The New York School of Interior Design and Robert Allen are collaborating on the first-ever Student Holiday House Competition. Eight prominent NYSID seniors will create design plans for a Holiday House Room, with the winner’s room to be installed in the 2016 showhouse.

Says Robert Allen Director of Marketing and Events Jana Weill, “At Robert Allen, we understand the importance of mentorship and education for designers. We hope that this competition will encourage the student competitors to really think outside the box and stretch their creativity for a dream project. And, of course, Holiday House is the ideal venue for this, forcing them to truly think big by reimagining their holidays.” The students have already been selected and assigned to mentors, who are also graduates of the institute.

The teams include student Rose Darbouze with designer Marie Aiello; student Jane Epelbaum with designer Meridith Hurst; student Erin Folan with designer Frederica Monaco; student Krista Gurevich with designer Joshua Lekowitz; student Cheryl Sadlowski with designer Ross Alexander; student Allison Schoon with designer Andrea Brodfuehrer; student Topaz Wong with designer Julie Schuster; and student Hsien-Huei Wu with designer Don Kossar.

The students will use Robert Allen and Beacon Hill fabrics, plus custom Robert Allen furniture, and will rely on mentors’ for guidance in selecting textiles and designing floor plans. The designs will be judged by a panel of experts, including Drew McGukin, Alexa Hampton and Thom Filicia, and winners will be announced at the Holiday House on November 16. The winning team’s design will debut at the 2016 Holiday House.