Brookdale Team Shines

Brookdale Community College Team Shines with Second Place Finish in DWL Competition

The annual Illuminating Engineering Society’s Design with Light Competition, known for recognizing and celebrating innovative and artistic luminaire designs, has announced this year’s winners. With intense creativity and dedication evident in every entry, the competition was a vibrant display of talent and ingenuity. Among the winners, Interior Design students from Brookdale Community College secured a commendable second place with their captivating piece, “Table Jewelry.” DesignWithLight (DWL), the Philadelphia Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) organized the student lighting design competition to promote awareness and understanding of the lighting design profession within the student community.

The talented team of Maggie Da Silva, an Interior Design major (Long Branch); Shannon Figur, in the Kitchen and Bath certificate program (Monmouth Beach); Gabby Girgis, an alum (Freehold), and Shilpa Telagi, in the Digital Drawing for Interior Design certificate program (Holmdel), created a stunning table lamp and was awarded $750.00. Inspired by the dazzling effects of sunlight reflecting off jewelry, their design transforms any ordinary surface into a vibrant spectacle of light and color.

“Table Jewelry” is an artistic luminaire that mesmerizes with its dazzling flashes of green, blue, purple, pink, orange, and yellow,” said Figur describing the piece. “The sunlight, when caught by the lamp’s intricate design, creates a mesmerizing play of light on the surrounding walls. The creation features a 5-inch vase adorned with stained glass window film, placed over a 4.5-inch LED rotating base. Atop this base, a 2.4-inch clear crystal prism enhances the light’s dispersion. The underside of the vase hosts a 4-inch mirror adorned with crystal flowers, while another 4-inch mirror with stained-glass film tops the lamp, completing the design. The LED light’s glow radiates through the prism, reflecting off the mirrors and stained-glass film to produce a captivating glimmer of rainbow colors. This artistic piece adds visual interest to any table, much like jewelry enhances an outfit.”

The Interior Design program at Brookdale prepares graduates for entry-level positions in interior design and provides the educational foundation needed for a NCIDQ certification. The curriculum is designed to develop the graduate’s abilities to identify, analyze and creatively solve problems related to the use of interior space.

Christine Webster-Hansen, Dean of the Humanities Institute at Brookdale expressed pride in the Interior Design program, which has a national ranking in part due to the unwavering commitment of Professor Celeste Chirichello. “Professor Chirichello’s dedication provides students with incredible opportunities for success, including extraordinary extracurricular undertakings like this competition,” said Webster-Hansen.

Jason Bradshaw, LC, LEED Green Associate and Lighting Designer at BEAM, ltd., extended his gratitude to all participants for their time and energy in creating such innovative luminaires. The winner’s center pieces will be displayed at the Philament Awards, an annual awards ceremony for lighting designers in the Philadelphia area in June.

Bethany White from Drexel University clinched the first place, while Jack Sullivan, also from Drexel University, took third place. Several participants from Drexel University, including Kody Cheung, Jaliyah Hall, Jeanna Stedman, Connor Cohen, Annie LeTourneau, and Ayisha Nahar, received honorable mentions for their commendable efforts.

IES brings individuals within the design community together to engage, inspire, and challenge one another to create luminaires made from everyday objects. This year’s exceptional entries have raised the bar for creativity and technical skill in lighting design.

For information about the Interior Design degrees available at Brookdale, please visit, https://www.brookdalecc.edu/academic-institutes-and-departments/humanities-institute/interior-design/interior-design-degrees/

The Brookdale Team