FSU School of Design

Home
United States
Tallahassee, FL
FSU School of Design

Directions Website Contact the university

Shaping the Future. Interior Design + Interdisciplinary Design

FSU's Interior Design Department realizes that there are many aspects that are crucial to "good design." Which is why professors focus on topics including the basic elements and principles of art and design, art history, theory and philosophy, sociological and psychological aspects of space, and ethics and sound business practices. Knowledge in all of these areas allow students to really explore their creativity in studio design classes.

10/23/2026

It was a pleasure to for the School of Design to participate in the Art-Health-Humanities Symposium as part of Discovery Days at Florida State University.

The School was proud to showcase two healthcare design projects that demonstrate how evidence-based design can improve health, well-being, and access to care.

Graduate students, under the direction of Dr. Jae Hwa Lee, developed community-centered primary care clinic concepts for rural communities in Northwest Montana, exploring how design can foster trust, support preventive care, and strengthen long-term community wellness.

At the same time, 4th year undergraduate interior design students worked with Drs. Amy Huber and Daejin Kim to reimagine pediatric healthcare environments in collaboration with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Because this initiative focused on healthcare in our own community, it carried a particularly meaningful local impact. Students explored concepts for pediatric inpatient units, PICU environments, and future models of pediatric care that support children, families, and healthcare providers through thoughtful, research-informed design. We were especially pleased to share the students’ work with Katie Hill, Director of Planning and Construction at TMH, joseph Frascella PhD, Chief Clinical Research Officer FSU & TMH, and Patricia Kenney, Director of Patient-Centered Care, creating an opportunity for dialogue between future designers and healthcare leaders working to shape the future of care in our region.

The projects highlight the power of design to address complex healthcare challenges while creating environments that promote trust, dignity, healing, and human connection. We are incredibly proud of our students and faculty for demonstrating how design can contribute to healthier communities, both in Tallahassee and beyond.

10/20/2026

Fresh air and blue skies at White Oak Pastures last week! Professor Meghan Mick’s Responsible Design and Life-Centric Design classes made their annual trek to Bluffton, Georgia, to see the principles put into practice. White Oak’s circular model reflects deep respect for context, resource conservation, no waste, future resilience, and following nature’s lead. And of course ... the cows!

White Oak Pastures Meghan Mick

10/16/2026

A big thank you to our Chair’s Advisory Council for meeting with Chair Amy Huber this week to discuss a range of important topics, including the student experience, artificial intelligence, mentorship, and student engagement. We are grateful for their thoughtful insights and commitment to helping shape the future of the School of Design.

We also extend our sincere thanks to Janet Pogue McLaurin, FAIA, FIIDA, Global Director of Workplace Research at Gensler, for generously providing Gensler Research catalogs to these student leaders and our graduate students.

Pictured (front row, left to right): Amy Huber, Megan Sullivan, and RJ Saginario

Second row: Elsa Marcet, Kaitlyn Parkins, and Lindsey Eldridge

Back row: Halle Williams, Lucy Dwyer, and India Skipper
Not pictured: Bella Gannam and Kaley Dorn.

Their ideas, feedback, and leadership play an important role in shaping the future of the School of Design.

10/14/2026

This week, students enrolled in our Materials and Methods class had the unique opportunity to visit Interface Flooring’s primary manufacturing facility located in LaGrange, Georgia. Guided by Interface’s Julie Hartgrove, students experienced the manufacturing side of design by touring the facility.

They began at the design studio, where they explored material selection and the process of creating custom flooring systems. At their technical center, they toured the ART and technical labs, learning how Interface tests flooring performance and maintenance. They then made their way to the Ray C. Anderson plant, where they walked through the yarn preparation and tufting processes. They ended the day with tours of the backing line and “Crumb to Carpet” process, which showed how the company reuses post-consumer materials.

Thank you to Julie Hartgrove and Professor Stephanie Sickler for facilitating this experience for our students!

10/12/2026

Students in our Health and Wellness Studio recently launched a new future-casting project focused on pediatric healthcare environments through a collaboration with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and FSU healthcare partners.

The project began with presentations and discussions led by healthcare leaders Patricia Kenney, Executive Director of Patient-Centered Care; Katie Hill, Director of Planning, Design and Construction; Michael Roche, Assistant Director of Planning, Design and Construction; and Joe Frascella, Chief Clinical Research Officer for TMH and FSU.

Students selected from three project themes:
• Pediatric In-Patient Wing
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
• Pediatrics of the Future

Over the next two weeks, student teams will research, develop, and propose innovative design solutions that explore how healthcare environments can better support pediatric patients, families, and care providers.

The experience will culminate at Arts-Humanities-Health Symposium IV later this month, where students will present their future-focused concepts to healthcare professionals, faculty, and community stakeholders.

This partnership exemplifies the School of Design's commitment to experiential learning and demonstrates how design can contribute to the future of healthcare.

