The students from Randolph Community College's Interior Design program completed a residential design project with the Essa Family in Greensboro, N.C., last semester as part of the Residential Interiors course. Carl and Vivian Essa, who own and operate Essa Commercial Real Estate in Greensboro, were incredibly gracious to allow the students access into their home as well as their lives, said instructor Tracy Marino. The students were instructed to redesign certain areas of the Essa's existing home to reflect the homeowners' changes.
The students' initial assignment was to interview, measure, and take photos of the Essa residence. The students needed to formulate interview questions for the entire family and then return to the classroom to identify and solve the client's challenges. "They had to space plan and draw 3-dimensional drawings, choose fabrics, furniture and accessories for the proposed areas," said Marino. "They had constant contact with the clients and made further trips to the home for measurements and design clarifications."
The students presented their designs to the Essas in a formal presentation in their home in December. "It was a fun and exciting day that gave the Essas professional design advice for the future renovation of their home," continued Mario. "We are grateful for the hands-on opportunity to design a realistic home and thank the Essas for their participation in the project."
The students involved in this project included Melissa Stanley of Asheboro, Jennifer Humble of Greensboro, Joseph Hinshaw of Sophia, Blair Greathouse of Lexington, Emme Zheng of Greensboro, and Harmony Lovett of Winston-Salem.
