Interiors Students have Designs on HomeWorks

Interior Design students at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) are eager to share their skills beyond the classroom through a newly formed enterprise ‘HomeWorks’, which will give clients bang-on-trend consultations and select interior services whether they are in the market for a complete make over or a room revamp.

Interior Design Lecturer, Sharon Castle explains, “HomeWorks developed following a challenge to redesign and manage a refurbishment for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s main offices at Lagan Valley.   Working with a small team of new qualified Interior Design students from SERC, we completed the ground-work for the project but unfortunately it didn’t reach fruition due to Covid-19.   However, realising the benefit of the project for everyone involved, I worked with the College’s Enterprise and Entrepreneur team to create ‘HomeWorks’, a student-led enterprise that would give future interior design students the opportunity to work on a real-life brief."   

She added, “Project-based learning (PBL) is integrated with everything we do at SERC, so it made sense to equip our students with the skills and knowledge to take on interior jobs for residential or commercial clients before they walk out the door with their qualifications.   And we have had great support from SERC’s Enterprise team in taking this to the next level."

“Interiors is as much about people as it is about the creative element.   The client and the designer have to ‘gel’ to make the dream space a reality, so we are able to involve different students with different talents to work in teams to offer services such as mood boards, spatial planning, plans and elevations, lighting schemes, colour consultations, material and furniture layouts or up styling. Our students and newly qualified designers use their expertise and product knowledge to expand and develop the client vision, saving them time, money and frustration."

Sharon, who has worked in the interiors industry for over 15 years before  taking up a lecturing post with SERC, concluded, “To date, HomeWorks has been working on residential interior projects ranging from a period cottage to a nursery.   Starting off with a few initial staff requests, we are getting word out there and have had some requests from private clients. The plan is to market the service for residential and commercial jobs and to involve our newly qualified and current students.”  

For further information on HomeWorks contact Sharon Castles scastles@serc.ac.uk or apply online for Level 2 or Level 3 Awards in Interior Design.  

Pictured above: SERC Level 3 Interior Design students Beth Hollinger (Donaghadee) and Cindy Kennedy (Bangor) with Interior Design Lecturer Sharon Castles.   The students and their fellow classmates are eager to share their skills beyond the classroom through a newly formed enterprise ‘HomeWorks’, which will give students experience and clients bang-on-trend consultations.