Three students from the LSU School of Interior Design placed second in the 2009 international student competition of the International Design Educators Council (IDEC), one of the most prestigious design competitions in the industry.

Melissa Shelton, a senior, of New Orleans, Michelle Mancini, a junior, of Slidell, and sophomore Jennifer Milazzo of Baton Rouge received the Award of Merit for their design of a historic building in a revitalized neighborhood. Their design was selected from among dozens of entries from students throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The competition included both a research and design component. Students had three weeks to research their topic and come up with a design. The goals of the contest included encouraging students’ understanding that ongoing research is vital to the practice of good design and rewarding design excellence.

In another national competition, two interior design students received merit awards in the Source One Design Competition for their wall covering designs. Third-year-student Jessica Addison of Baton Rouge received a merit award in the corporate category for her design of a maroon wall covering that emphasizes the vertical nature of a room by using lines to create shadow, adding depth to what appears to be drapes.

Fourth-year-student Dusti Kay Randall of Ville Platte received a merit award in the hospitality category for her floral wall covering that was designed to create a sense of welcoming, calmness and peace. The contest was sponsored by Source One Wall Covering, one of the leading commercial wall covering firms in the U.S.

“We’re very proud of our student winners in both contests,” said T.L. Ritchie, director of the School of Interior Design. “These contests show that when measured against their peers around the country our students are consistently considered to be among the best.”