Northern California Shines at the Student Design Charette


June 2024

Event Recap

National Student Design Charette

IIDA HQ | Chicago

Excitement filled the air as 50 IIDA Student members from around the country gathered at IIDA Headquarters in Chicago for the 2024 Student Design Charette during Neocon/Design Days. This prestigious competition challenged ten teams to design a cutting-edge co-working space with a focus on adaptability, connection, sustainability, and well-being.

The winning team!
Valerie La – Winning Team Member from IIDA Northern California

Competition Highlights

The competition provided an invaluable platform for students to network, learn from one another, and showcase their design skills. Teams utilized materials from sponsors like BEHR, MillerKnoll, the Wallcoverings Association, and The National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association to bring their innovative concepts to life.

Looking Ahead

The 2024 Student Design Charette finals demonstrated the immense talent and creativity within our student members. Valerie La’s victory is a testament to the spirit of innovation and community that defines IIDA Northern California. We eagerly anticipate more achievements from our student members as they continue to shape the future of interior design.

Triumph for Northern California

Representing the Northern California chapter, Valerie La and her team stood out with their exceptional design, ultimately winning the competition. Emily Burchill, our VP of Student Affairs from Gensler, proudly shared, “Valerie and her charette team won the National Charette!!! The judges loved the concept and storytelling done by the team! Valerie has a concept design superpower and I’m so proud!”

Valerie La: A Talent to Watch

Valerie La, a student at City College of San Francisco, has shown remarkable passion and skill in interior design. Inspired by the beauty and wisdom of nature, Valerie combines creativity with a strong commitment to sustainability. Her involvement with IIDA has provided her with invaluable networking opportunities and experiences that have significantly supported her growth as a design student.

Representing IIDA Northern California, VP of Student Affairs, Emily Burchill of Gensler and Valerie La.

Fall Student Conference at Pier 70


October 12 2022

Event Recap

Annual Student Conference

Pier 70, San Francisco

“Where might your design education lead you?”

On October 12th, we welcomed students and young professionals from across the region to join IIDA Northern California Chapter’s Student Conference for an inspiring in-person experience. We had small group tours throughout the city of furniture and material showrooms, design offices, and client spaces, enjoyed delicious lunch from BiRite in the beautiful atrium at Pier 70, learned from an inspiring group of panelists innovating on the life cycle of materials, and connected with design professionals working across different aspects of our industry in small group conversations.

For more information about the benefits of student membership, visit our Student page or contact our VP of Student Affairs at studentaffairs@iidanc.org.


Event Photos

Full photo album

Honor Awards – Back in Person!


May 4 2022

Event Recap

Honor Awards

The Fox Theater, Oakland

We kicked off this year’s show and celebrated our community being together again with a live, all singing, all dancing musical tribute to the heritage of the Fox Theatre. It was a wild start to the evening! Dancers greeted guests as they arrived at The Fox, posing for photos and ushering guests into the main hall. The room was packed with familiar faces clamoring for that elusive Honor Award.

Our hosts, Tom DiRenzo and Brian Graham regaled the client statements, design teams and judges comments for ten projects honored with awards on this special night. Student award winners brought their families and teachers, manufacturers and dealers brought their clients and design teams brought the ones responsible for the wins. It was a night to remember!

Revisit some of the grand entertainment from last year >>

Planning has already begun for our 2023 Honor Awards! If you are interested in volunteering for any of our event planning committees, please reach out.


And the winners were