HPU Students Collaborate to Redesign Guest Room at Historic Hotel

High Point University interior design students were able to install their designs recently inside the J.H. Adams Inn, a historic High Point hotel where a special community partnership offers students real-world experience. Pictured are HPU interior design students Luca Reich, front, and Morgan Botwinick, as they worked to install the frame of a king-sized Norwalk Furniture bed with an upholstered headboard.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 27, 2024 – High Point University interior design students were able to install their designs inside the J.H. Adams Inn, a historic High Point hotel where a special community partnership offers students real-world experience.

Interior design students worked in teams to design prototypes for the inn’s guest rooms, which are often filled with HPU families visiting the city for events on campus such as Fall Family Weekend that just concluded Sept. 22, said Dr. Jane Nichols, department chair and Luke Family Endowed professor in the David R. Hayworth School of Arts and Design.

Interior design students Morgan Botwinick, Luca Reich and Davis Price consulted with the J.H. Adams Inn staff and won a competition for their redesign of a guest room in a French Country design theme. As part of their design theme, they selected a king-sized Norwalk Furniture bed with an upholstered headboard.

Since this is a historic property, students also took cultural aspects into consideration when selecting art for the walls, such as a drawing of the J.H. Adams Inn and a map of High Point.

“Partnering with the J.H. Adams Inn on an interior design competition-collaboration is precisely the sort of learning integration model we use in our design studios,” Nichols said. “Students were able to apply what they learned in real time to an actual project, accepting client feedback through direct critiques, which resulted in improved design solutions. Students also found they could face peer competition, and some discovered the pride and gratification of being selected as the ‘best in class,’ having their final room design installed and enjoyed by HPU guests for years to come.”

As part of their designs, students selected furnishings from vendor members of High Point x Design, a local nonprofit organization that promotes and builds upon the city’s unique creative ecosystem.

Managers at the J.H. Adams Inn were delighted to partner with the HPU interior design department on this exciting project, said Bethany Whitt O’Dell, the hotel’s guest services and group sales manager.

“Seeing the fresh room design come together after all the planning from the interior design students is such a treat for us and all future guests that will stay in that room,” O’Dell said. “Everyone worked hard, and the outcome is fabulous. Such a lovely, welcoming space for guests to stay, it is already a favorite of staff and guests alike. Everyone has nothing but glowing things to say about the finished product. Our team is so proud to showcase the students’ work. Great care and attention to detail was put in to ensure comfort and functionality for all who stay in this beautifully designed guest room. The winning team did such a wonderful job, and we are so thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with the talented individuals who executed the design. We absolutely hope to continue this partnership moving forward and have more guest rooms decorated by our future interior designers.”

Reich, a Class of 2024 interior design major from Long Island, New York, now works as an interior designer at Karen Asprea Studios in New York City.

“I learned to have patience and know it will come together in the end,” Reich said. “It’s a long process, but you always know how to get through it. And if you love it, it’s always fun.”

Students who worked on this design project were able to gain more real-world experience working with a space plan, said Botwinick, a Class of 2024 interior design major from Syracuse, New York, who now works at Paces & Roehm in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Working in an actual room is more intense,” said Botwinick. “You learn more in-depth details you wouldn’t really think of until you’re on the job.”