UK School of Interiors earns national recognition at IDEC

The University of Kentucky College of Design’s School of Interiors is celebrating a strong showing on the national stage following multiple recognitions at the 2026 Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) Annual Conference in Chicago.

Among those honored was Assistant Professor Jennifer Meakins, who received an IDEC Service Award, recognizing meaningful contributions to the organization and to the advancement of interior design education.

The School of Interiors was also represented in IDEC’s conference presentation awards. Assistant Professors Ingrid Schmidt and Aanya Chugh earned recognition in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning category, receiving second place in a four-way tie. Their presentation “Reframing Residential Design for the Undergraduate Studio” argued that embedding residential design throughout the undergraduate curriculum can transform students’ media-influenced, aesthetic-driven perceptions into a critical, empathetic and socially responsible understanding of domestic space centered on lived experience and human needs.

In the Scholarship of Design Practice category, School of Interiors Director Helen Turner was awarded second place for her presentation with Stephanie Sickler of Florida State University titled “Split at the seam: material competency from education to practice,” focusing on addressing the critical gap in material knowledge between interior design education and professional practice through more integrated, practice-informed approaches to better prepare students for the technical, ethical and real-world demands of material selection and specification.

In addition to these honors, second-year graduate students Faezeh Panahandeh (right) and Paymaan Taymouri (left) were selected for the IDEC Foundation Graduate Scholar Award, which is awarded to only three students from across the nation each year. The award is designed for interior design graduate students interested in pursuing careers as interior design educators and provides funding to help offset registration and travel costs for the 2026 IDEC Annual Conference, as well as formal mentorship from a team of esteemed interior design academic leaders. 

Together, these recognitions reflect the breadth of excellence within the School of Interiors, from faculty leadership and service to scholarly research and the next generation of design educators.