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By Susan S. Szenasy
April 2002
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Sternlicht in a judging position (above left). Anna Chlebowska won first
prize in the 2001 Parsons/Starwood Senior Competition (above right). Her
winning detail: a sofa for kids and other family members, built into the
check-in counter.
Photo by Left, Wid Chapman
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Barry Sternlicht got down on the floor, fondled fabrics, and asked
insightful questions. Each response received an encouraging nod and a good
word. Judging from his tone of voice and demeanor, Sternlicht seemed genuinely
engaged. This high-powered chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Worldwide was the most active judge in our group of seven professionals
(one from his own design staff). We gathered last winter in the grand ballroom
of the Union Square W hotel, a high-concept Starwood property, to examine
the work of 10 fledgling interior designers (culled from a class of
15)--all seniors in Parsons' Interior Design Department, under the direction
of chair Wid Chapman. For the fourth consecutive year the school's Senior
Design Studio worked with the Starwood organization, coming up with fresh
ideas for its various properties.
This season's project was the second-floor lobby of the Times Square
Westin hotel. The class met with Sternlicht and his staff to learn about
the space they were to design, its structural assets, and spatial limitations.
They got a crash course in the brand ("the heavenly bed," as Chapman
describes the Westin concept of comfort). The students also toured the construction
site, "got a rugged sense of the space," according to Chapman,
and soaked up the hyperkinetic atmosphere of Times Square.
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Two student schemes for Starwood hotels: bedroom by Anna Caspar (above right), for W,
and bath by Young Suh, for Westin (above left).
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While some participants got caught up in the over-the-top mix of colors,
textures, and lights of the Arquitectonica-designed building, others sought
respite from urban overload. It was these quiet and restful designs, with
a hint of subdued electronic glitz, that the jury responded to most positively.
From the moment the first student got up
to present his boards, it was clear that everyone was approaching the project
as a professional would, showing off well-thought-out drawings, plans, and
details accompanied by attractive materials collages. This was, after all,
one of those rare occasions when design students actually get to work with
a real client, on a real site.
Everyone involved seemed to benefit from the Parsons/Starwood Senior
Competition. The students got to work on a high-profile project. "The
meeting with Sternlicht was profound for them," Chapman said. "This
was a new kind of conversation about design--completely corporate, about
branding." The school's reputation was enhanced in the business and
design communities (judges included Sherry Donghia of Donghia Textiles,
architect David Ling, and designer Alan Tanksley). Starwood management got
some fresh design ideas to consider for their ongoing quest to upgrade their
various brands--and, perhaps, some talented new employees.
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