Interior Design News

INTERIOR DESIGN NEWS

News and updates from The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture's Interior Design Program

Student presenting final work to reviewers

Fall 2024 Visiting Reviewers

November 25, 2024
Practitioners and academics from across the country join The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture for our Fall 2024 final reviews, Wednesday, Dec. 4 – Friday, Dec. 6.
Perforated steel art installation in the daytime

Design Faculty Art Installation Lights Up Austin’s 2024 Creek Show

November 13, 2024
Associate Professor of Architecture Kory Bieg and Associate Professor of Interior Design Clay Odom collaborate on their newest public art installation, Alluvial, commissioned for the tenth anniversary Creek Show on Nov. 8–16.
Exterior of Hogg Memorial Auditorium

Faculty, Alumni, and University Win 2024 Preservation Austin Awards

October 24, 2024
Assistant Professor Tara Dudley, Lecturer Mark Wolfe, and the Hogg Memorial Auditorium Renovation received awards from Preservation Austin for their efforts to build community and enhance historic spaces across Austin.
Sutton Hall Exterior

Accepting Applications for Assistant Professor of Interior Design

October 18, 2024
The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture invites applications and nominations for a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track faculty position in Interior Design at the rank of Assistant Professor with the appointment starting in the fall of 2025.
Lectures & Exhibitions graphic

Fall 2024 Public Programming

August 22, 2024
The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture’s Fall 2024 Lecture Series builds on the school’s ongoing exploration of issues vital to the study and practice of architecture, design, and the built environment. 
Pollinator Lounge structure seen in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens in early evening

Interior Design Students Create Insect Habitats

June 26, 2024
Part of a larger art installation designed by Nerea Feliz and her collaborator Joyce Hwang, the habitats will be on display at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden through October 20.
Rendering of a senior living faculty interior with people engaging around a swimming pool.

Interior Design Student Wins National Portfolio Competition

May 24, 2024
The American Society of Interior Designers recognizes Master of Interior Design student Winnie Lin for excellence in design, concept and execution.
Sutton Hall ceiling mosaic

2023-2024 Design Excellence Winners

May 21, 2024
Design Excellence awardees represent an exceptional level of accomplishment across our design disciplines.
Faculty wearing regalia on stage at commencement

Congratulations to the Class of 2024

May 13, 2024
At the School of Architecture's 111th commencement ceremony, we celebrate the accomplishments of this year's graduating class. What starts here changes the world!
Three interior design students in the Goldsmith Courtyard

Metropolis Future 100

April 24, 2024
For the fourth consecutive year, Metropolis Magazine recognizes several interior design students with the prestigious Future 100 designation.
Students presenting during final reviews.

Spring 2024 Visiting Reviewers

April 16, 2024
Practitioners and academics from across the country join The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture for our Spring 2024 final reviews, Wednesday, April 24 – Friday, April 26.
Several color geometric ceramic pieces of art by Claudia Wieser against a white backdrop

Workshop and lecture with Claudia Wieser

March 21, 2024
The Berlin-based artist Claudia Wieser joins the Interior Design program at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture for a week-long workshop and a public lecture on Wednesday, March 27.
Plume, a metallic and purple obelisk, stands at the Austin airport with a parking garage in the background

Plume

November 20, 2023
Plume is part of an ongoing design and research collaboration between associate professors Kory Bieg and Clay Odom. Their focus lies in translating digitally conceived prototypes into permanent, site-specific architectural works that dynamically interact with and impact urban contexts. This article originally appeared in the 2023-2024 issue of Platform, "Civics and Placemaking."
Lauren Rottet stands against a red background with pom-pom garlands draped over her body

Donor Profile: Lauren Rottet, FAIA, FIIDA

November 20, 2023
School of Architecture alumna and Founding Principal of Rottet Studio, Lauren Rottet, gives back to the place where it all began through an endowed Texas Challenge Scholarship. This article originally appeared in the 2023-2024 issue of Platform "Civics and Placemaking."
An anxonometric rendering of the Multispecies Lounge project

Multispecies Lounge 

November 20, 2023
Multispecies Lounge was created by Associate Professor Nerea Feliz and Joyce Hwang, of the University at Buffalo, through their artistic practice Double Happiness. The temporary piece was part of an exhibition by The Bentway offering a series of installations, performances, conversations, and events that considered how urban nature and the built environment can co-exist in new ways to improve public spaces in the city. This article originally appeared in the 2023-2024 edition of Platform, “Civics and Placemaking."
Michelle Boyoung Huh headshot

