MENOMONIE, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Stout senior Khendra Thompson won this year’s Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition, competing against more than 1,600 students from across North America.
Steelcase, an office furniture company, has held the competition each year since 2013.
Students were tasked with designing a 16,000-square-foot, two-story Chicago office space for a fictional advertising agency. The finalists were flown to Steelcase’s Michigan headquarters in February to give their final design presentations in-person to judges.
“What really came to light was when [Thompson] talked about the concept, she talked about the research, and she really thoughtfully expressed how the concept wove into everything that she did,” competition organizer Denise Calehuff said.
Interior Design student, Khendra Thompson, poses for several photos of her working on projects and showcasing her projects and award winning designs. (UW-Stout)
Calehuff said Thompson’s designs looked like something she would expect from a professional firm.
“We thought that someone could actually work in a space like that,” Calehuff said.
Thompson had six to eight weeks to create her 40-page design entry and then brought the designs to life using 3D modeling software.
Her design featured elements such as indoor gardens, game spaces, yoga and relaxation rooms, a fireplace and a staircase with seating areas for workers to collaborate.
A 3D model of Thompson’s design (Khendra Thompson)
Thompson also built upon the client’s theme of “Being More Human” in her design.
“They put people at the front of what they do, and I really kind of grabbed that and drew from it,” she said. “My concept was based on identity: The identity of the company, the people who work there, the brands that they serve.”
For winning the competition, Thompson received a $2,500 scholarship. Another $2,500 will go toward UW-Stout’s interior design program.
“I love being creative,” Thompson said. “You get to concept things, you get to brand things, you get to explore materials and different ways to design interior spaces.”
A 3D model of Thompson’s design (Khendra Thompson)
She will be graduating this spring with a bachelor of arts in interior design. She already holds a bachelor of science in art education.
“The biggest thing I’ve taken away from this experience is confidence in the different skill sets that I have,” she said.
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