Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Get to know your board!!



Want to know who is on your board?? Read on and find out!



Mary Kate Duffy
I'm from the Chicago South suburb of Lansing, IL.  I chose to major in interior design because I've always been creative, but not artistic enough to go into the fine arts, and I whenever I would watch home makeover shows on TV, I'd always think, "hey, that looks really fun and I'd like to do that!"  I joined IIDA my freshman year and wasn't very involved, but as I went to more meetings and did more with the club, I realized it was giving me all of these cool opportunities to meet people and go places that I would have never had otherwise.  Being President has opened my eyes to what it's really like to run a club like this, and it's been challenging but I really love it.  I have a passion for helping people and IIDA has given me an outlet to help those who are in the same position I was 4 years ago, so getting to expose other students to the things I've been exposed to in the industry is very rewarding.
Elana Zusman
My name is Elana Zussman. I am a senior and Vice President of IIDA.  I am from Buffalo Grove. Illinois. I chose Interior Design because I used to redo my room all the time when I was younger.  I would rearrange my furniture and create zones in my room for doing certain activities.  I started watching HGTV and learned what Interior Design was and knew that is what I wanted to do. I like being on board because it is great to be apart of a club that does a lot of activities for our major.  Being on board you can talk and become friends with other people who want the same thing out of our experiences and want to share them with the other people in the major.  It is a great way to get involved and learn something from everyone.
 

Victor Lee
My name is Victor Lee, and I'm proudly the current GA of IIDA ISU chapter. 
I've always had a passion to live smart and comfortably, so interior design was a no brainer to me. What I love most about being with IIDA, is that I am constantly connected to the real world. Through IIDA, I've received an abundant number of opportunities to attend valuable events such as student mentoring week, guest speakers, continuing education, and field trips to Chicago, Merchandise Mart, and many other design/architecture firms. 
What you learn in school is undoubtedly important, but experiences outside the classroom a lot of times is what makes you stand out in a crowd of (friendly) competitors. Giving yourself an edge through IIDA is definitely a smart and fun choice, and I would absolutely recommend everyone in our sequence to make the best out of our professional student organization. 

Rachel Bohlmann
I'm from Ashkum a small farm town about an hour north of here. I've always loved design and have been interested in it. My Dad's an architect so I was lucky and able to grow up around the design industry, which played a big part in why I chose this major. I love all the detail that goes along with design. I enjoy being on the board because I get to help bring in speakers and make other fun design events happen.
 

Kathryn Cullen
Kathryn Cullen: Junior and the IIDA Treasurer. Born in North Carolina but moved to Bloomington, Illinois when I was a baby, and I have been here ever since. I have always had a love for design and art, and at age 8 I realized I wanted to study interior design when I grew up. I have been in the program since 2010 and continue to love design more and more with every class that I take. I have also been an IIDA member since I was a freshman and this is my first time on the board... and I love it! I am currently obsessed with everything grey and have an addiction with coffee, skinny jeans, and my bright red planner.



Lindsey Jungk
I am a junior Interior & Environmental Design major here at ISU. I am from a small rural town in southern Illinois called Jerseyville where I live on a farm.  I have always loved ISU, as my parents and older sister are alums of ISU. I’ve always been interested in interior design since I was a child, deciding how to arrange my room and what my dream house would be like. I pursued the dream of an interior designer because my sister shared this interest, as she has a degree in IED. I am also on the board for ISU’s chapter of IIDA as the Public Relations Chair. I notify everyone about meetings and events within our chapter, as well as the state chapter. I am responsible for getting students to join our chapter and continually get members involved. I also help other board members when they need help with their own duties. It is an important and fun chair with differing tasks!

Kristina Michelsen
My name is Kristina Michelsen, and I am finishing up my Junior year as an IED major with a minor in Business Administration. I am from the Northwest Suburbs, and I chose interior Design because my father had been a project manager at McHugh Construction in Chicago, and now works in Real Estate Development for Calamos Investments in Naperville. This summer, I am picking between two firms for an internship on hospitality or corporate design.  I love being on the board of the IIDA ISU Chapter because it is a fantastic addition to your resume, and it provides multiple opportunities to network, to gain leadership skills, and to make lasting friendships.
 


Caitlyn Roberts
Hello!! Okay I chose interior design because my grandpa designed custom range/stove hoods for high end homes throughout the Chicago land area and I always enjoyed watching him work and learning from him. I like being on the board because it keeps me up to date with what is going on in the department and from the career stand point. I enjoy setting goals for myself and working hard and being on the board pushes me to do just that. I enjoy being surrounded by IIDA and it's members. I believe it had taught me a lot about the profession and interior design in general. I am from Roscoe, Illinois.

Kayla McDonough
I am Kayla McDonough. I am a senior this year in IED.  I am from southern Illinois, by St. Louis.  I chose Interior Design because I love being creative and helping people, interior design is the best of both.  I am the service chair and I love being on the board.  I like organizing volunteer and service work for IIDA to do together.  


Kurstin Holcom
I am a senior here at ISU! I am the chapter’s webmaster. I am from the Southside of Chicago, near Midway airport. I am in charge of all of the posts you see here on the blog and event pages on the Facebook page. I really enjoy being a part of the board. It allows me to give input on ways to make our chapter better. It also allows me to be more involved in events and what is going on in the design industry. It is also a great way to network and make connections! I chose design because I always wanted to help people. I also wanted be able to use creativity in the work that I do. Design is the best of both of those!  

IIDA Mentor Week



Take a look at some of the experiences that people from our chapter had this year in the Mentor Week!



