A Mississippi State interior design senior recently received honorable mention in an international design competition sponsored by Formica Corporation.
Molly Taylor, a Memphis native set to graduate in August, placed in the top ten out of more than 100 entries submitted to the 2022 FORM Student Innovation Competition.
Architecture, interior design and furniture design students submitted designs from 26 universities across the U.S. and Canada. The work was judged by a panel of influential industry professionals for their interpretation of the competition's fifth-anniversary theme, which challenged students to interpret the future of furniture design using Formica® Laminate woodgrain products.
Taylor’s design was completed in Anna Chaney’s Fall 2022 Furniture Design course.
She said the Dozuki side chair, side table, and ottoman was inspired by the ancient art of Japanese carpentry and the complex interlocking joints they used to secure wooden structures centuries prior to the invention of screws and fasteners.
"To honor this concept, the overall design of the chair profile follows the same silhouette of the Dozuki hand saw," said Taylor. "The ottoman and side table are modeled after a dovetail joint and are designed for convenient storage as they slide within the chair profile."
Other schools represented in the top-ten included (in no particular order): School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Waterloo, Georgian College, Ball State University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Ringling College of Art and Design, College for Creative Studies, and Yorkville University.
"I feel like this award speaks volumes to the breadth of coursework we interior design students are exposed to and is evidence that our education extends beyond commercial interiors," said Taylor. "As I am currently completing my senior internship, I feel both confident and equipped to enter the professional industry as an emerging designer."
The MSU Department of Interior Design is accredited by both the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.