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Designs by FACS students to go on display in select Virginia Furniture Market locations

Seniors Peyton Toney, Ashleigh Tuck, and junior Amanda Sust pose with their scholarship earnings with the VFM staff.

For the second year in a row, Virginia Furniture Market (VFM), a retail furniture store with locations in Southwest and Central Virginia, partnered with Liberty University’s Department of Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS) Interior Design Program to host the VFM Design Challenge and award scholarships to students who show promising futures in interior design.

The challenge, which is part of the FACS 345 Materials and Specifications course, divided students into two teams and gave them four weeks to design conceptual sketches and a rendered floor plan, as well as make selections for furnishings used in the design. VFM staff chose a winner and presented the team with a $2,500 scholarship to be split among the group. Two $1,000 scholarships were also awarded to individual students.

“The partnership between VFM and the interior design program provides a unique experience for our students as they are afforded the chance to see their designs come to fruition,” assistant professor Lisa Campbell said. “The students get to take their work from concept to schematic design, proposal, and to installation; it’s an amazing opportunity.”

The teams based their design choices on market trends and client information while using furniture and décor provided by VFM. Students interviewed VFM staff prior to their presentations to discover the company’s target demographic market, sales history, and products they were looking to promote.

An example from the award-winning design.

The teams’ designs will be displayed in stores in VFM’s two main locations in Rocky Mount, Va., and Bedford, Va.

VFM owner Joel Shepherd announced the winner and presented the scholarships during a special ceremony held at the Jerry Falwell Library on Tuesday. The winning team included seniors Ashleigh Tuck, Peyton Toney, Mariah Troyer, and junior Amanda Sust. Their design featured a rustic, antique living and dining space, inspired by Virginia’s forest landscape.

The team also received the $500 People’s Choice Award, based on a vote taken on social media.

Sophomore Shelby Askins received the Most Promising Student Award, given to a freshman or sophomore who demonstrates exceptional aptitude for design, leadership, and initiative. VFM also presented the Interior Design Leadership Award to senior Stephanie Wheeler.

Tuck said the project shows how Liberty is committed to providing relevant, hands-on learning to its students.

“It’s really great to be part of a degree program that is pushing us toward opportunities like this,” Tuck said. “This challenge helped us to develop our listening and management skills, while helping us be more professional.”

Toney said the project provided invaluable career experience ahead of graduation.

“This is exactly the kind of work we’ll be doing for our clients,” she said. “Customers will be able to go to the store and see our designs.”

VFM Marketing Director Susan Childs said the company has loved partnering with Liberty and being able to equip students for a career in the design world.

“As a Christian-based company, we are drawn to Liberty because of the high educational standards of the students,” Childs said. “The students that we have worked with over the course of the design challenge have shown tremendous professionalism, maturity, and work ethic. Both teams did a phenomenal job in their designs.”

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