The IIDA Mentoring Day was one of the most beneficial experiences I have ever had.  Being able to spend the day with a professional in the design industry allowed me to experience what it would be like to work day by day in this field.  I learned a lot and the people I met were friendly and welcoming.  My eyes were opened up to new technologies and attributes.  I now know that I will always have a future contact to help me in the future as well as a mentor for life.  I think that it is definitely worth your while to take the time to be part of IIDA mentoring week in the future.
 -Justine Scrimilla (Sophomore)

For IIDA Mentor Week, I visited Farnsworth Group’s office in Peoria, IL and shadowed Sarah Kathro. Sarah is one of three interior designers at the firm. This company is an all-inclusive business incorporating all aspects of design in one building: architects, engineers, surveyors and designers. When I visited, I sat in on a meeting where Sarah walked the architects through her design ideas involving paint colors, flooring, ceiling patterns and discussed the options as well as giving her recommendations for the project. Sarah let me choose finishes for a doctor’s office and place them into a finish plan. I utilized the company’s library and called product companies to ask questions about specifications of their projects. It was great to see how every little detail goes into the design process in the real world. I learned a lot throughout the day and didn’t hesitate to ask any questions. Overall it was a wonderful experience and I recommend everyone should participate in IIDA Mentor Week, as it is not only a great experience, but you are making connections and you get a glimpse into how things are run in the real world.
-          Lindsey Jungk (Junior)


This is the first time I participated in the IIDA Mentor week. I had a fabulous time! I wish I would have taken advantage of this opportunity before, because it was such a great experience. I visited the Inscape showroom in the Merchandise Mart and shadowed Suasan Sahar. I started off by sitting in on a conference call about the design of the new showroom for NeoCon. I then got a tour and really just spent the day hanging out and helping where I could. I helped with some design issues they were having and felt that I was truly helping, and not just looked at as “some student”. I think the best part was all the one on one time I got with my designer. It allowed me to ask questions that I may not have the opportunity to ask in group settings. I also used this time to network and make some connections on the Merchandise Mart! I ended my day with getting some valuable feedback on my portfolio and resume! I definitely recommend everyone take advantage of this opportunity!! 
- Kurstin Holcom (Senior)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Merchandise Mart Trip!!



Our Merchandise Mart trip will be on Friday, April 12th! We are encouraging everyone to take the train together! A train will be leaving Bloomington-Normal at 7:31 am and arrives at the Chicago Union station at 10:00am. To get home you can take a train that leaves the Union Station at 5:15pm and arrives in Bloomington-Normal at 7:29pm. For those who might want to stay in Chicago a little later, there is a train that leaves the Union Station at 7:00pm and arrives in Bloomington-Normal at 9:14pm. You can buy your tickets online at http://www.amtrak.com/home. ***If you buy your tickets in person at the uptown Normal train station you can get a student discount with your ID.
                                                                                                        
Once we are at the Union Station, you can get to the Merchandise Mart in two different ways. You can take a cab directly to the mart. You can also walk a couple of blocks from Union Station to the Quincy/Wells train stop and take the train to the Merchandise Mart stop that is directly in front of the mart. The second option would be the cheapest and easiest!
 
 The map shows the walking distance from union station to the train station.

 

Once we are at the Merchandise Mart, we will be getting a tour of the IIDA Headquarters at 10:30am. The Headquarters is a LEED Gold office and is really interesting. Many of us have not been able to see a LEED Gold building or office, so this is a good chance to actually see what goes in to getting that Gold recognition. I was there recently and found the Headquarters to be really interesting and a place I think that others should go and take a tour of!


At 11:30am we will be getting a tour of the Izzy+ showroom. Izzy+ is a different kind of Furniture Company. Everything the company was founded on back in 2001 and everything they do today is all about people. They love individuals, with their unique perspectives, styles, and ideas, but what they love even more is bringing people together to see what level of amazingness will transpire.

“The reason Izzy+ exists is because we feel strongly about connecting people so we
can all be better together.”
– Company Founder and CEO Chuck Saylor



The Izzy+ family—Fixtures FurnitureHÃ…G, Harter, Izzy and ABCO—models something they deeply believe in: collaboration. We are Better Together—able to be more creative and meet more needs and opportunities than we can alone. A subsidiary of JSJ Corporation, Izzy+ is based in Spring Lake, Michigan, where their facilities bring together great design, advanced engineering and lean manufacturing capabilities.



 


After the Izzy+ showroom tour, we will be having a half hour lunch in the food court.
At 1:00, we will be taking a Kravet showroom tour. Kravet Inc., established in 1918, is the industry leader in the to the trade home furnishings industry. This fourth generation family business distributes fabrics, furniture, wall coverings, trimmings, carpets and accessories. The family’s commitment to innovation has helped the company transform from a small fabric house to a global leader, representing brands and designers from all over the world. Kravet Inc. owns Kravet Fabrics, Lee Jofa, Groundworks and GP & J Baker, all high end fabric houses that specialize in style, luxury and exceptional design. In 2011, Kravet Inc. acquired Brunschwig & Fils, a prestigious decorative house founded in 1900 that shares Kravet and Lee Jofa’s legacy of international design, commitment to quality, attention to detail and superb craftsmanship. With locations in North America and worldwide, Kravet Inc. offers the highest level of customer service, quality products and web technology for today’s design professional.

  

We are still in the process of contacting other showrooms to get to take more tours that day. As things are finalized we will update you! Make sure to wear comfortable shoes because we will be walking a lot! I also suggest to dress to impress. You don’t need to wear business attire, but don’t show up in your sweats!