The Department of Interior Design is fortunate in its relationship to its Advisory Council composed of design practitioners, industry colleagues as well as student members. Each offers a voice of support and guidance for the Department, promoting student success and helping the Department to maintain its connection to the world of design practice.

Among these Advisory Council members is Seka Collins who joined this supportive group in 2020. An alumnus of the program graduating in 2004, Ms. Collins has walked the walk of the student to career professional. Among her many assets she brings to the Council is the broad nature of her practice experiences, ranging from engagement with mid-size and large architecture firms including Cannon Design in Jacksonville to product representation. She has developed projects in the higher education, corporate, healthcare, hospitality and residential design sectors in both Florida and Texas and has served as Director of Design for Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Florida. Ms. Collins is currently a designer with Rebecca Davisson Interior Design in Jacksonville, which offers commercial and residential services.

Ms. Collins models professional values for students through her registration as an interior designer in Florida and her position as Vice President of Student Affairs and Vice President of Advocacy with the International Interior Design Association. Her certificate in Evidence-Based Design (EDAC) similarly demonstrates her commitment to practice excellence.

Seka Collins’ engagement with the Department has also included service on a panel of design practitioners offering career advice to IAD students at the 2022 Career Fair event, and she does not hesitate to share what her experiences have told her. For example, she encourages students to enroll in business management courses to benefit office processes in their future careers. Her advice is practical and in tune with intersections of design as a career and the stages of life, saying,“the advice I give is travel. Take advantage of the study abroad programs, travel for your job, get out and experience the world. Once life settles in, it is more difficult to find the time that you have now as a student.”

The Department is fortunate to have Seka Collins’ voice of experience among its many Advisory Council members, nurturing and maintaining an important link to design career success for the betterment of students.

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Fifteen Florida State University interior design students traveled to High Point, North Carolina this fall for an immersive field experience focused on visual merchandising, led by Assistant Professor Stephanie Sickler.

High Point Market is the largest residential furniture market in the United States. With more than 2,000 exhibitors, the market offers more educational opportunities than several conferences combined and endless networking opportunities.

“Exposing students to High Point Market opens the door to a world of design they didn’t know existed,” said Sickler. “During Market, they connect with professionals in our field practicing in areas ranging from visual merchandising to product design and marketing. The immersive nature of the experience cannot be simulated in the classroom, and each year I am so fulfilled by seeing the students’ joy manifest during this travel experience.”

At the Kravet Showroom, Executive VP of Sales Frank Cauce gave students a tour of their new space, unveiled for the fall market. Students received a warm welcome from the entire Kravet family as well as an overview of the many tools Kravet has curated for designers.

Cauce served as a member of the Advisory Council for the FSU Department Interior Architecture & Design from 2014 to 2018, and his service to our students has continued through the years. The Department is proud to have Michael Starr of Kravet currently serving on the Council.

Aviva Stanoff Design is an American artisanal studio specializing in original textile designs, bespoke pillows, throws and home accessories. Aviva is a leader in the industry for her innovation in surface material decoration and provided an inspirational discussion with the student group.

Currey & Company is a premier resource of wholesale designer lighting, home furnishing and decorative accessories. After a tour of the showroom, CEO Brownlee discussed his passion for the art of Bonsai and the inextricable link between passion and creativity which represents the many facets of our design industry.

FSU alum and College of Fine Arts Dean’s Advisory Council member, Barbara Muse Heard (BS 1981), organized a panel with Caracole’s Creative Director Melanie Dunn and fellow alum Lucie Matthews Patton (BS 1980) on Sunday in the Caracole showroom. The trio inspired students with their passion for interiors stemming from their studies in interior design at FSU.

“Melanie, Lucie and I all began at the same place, but ultimately diverged to different areas,” said Heard. “I hope our careers illustrate the number of design opportunities the furniture industry offered, from showroom/store design to product design, textile development and curation and even engineering.”

Alums Heard, Patton and Dunn all met when working for Drexel Heritage in the early 1980’s and became life-long friends. Dunn’s career continued at the company even as it has expanded, with titles that grew through the decades from director of display planning to visual merchandising director to creative director. Heard went on to work with Baker and Robert Allen, and now works with many clients handling all areas of design: residential, commercial, visual merchandising and video staging. Patton continued to design and restore furniture at the Biltmore House, then moved into her own practice focusing on residential and hospitality.

Read more about Patton here in this April 2022 article from the Winston-Salem Journal.

Students are already planning their return to High Point Market, either next fall with Professor Sickler, or with the firms they will ultimately join as interns or upon graduation. Either way, the benefits of exposure to the innerworkings of the design industry while in school are far-reaching and are made possible by the support of the Department of Interior Architecture and Design and the College of Fine Arts.