Amna Al-Hardan (BFA ’19), Luma Mansi (BFA ’19) and Yasamin Shaikhi (BFA ’19), graduates from the interior design program at VCUarts Qatar, won an honorable mention for their senior studio project “Nest” in the 2019 International Interior Design Association Student Design Competition.
“Nest” is a reconsideration of the typical hospital clinic as a more comforting and familiar space. The three interior design majors sought to create a “spa-like” and luxurious healing space, with organic textures and warm tones that evoke home and nature. In their floor plan, the designers struck a balance between creating inviting gathering spaces while maintaining patient privacy for examinations and recovery. Curved walls and indirect lighting were utilized to reduce the stress of visiting a hospital as a patient or loved one.
“The restrained curves, wood planks, and large stone come together to offer a subtle luxury,” the team said in their proposal, “while still keeping the
importance of a home feel. Raw colors such as browns and greens, elevated in their use, are used to bring the outside inside, and provide a healing comfort.”
Al-Hardan, Mansi and Shaikhi worked with interior design professors Haithem A. El-Hammali and Johan Granberg to complete their project.
The IIDA Student Design Competition is juried by a panel of industry professionals who survey work from interior design students around the globe. Jurors Edwin A. Beltran, Amy Mays and Natalie Thomas judged this year’s entries on a range of criteria, including their overall innovation, coherence, functionality, and environmental impact.
About “Nest,” the jurors said, “The architectural details, including lighting and finishes, were carefully addressed and successfully implemented within the project.”
The 2020 IIDA competition will begin accepting entries on January 13. Learn more about this year’s winners.