The Professional

Meaningful Makeovers Students of the CMU interior design program are making a difference in the lives of others. As a result they are gaining real-world experience working with clients in Detroit and Midland. Children will feel more at home when they receive treatment at the DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. Students redesigned five rooms for what Dewitt junior Emily Waugh hopes will make hospital visits a less frightening experience. Interior design students use talents to support significant purposes "Children have vivid imaginations, but they're stimulated by their surroundings," Waugh says. "If we can create a space that helps children feel at ease, we can make a world of difference." The designs were themed around the 'I Spy' game using happy colors and pictures in order to give children something to look at while also allowing parents to be involved in helping them get through the treatment process as best they can. Working with a real client and experiencing real obstacles has helped CMU faculty member Brenda Skeel prepare her students for the complications an interior designer might face once they enter the real world. "The students have learned how flexible you need to be when involved in a design project," Skeel says. "It's been a really fascinating and wonderful process to see how many hoops you have to jump through to find another solution when something doesn't go how you expected it to." The true value of design CMU interior design students were brainstorming ideas of how to use their academic talents to give back to those in need when Skeel came up with the perfect solution. She wanted her students to see the value of what they were learning by getting involved in the renovations of Midland's Shelterhouse, a safe house for women and children who are escaping domestic violence. "It's important to show my students that design can make a difference. I wanted them to see how they could give back to the community through design," Skeel says. The team of four students redesigned the Teen Room, Mom and Me Play Room, and the Play Therapy Room at the Shelterhouse. Children's program coordinator Nikita Murray said when she saw the finished product she was left speechless. "I kept using the word 'amazing,' and I don't know if that's enough to describe the experience," Murray says. "When the children were happy about being in the rooms and comfortable with it, we knew CMU did a great job." •

• Cover