Michelle Boyoung Huh, MID II '21

October 27, 2023
Meet Master of Interior Design Post-Professional (MID II) alumna Michelle Boyoung Huh.
Several children climbing on and interacting with a vibrantly colored set of arches at the Wildflower Center's Fortlandia

Monkey Bar Fort on Display at Fortlandia

October 20, 2023
Assistant Professor Ria Bravo’s design for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Fortlandia pays homage to the classic playground staple: monkey bars.
Wide angle view of the Multispecies Lounge project in front of buildings in Toronto

Multispecies Lounge On Display in Toronto

September 11, 2023
Associate Professor Nerea Feliz designed, in collaboration with Joyce Hwang, a series of urban furnishings for The Bentway that invite interspecies encounters with urban wildlife.
Interior design students gather in a dark red-lit room with Jorge Pardo to display their illuminated creations

Students Explore Craft and Plurality with Artist Jorge Pardo

July 17, 2023
Pardo engaged interior design students in a hands-on workshop exploring the MacArthur Fellow’s approach to craft and his perspective on the relationship between fine art, design, and architecture.
A student working on her experimental furniture piece in Jonathon Anderson's studio

Making as a Form of Critical Thinking

June 22, 2023
Interior design students embrace failure and digital technologies in visiting professor Jonathon Anderson’s Spring 2023 advanced studio.
Longhorn 100 group shot

Two Alums Named to Texas Exes’ Longhorn 100

May 19, 2023
Allison Brooks (B.Arch '00) and Michael Hsu (B.Arch '93) own two of the fastest-growing Longhorn-led businesses in the world.
Four Metropolis Future100 winners posing together outside the School of Architecture's Goldsmith Hall

Four Interior Design Students Selected for Metropolis Future100

April 26, 2023
For the third year in a row, interior design students from the UT School of Architecture have been named to Metropolis Magazine’s Future100, which recognizes the top graduating architecture and interior design students in North America.
UT Tower reflected in the Turtle Pond

Celebrate Earth Day 2023

April 20, 2023
A sampling of work from across the School of Architecture related to sustainability, our impact on the Earth, and how our disciplines can help build a better future.
View of the UT Tower in front of bright blue skies and buttery clouds

Students Recognized at UT Honors Day

April 6, 2023
Forty-four of the School of Architecture’s highest achieving undergraduate students will be celebrated on Saturday, April 15 at the university’s 75th annual Honors Day
Daniel Koehler

Symposium stakes out initial signposts for architecture’s future with artificial intelligence

March 13, 2023
The Architect's Newspaper recaps the school's "Architecture After AI" symposium and exhibition, organized by Kory Bieg, Daniel Koehler, and Clay Odom.
Plume by Clay Odom and Kory Bieg at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport

Digitally Fabricated Public Art by Kory Bieg and Clay Odom

March 10, 2023
Part of the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places program, PLUME is tied firmly to its place at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport while reaching skyward. Interweaving both the digital and the handcrafted, the work evokes the complexity of air travel, the ephemerality of jet contrails, and the intricate iridescence of grackle feathers.
Techo by Jorge Pardo

Renowned artist Jorge Pardo visits campus

March 7, 2023
Join the school for Pardo's public lecture on Wednesday, March 29, part of a larger week-long engagement with interior design students.
A row of students seen interacting with employers at 2023 Career Fair

What Starts Here: Highlights from Career Fair

February 10, 2023
Hundreds of students, employers, and alumni build connections as students explore internship and employment opportunities at the 2023 Career Fair
Black and white grid of four headshots

Spring 2023 Visiting Faculty

January 18, 2023
Joining us are Dwayne Oyler and Jenny Wu, Alex Schweder, Jonathon Anderson, and Dr. Nelly Robles Garcia.
Ria Bravo

Meet Assistant Professor Ria Bravo

September 22, 2022
An interior and architectural designer with experience in academia and at world-renowned architecture firms, Bravo’s research interests are rooted in the space between interiors and architecture.
Three headshots in a row. From left to right, Ria Bravo, Charles Davis, Tyler Swingle

Welcoming New Faculty Members

August 18, 2022
New faculty include Assistant Professor of Interior Design Ria Bravo; tenured Associate Professor and architectural historian Charles L. Davis; and our 2022-24 Emerging Scholar Tyler Swingle
Black and white photo of students looking up at a material sample that someone is holding up to an overhead light

