Interior design student wins national door design competition

Michelle Pyne, a fourth-year interior design student in the School of Architecture + Design, College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, has won a grand prize in the national JELD-WEN Student Door Design Contest.

JELD-WEN, a leading window and door manufacturer, selected her design from 349 entries from 89 colleges. Pyne, of Malvern, Pa., received a $3,000 scholarship for her winning entry.

Winners were selected based on suitability of the design for today’s architecture, creativity, uniqueness, and attention to detail. Pyne’s modern door design was inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and his residential design for Ward M. Willitts in Chicago, featuring a symmetrical façade of stucco accented by thick wood strips.

“I love the simplicity and spareness of this design,” said one judge. “The contrasting splines show off the wood's beauty. The balance between glass and wood feels right.” The judging panel included top editors at leading design publications including Ruth Altchek, senior editor at domino!; Leslie Ensor, editor of Custom Home; Linda Lentz, products editor from Architectural Record; and door experts from JELD-WEN.

Pyne says she plans to take the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) examination soon after graduation and hopes to work in an architecture firm that is committed to sustainable design. She worked under Lisa Tucker, assistant professor of interior design, on this project. Tucker has a doctorate in architectural studies from the University of Missouri, Columbia.