BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- Traveler’s Cellar Winery is launching a new business inside the old State Street High School Gymnasium. Western Kentucky University Interior Design Students are working to design a portion of the facility that will be the Mustang Speakeasy.
The goal of the project is to replicate the 1920s feel of an authentic speakeasy while giving students the ability to see their designs make it out of the classroom.
The Interior Design Program Director and Professor of the class pursuing this project is Sheila Flener. She says “They can actually go and see it being done, and that’s the cool part of design. You see everything on paper but actually getting to see it being produced, is everything.”
Students are actively working on sketches, picking out materials and finishes, and designing furniture and light plans. This opportunity offers students exposure to what a career as an Interior Designer can look like.
A student in Flener’s class, Gabriel Bradley, says “It was a great first opportunity to step in and be like “oh this has the possibility of coming to life.” Being able to tour around the building that is bare bones and to take pictures, and think “oh now this is real.””
Students are competing against each other for the final design of the Mustang Speakeasy, and students with the top design will also receive a cash prize.