Interior Design Program, Materials Lab awarded $60,000 Angelo Donghia Foundation Grant

August 10, 2022
The grant will help overhaul how interior design students learn about materials and materiality, as well as reframe the Materials Lab’s existing collection through the lens of circularity, embodied carbon, health, and social equity.
Igor Siddiqui Headshot

Siddiqui Receives IIDA Educator of the Year Award

June 2, 2022
Awarded annually, IIDA’s Educator of the Year Award recognizes and celebrates a full-time design educator for outstanding accomplishments and a commitment to interior design education. IIDA will recognize Siddiqui during the organization’s annual meeting
Students pose with Kelly Wearstler on the 5th floor of the West Mall Building

Designer Kelly Wearstler Mentors and Supports UTSOA Interior Design Students

April 20, 2022
The Kelly Wearstler Endowed Fund for Design Students will create new opportunities for students to expand their global perspective, seek new opportunities in the industry, and better prepare them for their careers.
Shadows from large oak trees are seen on the ground in front of Sutton Hall

Celebrate Earth Day 2022

April 19, 2022
This Earth Day, we’ve rounded up a sampling of scholarship and resources from across the School of Architecture that not only explores our relationship to Earth and the built environment but also how we can help build a better future for our planet.
Group photo of UTSOA's Metropolis Future 100 in front of the ODNA wall

Five Interior Design Students Named to Metropolis’ Future 100

April 7, 2022
Only 50 interior design students were selected for the exclusive list out of nearly 300 submissions from schools across the United States and Canada
Moments of Connection, Fragile Future

New Gift Supports Craft and Artisanship in Interior Environments

March 23, 2022
The Emily Summers Fund for Craft & Artisanship in Interior Design will bring in recognized leaders and emerging voices in the fields of applied arts and design to explore craft, making, and fabrication as areas with profound potential for innovation.
Tara Dudley standing in a cemetery talking animatedly

Q&A with Dr. Tara Dudley

February 22, 2022
To celebrate Dr. Tara Dudley's appointment as a full-time faculty member, we sat down with her to discuss her background and professional trajectory and learn more about her current and future research projects
Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve Center in Jackson Hole, WY

Reimagining the Interiority of Our National Parks with Lysa Janssen’s Advanced Studio

November 9, 2021
Interior design students travel to Wyoming to consider the relationships between interiors and exterior spaces, as well as organic and inorganic spatial features, through the lens of our nation’s national park system.
Master of Interior Design CIDA Accreditation Exhibit

Master of Interior Design Receives Full Accreditation

November 3, 2021
The School of Architecture’s three-year Master of Interior Design becomes the only CIDA-accredited professional interior design graduate program in the state of Texas.
Black and white headshots of three faculty members combined into one image

Congratulations to our Newly Promoted Faculty Members

October 1, 2021
The UT School of Architecture is pleased to announce three new faculty promotions effective September 1, 2021.
Nerea Feliz taking a break from working on a design project in a messy studio room

Q&A with Nerea Feliz, Interior Design Associate Professor

October 1, 2021
To celebrate Associate Professor Nerea Feliz's recent promotion, we caught up with her to learn more about her background, interests and her views on the field of interior design.
Four students of different genders and races gather around a table to collaborate over post it notes

New Stackable, Transcriptable Graduate Certificates Available Fall 2021

July 13, 2021
Certificate Topics include Social and Environmental Equity Design, Digital Technologies, Sustainable Design, and More
Boards from the Chamber of Visibility project

Students Recognized in SHELTER Design Competition

May 27, 2021
Interior design students receive Honorable Mentions in "Shelter: Design With a Hurricane Shell" competition.
Xie Maggie Hill in all black smiling at the camera against a rustic wood background

BSID Student Xie Maggie Hill Awarded Metropolis Magazine Future 100

April 1, 2021
Q&A with Bachelor of Interior Design student Xie Maggie Hill, named to Metropolis Magazine's inaugural Future 100 list.
Color headshot of Interior Design alumnus George Fares against a neutral background

Q&A with Five Young Faculty Produced by UTSOA's Master of Interior Design Program

September 8, 2020
With students across the country returning to classes this fall, we caught up with five recent graduates of the Master of Interior Design (MID) program who are now young faculty members at other universities’ Interior Design programs.
Black and white headshot of Interior Design alumna Marjan Miri