We are grateful to our TMH and FSU Health partners for helping create meaningful learning experiences that connect students with real-world healthcare challenges and opportunities.

College of Fine Arts at Florida State University

10/02/2026

Earlier this week, FSU was honored to welcome author, landscape architect, and educator Julia Watson to campus. Her public lecture Ancestral Futures x Ancestral Cultures highlighted her work with Indigenous communities around the world and how designers can steward local, traditional ecological knowledge (Lo-TEK) into contemporary practice.

“Julia Watson’s talk was a great way to see that indigenous peoples’ relationships with water and the natural world are not just something out of history, but could be used as inspiration when thinking about how to design for the future. I especially liked her idea that “humans are part of nature” since this challenges us to think about our role in creating spaces and managing resources in an entirely different way.”
-Emmanuel Gracias ‘29

“I had never thought about how much the western education systems shapes our imagination and the way we think. Julia Watsons work to bridge the gap between ancestory knowledge and modern design was so insightful.”
- Jessica Horvitz ‘29

Image 1: Julia Watson presenting a slide titled “Lo-TEK Water: Post-Carbon Futures X Post-Carbon Cultures
Image 2: Julia Watson presenting a slide titled “Indigenous TEKnologies aren’t relics of the past, but living systems shaping the future”

Julia Watson | Lo—TEK Lo—TEK Institute FSU’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Center Meghan Mick

09/24/2026

This Tuesday, students in Professor Terry Londy’s Construction Systems class visited four Premier Fine Homes properties at different stages of construction. Students were guided by Jason Ghazvini, president of Premier Fine Homes, a locally owned residential development company based in Tallahassee.

The visit served as a living classroom, giving students the opportunity to understand the construction process firsthand. From foundations and framing to sheathing and insulation, the first three homes offered a closer look at the stages of construction. The visit ended at a finished model spec home, where students discussed how those stages come together in a completed space.

Site visits like this bring students closer to design practice and bring the classroom to life. Thank you to Jason and Premier Fine Homes for welcoming our students for the third year!

Photo 1: Design students observe framing and insulation inside a home under construction.
Photo 2: Home under construction showing windows, roofing, and building materials.
Photo 3: Design students enter a home under construction during a site visit.
Photo 4: Design students gather outside a home under construction during a site tour.
Photo 5: Design students listen to Jason Ghazvini present inside a finished model home.

09/22/2026

A big thank you to the team at the Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine for welcoming our Interior Design students for a behind-the-scenes tour this week!

As students begin developing design concepts for an outpatient Sports Medicine and Orthopedics facility, the opportunity to experience a real-world sports medicine environment firsthand was invaluable. Guided by doctoral student Cooper Kework, students observed patient care spaces, staff workflows, and operational considerations that will help inform their evidence-based design solutions throughout the semester.

Experiential learning opportunities like this help bridge the gap between research, practice, and design education. We are grateful for the insights shared and look forward to seeing how these observations inspire the next generation of healthcare designers.

09/21/2026

Third-year students enrolled in the residential studio and materials and methods classes were encouraged by Studio II professors, Amy O’Keefe and Kelley Robinson, to travel to ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center) in Atlanta for a day and a half of showroom tours.

ADAC first opened in 1960 and today holds the largest collection of luxury residential, hospitality, and contract furnishings among 65 showrooms within 550,000 square feet. We are grateful to Genisha Washington, ADAC’s Resource Coordinator, who coordinated visits for our students on Thursday and Friday of last week to Design Galleria & Matthew Quinn Collection, Phillip Jeffries, Samuel & Sons, Century Furniture, Scalamandre, Thibaut, Peacock Alley, Renaissance Tile & Bath, Janus et Cie, and Made Goods. We wrapped up Thursday night’s tours with an evening at J. Tompkins Studio hosted by alumnus Jenny (Perez) Tompkins. Students also took advantage of visiting other showrooms in ADAC to see firsthand how these collections can influence their work.

ADAC | ANDMORE J. Tompkins Studio

09/02/2026

As the School of Design begins the 2026-2027 academic year, Florida State University is pleased to announce a number of leadership appointments that reflect the School’s continued commitment to excellence in teaching, research, creative practice, and student success. These faculty leaders bring a wealth of experience, scholarly achievement, and professional expertise that will help guide the School of Design through this exciting new chapter.

From Left to Right:

Daejin Kim, Director of Graduate Studies

Terry Londy, Director of the Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Design Program

Amy O’Keefe, Associate Chair

Amy Huber, Chair

Kelley Robinson, Director of the Undergraduate Interior Design Program

Luis Castaneda, Director the Graduate Graphic Design Certificate

Read more in the article posted to our website, link in bio!

Address

600 W College Avenue
Tallahassee, FL
32306

Website

http://design.fsu.edu/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when FSU School of Design posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to FSU School of Design:

Want your university to be the top-listed university in Tallahassee?