Student Design Competition: National Office Furniture Partners with Wentworth Institute of Technology

National Office Furniture, a unit of Kimball International, Inc., partnered with the Senior Industrial Design Class at Wentworth Institute of Technology for their inaugural Furniture Design Competition. 

“Through our partnership with Wentworth, and other universities, we are creating a mutually beneficial relationship that engages future designers with hands-on, real-life experiences,” said Angie Schuch, National’s Director of Marketing. “This connection allows us to blend their passion with our experience to find solutions that meet needs while creating a learning experience.” 

National challenged the class to design and develop furniture or accessories that would allow students to be more efficient throughout their day as they transition between a variety of spaces, including the library, classrooms, apartments, residence halls, and commons areas.

Real-time Collaboration

Through National’s Boston Showroom, the senior class had virtual meetings with National’s design and product development teams to discuss their projects and gain feedback.

Presenting Ideas

Students had ten weeks to create their projects and were guests at a reveal party, where they displayed their furniture mock ups and discussed the inspiration and process behind their design. They also spoke about why their design was relevant as a need in the current furniture market.

Two Grand Champions and two Honorable Mentions were declared, with the winning designers receiving cash rewards.