{"id":371300,"date":"2026-04-09T14:05:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/371300\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:05:20","slug":"2026-industry-partnered-sample-room-strengthens-workplace-readiness-for-tut-interior-design-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/371300\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 | Industry-partnered Sample Room strengthens workplace readiness for TUT Interior Design students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teaching and learning in the Faculty of Arts & Design\u2019s Interior Design Department has become more hands-on with the launch of a Sample Room, powered by student creativity and industry collaboration.<\/p>\n


\n\t\"Sample-Room\"\/
\n\tThe new Sample Room at the Department of Interior Design will greatly \tenhance teaching and learning by making both tactile and digital \tcatalogues available to students.
\nIn interior design, a sample room is essential for exploring and specifying materials. It enables informed decisions about material application, sustainability, maintenance and aesthetic qualities, helping students design in response to real client requirements.<\/p>\n

The Sample Room initiative began as a\u00a0student competition\u00a0within the third-year\u00a0Building Practice III\u00a0module in\u00a02023. Following the selection of the winning proposal by the student team\u00a0The Visioneers, the Department collaborated with industry partners to bring the concept to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department worked closely with industry partner\u00a0Kayreed Board\u00a0and\u00a0Timber\u00a0to complete the project,\u201d said\u00a0Jaco Steenkamp, lecturer and project coordinator, during the launch on 7 April.<\/p>\n

Kayreed Board and Timber contributed materials, time and expertise to refine the final design. Kayreed also worked with\u00a0Fit Hardware\u00a0to ensure the cabinetry was fitted with high-quality hardware.<\/p>\n

Additional collaborators helped create the space:\u00a0AkzoNobel Dulux\u00a0prepared and painted the room, while RAW Modular\u00a0and\u00a0Rubio Monocoat\u00a0developed bespoke signage to strengthen the room\u2019s identity and functionality.<\/p>\n

TUT\u2019s Directorate: Teaching and Learning with Technology\u00a0equipped the room with touchscreen displays, which link directly to the Autospec digital specification system.<\/p>\n


\n\t\"Jaco-Steenkamp39\"\/
\n Jaco Steenkamp, lecturer at the Department of Interior Design and project leader, speaking at the launch.
\nSteenkamp said: \u201cWhile the concept aligns with established industry practices, this dedicated space will significantly strengthen the Department\u2019s teaching and learning offering, embedding practical, hands-on engagement with materials and sustainable design approaches.\u00a0Design cannot only exist on paper. It should be touched, tested and explored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inge Newport, Head of Department, said the room builds on a long-standing vision for a learning space where students can view, interact with and compare materials, supported by integrated digital platforms for cataloguing, specification and sample board creation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the integration of touchscreens, students can engage with both the physical and digital worlds of material and seamlessly share their selected specifications to their devices,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n


\n\t\"56Inge-Newport\"\/
\n\tA proud moment for Inge Newport, Head of the Department of Interior Design, as she cuts the ribbon during the launch of the Sample Room.
\nNewport said the space also aims to strengthen industry connections: \u201cWe hope the room will be an inspirational support environment for our students and serve as a communication hub for industry suppliers to stay connected with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the Sample Room is envisioned as a dynamic space that will continually showcase innovative developments in the ever-advancing landscape of interior design.<\/p>\n

The Visioneers team members \u2013 Gugulethu Matjeni, Gomolemo Nkoane, Kgubo Moshia, Jeffery Nokeri and Dinah Skhosana \u2013 were also in attendance to see their design come to life.<\/p>\n


\n\t\"62Visioneers\"\/
\n The Visioneers who designed the Sample Room. In the photo, from left to right: Dinah Skhosana, Gugulethu Matjeni, Jeffery Nokeri, Gomolemo Nkoane and Kgubo Moshia. Onkhopotse Motlauthi (Absent).
\nThey said they drew on one another\u2019s strengths to ensure the design worked and highlighted that the biggest benefit of the room is that it enables students to explore and specify the materials used in their practical design projects.<\/p>\n

All members of the group are currently employed in the interior design industry.<\/p>\n

The Department thanked all its team members, industry partners, The Visioneers and the Directorate: Teaching and Learning with Technology\u00a0for making this project a reality.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\"66-The-Sample-Room\"\/
\n The Sample Room would not have been possible without industry collaboration and support. Pictured here are representatives, from left to right: TUT, Rubio Monocoat, Fit Hardware, AutoSpec, Kayreed Board and Timber, Raw Modular and Akzonobel Dulux.
\n
\n\t\"65-Interior-Design-staff\"\/
\n\tDepartment of Interior Design staff members pictured at the event, from left to right: Jaco Steenkamp, Nomvula Khumalo, Shirley Ledwaba, Rochelle Scheepers, Inge Newport, Hanneri Barnard, Kholofelo Maluleke and Bongani Madonsela. \n<\/p>\n

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PHOTOS: Didintle Morudu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Teaching and learning in the Faculty of Arts & Design\u2019s Interior Design Department has become more hands-on with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-371300","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}