Q&A with Marjan Miri

September 4, 2020
Q&A with Master of Interior Design alumna Marjan Miri
Color headshot of Interior Design alumnus George Fares against a neutral background

Q&A with Georges Fares

September 4, 2020
Q&A with Master of Interior Design alumnus Georges Fares
Headshot of Interior Design alumus Cory Olsen

Q&A with Cory Olsen

September 4, 2020
Q&A with Master of Interior Design alumnus Cory Olsen
Headshot of Interior Design alumna Elise King

Q&A with Elise King

September 4, 2020
Q&A with Master of Interior Design alumna Elise King
Black and white headshot of Interior Design alumna Kendra Ordia

Q&A with Kendra Ordia

September 4, 2020
Q&A with Master of Interior Design alumna Kendra Locklear Orida
Stack of copies of ISSUE XVI against a white backdrop with the orange spines prominent

ISSUE XVI Awarded the Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals

August 21, 2020
ISSUE XVI receives AIA New York’s Center for Architecture’s 2020 Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals.
Rendering of students Bug Filter lenses installed on hempcrete furniture bases, with all types of people dancing, engaging, and gathering around them

Bug Filter Design Studio Explores Fascinating World of Insect Vision

April 17, 2020
Bug Filter will debut a new video presenting a look though a series of 15 digitally conceived, insect-inspired filters.
Nerea Feliz engaging with a student during their final review presentation in Fall 2019

Two Interior Design Faculty Recognized by Interior Design Educators Council

April 13, 2020
Join us in congratulating our faculty on their well-deserved recognition.
Students sitting across tables from employers in a well-lit and welcoming hallway in the WMB

Our Students Get Hired

March 28, 2020
Three of our design disciplines are ranked as among the “Most Hired From” programs in the country within our size group: Architecture at #1, Interior Design at #3, and Landscape Architecture at #4. 
Three University of Texas at Austin interior design students smiling at the camera with their hands in the hook 'em symbol in front of a purple stage backdrop

Three Students Selected as Finalists in ASID’s National Student Portfolio Competition

February 28, 2020
They were among only thirteen selected out of more than 200 submissions.
A group of faculty smiling and looking up at the camera with their hands in the "hook em" symbol

Two UTSOA Faculty Receive Associate Professor Experimental Funding to Support Interdisciplinary Research

February 14, 2020
Of the twelve proposals submitted, only six were approved for funding, two of which involve faculty from the School of Architecture:
Student engaging with reviewers during architecture final review

2019-2020 Rankings: Three Programs Within Top Five

January 10, 2020
We are committed to preparing our students for life outside our halls – and we recently got the rankings to prove it.
Feliz and Hwang at the exhibition

Hidden in Plain Sight on display in Madrid until October 6th

September 20, 2019
The project seeks to make visible the under-acknowledged world of non-human species – particularly insects – as active participants of urban life
Buku Bookstore Rendering

Two Interior Design Students Recognized at 2019 International Interior Design Association's annual Texas Oklahoma Chapter Student Show

September 9, 2019
The finalists presented their projects to a panel of Austin’s leading design professionals at an event that also included mock interviews, portfolio reviews, and a panel discussion. 
Odyssey Bookstore Rendering

Interior Design Student Baxter Estes Awarded Prestigious Angelo Donghia Senior Scholarship in Interior Design

September 9, 2019
Estes’ project is a conceptual bookstore that takes occupants on a voyage to worlds and times beyond,
Georges Fares

Georges Fares Wins ASID National Award

August 8, 2019
UTSOA MID Graduate Receives 2019 One to Watch Award
Tamie Glass

Tamie Glass Awarded 2019 Educator Medalist Award

July 25, 2019
Glass receives national ASID award for contributions to the interior design profession.
strauss maxwell iridescence flame treated

Fall 2018 Materials Grant Awards

November 8, 2018
Funds will be used to purchase materials for School of Architecture seminar and studio projects, ranging from electrically conductive paint to silk fabric. 
hallway render

Interior Design Student Adina Schunicht Awarded Second Place Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship

July 23, 2018
Candidates for the scholarship must attend a CIDA-accredited school and are evaluated based upon their analysis and problem-solving skills, design development, graphic presentation, communication skills, and passion.
Student work by Katherine Kligerman

$30,000 Donghia Scholarship Awarded to Interior Design Student Katherine Kligerman

