(Marietta, Ga. – May 11, 2015) Students in Chattahoochee Technical College’s Interiors program flexed their design muscles to create a new look for the Tallulah Gorge State Park Visitors’ Center, which includes both a gift shop and offices. Considered one of the most spectacular canyons in the eastern U.S., Tallulah Gorge is two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep and spans the border between Habersham and Rabun counties in Northeast Georgia.
“Interiors students taking a commercial design studio course presented a concept to a team from Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites,” said Chattahoochee Technical College Instructor Ginger Burton. “The challenge was to propose design plans for Tallulah Gorge State Park visitor center facilities. The students were able to provide some innovative ideas, and showcase their skills learned through the interior design program.”
The class features long and short term projects which address real-life design situations and begins to develop competence in solving residential and commercial design problems. Assignments include the principles and elements of design, space planning, materials selection, graphic presentation, project documentation and implementation and client presentation techniques. 
Students worked individually and used multiple design software tools, according to Burton, and the project required an understanding of retail merchandising and use of office space. Each material needed was resourced, along with all furniture, lighting, and cabinetry. Burton added that all nine students had a unique design concept, and the ideas were well received.
“The time and detail they devoted to this project was fabulous,” said Retail Merchandising Manager for Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Penny Dunn.
Assistant Park Manager Jessica James-Weems also expressed her enthusiasm in seeing how to better use their existing space, calling the drawings an “eye-opening” look at the center.
Offered at the Chattahoochee Technical College Mountain View Campus, Interiors is designed to prepare students for employment in a variety of positions in today’s interior field. With career opportunities in such areas as the retail sector, architecture and design firms, sales of specialty products, visual merchandising and in several niche areas, students at CTC choose between the diploma or degree programs. Both options provide education in the basics of design fundamentals, color theory, floor plan arrangement, window treatments, material selection, drafting and drawing and lighting. There is also an emphasis on business practices for entrepreneurial students wanting to start a business after graduation. Students focus on both presentation and technological skills before taking part in internships within the industry.
For more information on this and other programs at Chattahoochee Technical College, visit www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu or call 770-528-4545.