Groovystuff sponsors design students to home furnishings industry

Perdue University students are latest to take design challenge

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 4/3/2012 4:43:50 PM

DALLAS — Groovystuff continues to expand its education-to-industry cross-cooperative by partnering with the Industrial Design department at Purdue University for the Groovystuff Design Challenge and co-sponsoring the program at the High Point Market, April 21-26.
Under the leadership of professor and design professional Laura Drake, 18 students from Perdue's Industrial Design  department received a pallet of reclaimed material and started the Groovystuff Design Challenge right after spring break. As a class decision, the students chose "lighting" as their category of contribution and will be charged with designing modern and elegantly rustic lighting design for inclusion in the celebrity Dick Idol brand.
Since joining the faculty in 1990, Drake has been actively involved in design initiatives and cross-promotional opportunities for graduates. As a design professional, she has been featured in publications both domestically and internationally including Metropolitan Home, HG, Craft International, Casa Vogue, Japan High Fashion and Japan Interior Design. She holds memberships in The American Furniture Society, The Industrial Design Society of America, The Chicago Furniture Designers Association and has spearheaded the involvement of Purdue's outreach into the residential home furnishings market by bringing her program to the High Point Market for the first time.
Along with co-sponsor IMC properties, Groovystuff helps to broaden the educational outreach of university programs across the country by giving them real world market experience, and a platform to build on their association with the industry prior to graduation.

Purdue is the latest to join in "The Groovystuff University Hall of Innovation and Job Creation," a sponsored space during the upcoming market to provide students and faculty with an invaluable opportunity to network with retailers, designers, manufacturers, suppliers, journalists and industry professionals.

Purdue's Industrial Design department will display its contributions to the residential home furnishings market at the Suites at Market Square, showroom 1-836, along with faculty and students from the Industrial Design department at Appalachian State University, The Interior Architecture & Design department at The University of North Carolina Greensboro and the Interior Design department at High Point University.
"Our goal with the University Hall is to provide students with a platform for creativity and encourage them to embrace the home furnishings industry," Groovystuff President Chris Bruning said.

Purdue is the latest program to come forward eager to bridge the gap between education and industry. To demonstrate their value to the industry, students taking the Groovystuff Design Challenge will be tasked with solving the functional and technical requirements of lighting design and incorporate engineering specifications into a product that satisfies the aesthetic and demands of the intended Dick Idol audience.
"We will display the original drawings along with the finished product so buyers can see the transformation of the concept into a fully executed consumer product," Bruning said. "We'll ask them again for their comments and votes - but also for their order. The final winning design will be the one with the top sales. That student designer will not only win a $500 cash prize and inclusion in the celebrity endorsed Dick Idol brand, but also a permanent 1 percent royalty on all future sales of the product."
Committed to sustainable manufacturing and environmental accountability, Groovystuff's vision is to assist its retail customers in growing their businesses sustainably. Designed for today's lifestyles and inspired by yesterday's antiquities, Groovystuff now offers Seven unique residential collections: Prairie, Iron Horse, Adirondack, Back to the Roots, Kodiak, Rocky Mountain and the recently launched Antares Lighting Collection. Each group features pieces designed with the foundation of style, value, longevity and preservation of natural resources.