July 17, 2018
Kligerman is one of only 12 students nationwide awarded the prestigious scholarship 
Students Ana Berthelsen and Alexandra Wilkinson present their final design to a panel of reviewers at Dell Medical

Designing for Young Adults: Students Collaborate with Design Institute for Health

July 6, 2018
Interior Design studio proposes designs for a cancer center serving young adults.
Kaylen Parker at SCALE

Interior Design Student Wins ASID National Portfolio Competition

March 13, 2018
Interior Design student Kaylen Parker discusses her experience as an ASID portfolio finalist and how she set herself up for success:
Student work by Janet Chen

$30,000 Scholarship Awarded to Interior Design Student Janet Chen

July 21, 2017
Interior Design student Janet Chen has been awarded a $30,000 Angelo Donghia Senior Scholarship in Interior Design, the largest interior design scholarship in the U.S.... 
Design by Heather Sutherland

Interior Design Student Heather Sutherland Awarded in Workplace of the Future Competition

May 18, 2017
One of three students awarded the $5000 scholarship for a project that envisions the workplace of the future.
Patrik Schumacher Video Intro

An Afternoon with Patrik Schumacher

May 2, 2017
Patrik Schumacher, Principal of Zaha Hadid Architects, visited UTSOA to talk to students. Watch a video...
Susan Szenasy Presentation

Susan Szenasy Visits Interior Design Students, Highlights Design Contributions of Olga Gueft

April 12, 2017
METROPOLIS Editor-in-Chief visited with interior design students to give an in-depth presentation on Olga Gueft
Clay Odom's Flowering Phantasm

Clay Odom Represents Austin in International UNESCO Exhibition

April 10, 2017
An exploration of light, color, and form, Flowering Phantasm is a pneumatic work, controlled by sophisticated computer-driven systems and fabricated using computer-controlled machines.
Work by Janet Chen.

Interior Design Student Janet Chen Awarded First Place Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship

April 4, 2017
Chen’s winning submission featured a design for a restorative bath house on the upper two floors of a boutique hotel in Austin, emphasizing both beauty and the user experience.
Clay Odom's Flowering Phantasm

Flowering Phantasm on View at Amsterdam Light Festival

December 13, 2016
Assistant Professor Clay Odom's "Flowering Phantasm," will be on view through January 8, 2017.
Serriform

UTSOA Professors Tapped to Design Backdrops for SXSW Eco Conference

September 28, 2016
The resulting project, Serriform, is a series of eight architectural backdrops, comprised of custom-fabricated columns and robotically-painted textile panels.
nerea feliz

Nerea Feliz, Faculty

April 19, 2016
In this SOA Voices, we hear from Nerea Feliz.
Photo of Nancy Kwallek

UTSOA Announces Endowed Chair in Design and Planning

March 30, 2016
Dr. Nancy Panak Kwallek Endowed Chair in Design and Planning will support visiting instructors who are practitioners from design and planning fields
Trans-Plan Winner

Interior Design Students Win TRANS-PLAN Competition

February 19, 2016
Interior design student team wins TRANS-PLAN international design competition
Materials Lab grant

Material Grant Awards Announced

February 17, 2016
Material Grant Awards Announced
Image of Museum of Sound Austin, interior design project by Raquel Torres.

$30,000 Scholarship Awarded to Interior Design Student

September 11, 2015
Interior design student receives $30,000 Angelo Donghia Senior Scholarship in Interior Design, the largest interior design scholarship in the United States.
Image of First Place winning entry by Amanda Heineman to the 2014 IIDA Student Design Competition.

International Interior Design Association 2014 Student Design Competition Winners

March 6, 2015
Two interior design students receive awards from the International Interior Design Association's (IIDA) annual Student Design competition.
Rachel Laughter Brinkmann

Interior Design Student Awarded the 2014 Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship

May 1, 2014
Interior design student receives the first place honor, awarded one of two Gensler Brinkmann Scholarships offered annually by the highly recognized design firm.
FLOURISH by Gisella Allen_1

Two Interior Design Students Are Donghia Award Finalists

April 17, 2014
Third-year Interior Design students selected as finalists for the prestigious Donghia Foundation Senior Scholarship Award.
Jessica Yong Donghia

Two Interior Design Students Awarded Donghia Senior Scholarships

February 24, 2013
Two interior design students each receive a $30,000 Angelo Donghia Senior Scholarships.