalists in the competition.

Contestants had to come up with a floor plan for a mid-sized apparel company for the contest that was hosted by “Interiors & Sources,” an interior design-based magazine and website. Contestants got to choose what apparel to sell, the name of the company and the logo. They also had to come up with marketing and branding ideas.

“They gave you a building of a warehouse basically,” said Prem. “What you had to design was an office space with a bunch of specifics, like 75 members you had to seat and a ton of different sections like research and design and product management.”

Prem designed hers as a menswear company called “Suit Up,” and said the name was inspired by the show “How I Met Your Mother.”

This year’s contest featured a test proposed by interior design and architecture firm Gresham, Smith and Partners in Nashville, Tenn. The grand-prize-winner will receive a paid internship with Gresham, Smith and Partners over the summer with housing also paid for.

Members of the general public can vote for finalists on the “Interior & Sources” website. The winner will be announced Friday.

Contact Anna Lemmon at [email protected].