For interior design junior, internship opportunity awaits popular vote

Samantha Foster
Staff Writer

 If he gets enough votes, one interior design student could look forward to a paid internship and the publication of his work in a national magazine.

VCU junior Ricardo Hernandez-Perez is one of two remaining students in a nationwide interior design contest. The contest, called “I Like Design,” originates from the magazine “Interiors and Sources.” The magazine is working with the design and consulting firm Gresham, Smith and Partners for the contest.

“I decided to enter the contest because it seemed like a challenge that would help expand my knowledge within one of the many branches of interior design,” Hernandez-Perez said.

“Interiors and Sources” offers products and services for those focused on commercial interior designs. Gresham, Smith and Partners is a design firm which focuses on sustainability in communities.

The grand prize for “I Like Design” is a paid summer internship through Gresham, Smith and Partners in Nashville, Tenn. with housing costs covered. The winner’s design will also be published online at “Interiors and Sources” and in an issue of the magazine.

The winner will be chosen in an online vote through the magazine’s website. The winner will be announced March 12. As of Feb. 21, the third finalist was eliminated, leaving Hernandez-Perez and a senior from Austin State University.

Hernandez-Perez entered the contest last year after hearing about it from his academic adviser.

For the contest, students were asked to design a community health and wellness center and a clinic in an already existing building in Nashville. The clinic needed to have specific elements, including patient rooms, waiting areas, laboratories, counseling offices and an x-ray imaging room.

“For the clinic, I envisioned a space that would allow patients to feel a closer connection to home. A tranquil getaway that took their mind off any illness or worry,” Hernandez-Perez said. “I used the placid plane that exists between the top of the trees and below the clouds as my inspiration for the design.”

The community center design did not have the same strict needs as the clinic. Designers were simply asked to include what they felt best supported the community.

“I wanted the community center to be a place where people came to hang out and not only learn about health, wellness and exercise,” Hernandez-Perez said. “Therefore, I mimicked the floor plan after a mall, creating wide hallways that incorporated community art galleries and kiosks that sold local artisan work.”

Hernandez-Perez also included a community kitchen, a gym, a pharmacy and a daycare in his community center design.

“Winning the competition would be a great accomplishment for me. I support myself through college. I have two jobs along with an internship, school and extra-curriculars, therefore it would be an amazing feat for me,” Hernandez-Perez said. “If you are determined to accomplish something, no matter how impossible this goal may seem, you can accomplish it.”