Blending Something Special: High Point Design Institute and A Special Blend
When it comes to a city of talented designers, few places can beat High Point, NC. As the home furnishings capital of the world, our community is filled with talented interior, furniture, and textile designers. And at High Point University, students learn in the interior design department how to hone their talents to become skillsets they’ll use in that industry upon graduation.
But what if those students could start leveraging their talents and class learning outcomes to give world-class design expertise to the High Point community before they even graduate? What if students could learn while benefiting the city itself?
Those are the kinds of questions that led Dr. Jane Nichols, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Interior Design at HPU, to start the High Point Design Institute – a program designed to allow student designers to connect with faculty, alumni, and community members to offer pro bono work. The program’s goal is to serve local non-profits – who don’t always have the luxury of funds to hire an interior design team – while also giving students real-world experience.
“My goal... is that we have kind of a working studio so that students can get involved in live projects while they're still in studio,” Dr. Nichols explains. “A working studio allows us to bring this into the classroom and take students through a full project and teach them all the lessons that go into it.”
Are you a non-profit in need of design services?
Non-profits that may be interested in working with High Point Design Insitute can contact Dr. Jane Nichols directly to see if their project may be a good fit for their services.
Unlike an internship, the High Point Design Insitute projects allow faculty and students to work through a real-world project together, while also directly impacting the High Point community.
The most recent project that the Insitute undertook was designing the new High Point location for A Special Blend. A Special Blend (you read their full story here!) opened in downtown High Point in October 2023. The non-profit coffee shop operates as a work place for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, providing a safe space that allows for them to earn a living, build community, and connect with others.
A prior HPU faculty member had helped students become involved with the design of A Special Blend’s original location in Greensboro, so Dr. Nichols was eager to find a way to connect with the new location.
Alongside Dr. Nichols, HPU alumni, Victoria Valentinas (Class of 2012) and HPU student, Maddie Kiessling (Class of 2024), were instrumental in bringing the design vision for A Special Blend to life.
“Non-profit organizations have a really strong mission,” Dr. Nichols says. “We can derive a lot of the design concept and programming from that mission.”
In this case, Dr. Nichols and her team landed on the design theme, “the dignity of work,” for A Special Blend.
“A Special Blend provides persons with a disability the opportunity to work and that provides them with dignity... It’s about providing a space where people can make a living and contribute to the community,” she says. But the secondary application of the theme applied to High Point’s broader community as well.
“The dignity of work also applies to all of the people in the [home furnishings] industry that have contributed,” Dr. Nichols adds.
The board of directors for A Special Blend were enthusiastic about the theme, and so as Dr. Nichols, Victoria, and Maddie worked – the application began to take shape. Subtle nods to the “dignity of work” in High Point come through references to our long history of furniture design and manufacturing.
Two tables, donated by local furniture company, Phillips Collection, features cast iron people holding up the table top, artfully demonstrating team work and hard work. Panel murals donated by another High Point-based business, Splashworks, show different employees of various trades – weaving, upholstery, baristas, and more. And the “Wall of Thanks” recognizing donors and community partners was also designed and donated by Splashworks. Woodbridge Furniture Co. donated a draper table, an important tool in the textile and upholstery industry for preparing materials.
Other nods in the space pay homage to the railroad system that ran through High Point, with luggage racks, train car elements, and more. Victoria, who now owns her own interior design and custom art studio, VLV Designs, added an architectural flair with her signature faux finishes.
The team was also able to stretch themselves through design challenges regarding sensory-friendly design and accessibility. Elements like the mirrored wall across from the coffee counter were discussed as they could pose a distraction to some crew members. Between Dr. Nichols’ team and A Special Blend’s board members, the mirrors were ultimately deemed learning opportunities for crew members working at A Special Blend. Other organic and soft textured elements provide sensory-friendly textures for not just the employees but also the patrons of A Special Blend.
Maddie aided extensively in the technical work that takes place behind the scenes of any good interior design project. Utilizing software like Revit, Maddie hand-designed and built 3D models of each piece of furniture that would be in the space, guaranteeing that the layout and installation of each item in the space would be ADA compliant and accessible for both employees and patrons.
And while Maddie explains that this is used as a tool to help the client envision the space and make revisions, the team also discovered a secondary benefit to the 3D models: fundraising opportunities. Organizations like A Special Blend can actually show these renderings to potential donors to demonstrate how their donations will be used and what will be created.
“It surprised me, but it’s a bonus for everyone,” Dr. Nichols says.
Ultimately, the work of the High Point Design Institute is a collaboration multiplier – benefitting each and every party involved. The non-profits benefit from this completely pro bono design work, but the team and vendors involved also benefit.
For Victoria, this project was especially near and dear to her heart, as she previously considered a career as a special education teacher before pursuing her degree in Interior Design.
“As an alumna, I appreciate High Point still connecting me... with great opportunities,” she says. “It’s not something that just happens during your four years on campus; it continues throughout your career.”
Victoria also notes how much she values the opportunity to “pay forward” her educational opportunities.
“I was given a lot of opportunities as a student,” she notes, “and it’s a great opportunity for that to come full circle.”
Likewise, as a current student in the Interior Design department, Maddie has found this real-world experience invaluable.
“It's very important to apply what we're learning in class to the real world because that's how you really understand what you're learning in class,” Maddie says, noting that she had to learn how to be flexible and adaptable with tight deadlines, vendor timelines, and more during the project.
Victoria and Maddie also recognize the value of the alumnus/student relationship and the mentorship that offers. Dr. Nichols notes the intentionality of the program’s design, ensuring that students see through other alumni experiences just how many opportunities await them after they receive their diplomas.
The work also allows visitors to A Special Blend to feel proud of High Point’s rich history and continue innovation in furnishing our world. It connects local vendors to the non-profits in the community, both increasing awareness of their missions and offering marketing for products by these local vendors.
“Vendors appreciate being able to support local community causes," Dr. Nichols says. She adds that the hope is to connect with different vendors each time to involve them in causes their passionate about.
“It’s going to be different every time,” she says, “and we want to spread the love.”
When A Special Blend opened their doors in 2023, founder, Deedee Ungetheim gave a special thank you to the High Point Design Insitute, Phillips Collection, Splashworks, and more for their support of bringing the concept “the dignity of work” to life in their store.
“Behind that coffee counter and in front of that coffee counter, our 36 crew members are going to be gaining the dignity of work,” she noted, as all crew members of A Special Blend – High Point got their chance to meet new customers on opening day.
While A Special Blend’s project has come to a close, the work of High Point Design Insitute is just getting started.
“We hope this becomes a model,” Dr. Nichols says of the project. “We hope to have the problem of too many people needing us!”
"It's very important to apply what we're learning in class to the real world because that's how you really understand what you're learning in class."
Maddie Kiessling, HPU Student, Class of 2024
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