In September, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) announced the winners of its annual Student Design Competition. The competition is a big deal for students at Spokane Falls Community College’s (SFCC) Interior Design program, which focuses much of its second year on each student’s project submission for the NKBA competition.
This year, SFCC graduate Shelly Norsworthy’s bathroom submission “The Great Indoors” won first place in the bath design category, a result she says is about much more than decorating choices.
Shelly explains that interior design is in fact quite technical and interdisciplinary, incorporating knowledge and skillsets in common with architecture, construction, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, HVAC, art and design, digital graphics and CAD technology, 3D modelling, and even materials science, engineering, psychology, and social history.
Shelly’s bathroom design began with a nationwide competition brief, which gives every student the same client, family, and existing home to work with. The brief includes as-built drawings and detailed information about the family’s lifestyle, preferences, and design priorities. Students must develop a design that meets those requirements, working through the same process they would use with a real client.
The process begins with drafting the existing floor plan in AutoCAD, followed by multiple iterations of proposed layouts. Students develop a design concept, create bubble diagrams to map the functions of different spaces, and refine their floor plans with instructor feedback. Once the layout is finalized, they build a three-dimensional model in SketchUp and produce renderings. The final submission includes a detailed package of construction documents covering everything from demolition and construction plans to electrical, lighting, plumbing, and HVAC.
Shelly spent more than 300 hours on her winning designs, with additional time devoted to modeling and rendering. For the bathroom, she imagined the homeowner as having grown up on a Texas ranch and built her concept around his interest in biophilic design, which incorporates natural elements.
The simulated clients were two busy professionals, an emergency room nurse and a lawyer, raising three children. Shelly saw an opportunity to create a retreat from their hectic household. “Their master bath, which is the project that won for me, was all about an escape. It was just about creating an escape for them.”
She combined the couple’s existing closets to create a buffer between the bedroom and bathroom, preserving storage while providing separation for partners working different shifts. “I am not a carpet fan, but I did carpet this area” to reduce noise, she explained, and added a pocket door for further sound insulation.
The result reflected both the clients’ desire for a luxurious private sanctuary and the practical demands of their daily lives. In addition to her national award, Shelly also won the local NKBA Palouse chapter competition for both her kitchen and bathroom designs.
While there may be plenty of work in high end renovations like Shelly’s Texas outdoors inspired bath design, and in new construction, her real passion and career goal is with old houses.
Shelly’s interest in preserving older homes began long before she enrolled in Spokane Falls Community College’s interior design program. In Walla Walla, she and her husband restored their own homes and worked on investment properties. When their children were grown, the couple decided it was time for a change. They moved to Spokane specifically so Shelly could pursue interior design, choosing SFCC for its two-year cohort model and its emphasis on both residential and commercial design.
“I’ve been an old house nut my whole life,” she said. The program gave her a deeper understanding of the technical knowledge needed to adapt older homes for modern living, while respecting their original character.
Now in Spokane, Shelly sees opportunities to apply that knowledge to the city’s wealth of historic housing. She is particularly interested in helping homeowners preserve their properties without pricing out the people who live in them.
“I would love to find a way to use the knowledge that I’ve gleaned here to help folks maintain and have their homes be functional for them, as both they and their homes age,” she said.
For Shelly, old houses and indeed old neighborhoods like Spokane’s South Hill and Audubon Park areas make people feel differently than newer areas with newer construction. Some people seek out and thrive in homes with older proportions, layouts, and design choices.
“Something I find really appealing is educating homeowners about what they're living in, and why it feels good to them,” she says. “Valuing the attention to detail in the craftsmanship that is impossible to replicate,” due to changing economics and labor in the skilled trades. “So please don't rip it out,” is Shelly’s appeal. “And if you do, put it in your shed somewhere. You know, save it. Because there's just such value in what was put into those homes, from the turn of the century, through the '30s.”
While preservation involves maintaining original elements, Shelly says old houses must change over time. Preservation involves making practical adaptations, from accessible bathrooms to more functional layouts, without sacrificing the craftsmanship that makes these homes special.
“A 1920s Craftsman was built for a family that lives completely differently than we do now,” she said. “You do have to adapt, and finding ways to do that respectfully is kind of what gets me excited.”
For Shelly, the SFCC interior design program offered a chance to turn a lifelong interest in old houses into a deeper understanding of how spaces are designed, built and adapted. She entered the program with experience restoring homes, but quickly discovered how much more there was to learn.
“I came in here thinking, ‘Oh, I have gaps to fill,’” she said. “I had no idea what I didn’t know.”
The program takes students through a two-year sequence of coursework, with a small cohort progressing together. Shelly valued the opportunity to learn from instructors with different professional backgrounds and technical skillsets representing both the commercial and residential sides of the industry.
Students begin by learning to draft by hand before moving into computer-aided design. They learn AutoCAD Architecture to document existing spaces and develop proposed floor plans, then use SketchUp to build 3D models. Rendering tools help translate those models into visual presentations. Along the way, students develop space-planning skills, learn to select materials and fixtures, and work through the technical requirements of lighting, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC plans.
“You need to be thinking about everything that’s behind the walls,” Shelly said. Understanding those systems helps designers avoid costly mistakes and coordinate their plans with other professionals.
The skills can lead to a variety of careers, from residential kitchen and bath design to commercial interiors, design assistance, and work with architecture firms. Shelly noted that one former classmate is now working to design a behavioral health unit at WSU, while others have been hired by local design firms.
The program’s emphasis on technical knowledge was particularly valuable to Shelly, who hopes to apply what she learned to preserving historic homes.
Learn more about Spokane Falls Community College's Interior Design program.