Northridge : 6 CSUN Students Sweep Design Contest

Six Cal State Northridge interior design students won all six awards at the fourth annual student design contest sponsored by the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality.

All of the winning CSUN students are enrolled in instructor Ildiko Choy’s design class, which is part of the university’s art department.

“We’ve won first place in this contest in years past,” Choy said, “but this is the first time we took all the prizes.”

The top three awards came with cash prizes of $1,000, $750 and $500 respectively; three CSUN students also earned honorable mention.

The contest, which included entries from universities around Southern California, required students to create a unique design for the interior of a restaurant, given a specific floor plan and dimensions.

CSUN students developed designs including a jazz bistro, a sports bar and grill, a book store/cafe and even a high-tech restaurant that featured virtual reality settings for diners to select.

First place went to CSUN senior Sana Jamil for her Moroccan/Moorish-style restaurant.

“I was thinking of the Alhambra,” Jamil said, referring to the palace once occupied by Moorish kings near Granada, Spain.

“The Moorish design seemed to work well, given the floor plan--part of the restaurant included an open, octagonal space. I tried to be very symmetrical, and include lots of fountains and gardens. I also had a separate space for courtyard dining and a bar and lounge area . . . I think it’s the best job I’ve ever done.”

Choy said her students won because they were well-prepared.

“Research,” she said. “They looked at other restaurant designs, studied restaurant operation, they even attended lectures on the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] requirements.”

The awards should provide the students with good exposure, Choy said.

Their models were displayed at an exhibit last week at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, and noted restaurant designer Barbara Lazaroff, the business partner and wife of famed chef Wolfgang Puck, was a featured speaker at the awards reception held Monday.