PPCC interior design students get hands-on experience

Lime green sheets from Goodwill, wood scraps from a carpenter's shop and 4,000 old Lite-Brite pegs snagged off e-Bay for $79.95 are helping interior design students at Pikes Peak Community College learn the tricks of their future trade and may be their ticket to score a prize for their decorating abilities.

Forty students from PPCC's two-year associate degree program are competing in teams to create environmentally friendly, design-wowing rooms - and Matt Locke, a contestant on HGTV's show Design Star, will be one of the judges during a gala fundraiser Friday.

Proceeds from ticket sales, a silent auction of items in the 10 "green" rooms and public tours over the weekend will benefit Court-Appointed Special Advocates, a local nonprofit organization that assists children involved in the legal system.

Tara Gray, director of PPCC's interior design department and owner of Envi Design Studio, came up with the idea to give students real-life experience and introduce the community to student talent.

"I was looking for a unique and different way to raise money, involve the students and support sustainability in design," Gray said.

Well-known designer Matt Locke, who made the finals in season three of HGTV's "Design Star" and is who's from Colorado Springs, is an added attraction. Gray said she e-mailed Locke through the television show and was surprised when he responded and said he'd like to be involved with the project. Locke also is donating two hours of personal interior design consultation as a silent auction item.

Students had one month to prepare for the contest and spent last week installing their concepts in a large, empty storefront at The Promenade Shops at Briargate.

Students are learning valuable lessons in teamwork, as well as the process of design, from creation to ordering products to installation, Gray said.

Each of the 10 teams had a $1,000 budget and was allowed to solicit donations of materials from local businesses, such as flooring, furniture, fabric, plumbing fixtures, wallpaper and paint and other items. Gray raised the money to pay for the students' cash budgets.

"Our community has been amazing in supporting this project," she said.

Each 12-foot-square space is different - a Moroccan café, a Parisian studio apartment, a reception waiting area, an outdoor garden, a contemporary bathroom, a high-tea setting, and an electronics game room, among others.

A team of five students crafted a whimsical child's music, art and theater playroom, using recycled sheets, hula hoops, wood remnants and a Lite-Brite style sign with a candy motif that took five hours to peg.

"Being able to build something instead of working on paper is great," said team leader Stefenie Franck. "We all have different strengths that we've built on."

The hands-on experience has been invaluable, agreed student Renee Lachance.

"Problems arise and you learn how to deal with them," she said.

Cash prizes will be awarded in three categories: People's Choice, which gala attendees will vote on; Judges' Award, for overall concept and execution of design; and Most Environmentally Friendly, taking into account décor, furniture and finishes.

Although students aren't being graded on their entries, they will be able to include them in their portfolios and resumes, Gray said.