February 26, 2009

Logan, Utah Native an Award-Winning Interior Design Student

 

What does it take to be an interior designer? It’s more than “pillow fluffing” if you ask Jeffrey Larsen, a senior in the interior design program at Brigham Young University–Idaho.

Two internships at high-profile interior design firms in New York City—one where he played a minor role helping the company with Denzel Washington’s New York apartment—and a first-place award in the national 2008 American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Student Design Award Competition are just a few of the entries on Larsen’s resume.

Larsen’s success comes from his self-motivation and hard work. “Jeff’s ability to be self-motivated will get him very far in this industry and in life in general,” said T.L. McRae, a faculty member in the BYU–Idaho Department of Interior Design and mentor to Larsen.

If Larsen tracked all the hours he worked on his interior design projects while at BYU–Idaho, the amount would probably rise into the tens of thousands. As a junior, Larsen designed a home plan that incorporated green (environmentally friendly) design. Jeff logged 248 hours on this project. That’s the equivalent of working 10.3 days non-stop on one project. “I worked for three straight weeks from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on this one project, ” Larsen said.

“Jeff is an unbelievably hard worker. He will spend all night, night after night, working on a project to get it just right. That is something about him that I really admire and respect,” McRae said.

Larsen’s work has been nationally recognized. He was awarded first place in the national 2008 ASID Student Design Award Competition for his design of a New York apartment. He created a streamlined home for the imaginary clients, “Emma and Andrew.” Following specific guidelines provided by the ASID competition, Jeff created the best design to meet the clients’ needs.

Meeting client needs is one of Jeff’s greatest abilities. “Jeff is especially good at reflecting the client, something that many professional designers are not able to do,” McRae said. “He is able to design any style right down to the last button,” he continued.

Jeff was also awarded an honorable mention in the 2007 National Kitchen and Bath Association/ General Electric Competition.

The interior design program at BYU–Idaho has been accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) as well as by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). These accreditations are hard to achieve and require the department to be diligent in improving and adjusting curriculum.

McRae and Larsen both agree that BYU–Idaho is a unique place to learn about interior design. “The faculty members instill complete confidence in the students. It has been an intense adventure, but it has been worth it,” Larsen said.

“There is a strong spirit of unity and working together here. There is never a sense of worldly competition—instead, I always hear, ‘I’ll help you,’” McRae said.

McRae has no doubt that Larsen and other graduating interior design students will be successful. “I feel that our students have the Spirit of the Lord guiding them, and that’s what makes them different,” McRae said.

Larsen is wrapping up his interior design studies this April. But first, he will be displaying some selections of his portfolio at the Interior Design Senior Students show in the Spori Gallery on the BYU–Idaho campus. “The Spectrum Unraveled” opened Feb. 20.