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Interior design can make a space more beautiful and functional, but can it have a therapeutic effect? Can carefully designed spaces heal?

That’s the question addressed by seniors in WVU’s Interior Design program as part of the capstone project for their discipline. Each designer used the theme “Design as a Healing Experience” as the starting point for their culminating project. Resulting designs include shelters, art therapy centers, holistic spas, and restaurants featuring organic cuisine. Many students emphasized local and sustainable sources for finishes and furnishings in their designs, adding a “green” element to their healing spaces.

Students in the program will present an exhibition featuring four years of work from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 24, in 122 Agricultural Sciences Annex on WVU’s Evansdale Campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

“Projects will include modeling projects, space planning, rendering, computer work, residential designs, office designs, and their senior capstone project,” said Cindy Beacham, associate professor of interior design and coordinator of the program.

WVU offers West Virginia’s only accredited program in Interior Design. Accreditation is from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

“Students in our program are involved in a variety of hands-on activities throughout their curriculum, and experience many opportunities to participate in real-world design applications,” Beacham said.

WVU’s Interior Design program has been developing substantial curricula in the field of sustainable or “green” design. The program also has a strong global focus that is reinforced with a requirement for each student to spend a semester abroad during their junior year. Students in the program are also encouraged to complete a design internship during their time at WVU, gaining supervised experience with a practicing designer.