An Interview With Design Students At The Art Institute Of Portland

There I was doing live weather at the FALL Home & Garden Show at the Portland Expo Center.

Yeah, it was an 81 degree day and the air conditioner was cranked in there!

But that’s when I spotted the chocolate. Enlarge this picture and you’ll see it, too, all over this dining room scene that was part of a design competition at the show.

In my ongoing series of Friday interviews, I’m talking to aspiring interior designers Alison (on the left) and Minday (on the right). Both are interior design students at the Art Institute of Portland.

What Is Your Scene Called?
Alison: It’s called Death By Chocolate, it’s a French scene where something’s gone wrong–you can see chocolate smeared several different places.

Did Anyone Actually Eat Any Of This Chocolate?
Alison: I did!

You tell me that your team of 7 Art Institute of Portland Students and 1 Art Institute instructor built this whole thing. How did you do it?
Mindy: Some on our team built the walls, we put a faux finish on the floors to make it look like marble, then we had to shop, buy and borrow a whole bunch of other pieces and the chandelier. To get ready for this french-chocolate scene, we looked at precedent themes (this is design lingo for how someone else carried out a similar scene).

Both of you are majoring in interior design–that’s new, right?
Mindy: I’m leaving the nursing field to become an interior designer.
Alison: I’m leaving the teaching field to do it.

After I talked to these ladies they were headed for an unbelievable opportunity: the chance to have dinner with some of the other designers at the show and world famous designer, Michael Payne, of HGTV fame.  Hope it was fun!