Opened on Feb. 11, the Interior Design department hosted its second annual senior exhibition, titled Petrichor, which focuses on well-crafted interior design.

The team’s Facebook event page explains that “Petrichor is the smell of the earth after rain. Design is all around us, and in this show exhibition you will see the importance of the effects of the interior designer just as rain affects the earth.” 

Last year, the first senior exhibition introduced the department and centered on the depth that goes into the major, according to department of design faculty member Laurilyn Hall.

“This year,” she said, “it is more about the results.”

The show’s concept was crafted by the six interior design seniors who are excited to educate their community.

“There are four main effects we are highlighting,” senior interior design student Marie Flynn said, “comfort, health, function and productivity.”

Each of the different effects will be marked with a color-coordinating raindrop on the presentation board so the viewer can look at how each project fulfills its desired purpose.

“People have a limited view of what interior design entails,” Flynn said, “and in this show you will be able to see that interior designing is broader than people think.”

Flynn also expanded on the meaning of the raindrop.

“Petrichor is an indicator of when rain hits dry ground,” she said. “People might not realize there is a drought until they experience the petrichor sensation. Similarly, in a lot of places there is a drought in interior design, and we want people to see what good interior design can do.”

Fellow senior interior design student, Janine Ho, said she wants viewers to “understand the concept of interior design. A lot of people think that it is just home decoration and having those effects will help them know that it is not just decorating houses, it is related to life.”

The students said the interior design department emphasizes interior architecture and design.

How is interior design different from architecture?

“The only differences are some of the emphases,” Flynn said, “we deal more with the interior architecture and the art side of things. The lines are really gray because interior design is a blossoming new field that is still developing.”

The six seniors will be exhibiting their portfolio studio projects, which vary from residential design to commercial projects like healthcare, restaurants and hotels.

The students’ work will stay on exhibition until March 2 in the Sargent Arts Building.