Andalusia’s Melita Hudson recently won the International Design Association’s Alabama Chapter student day design competition.

Hudson placed first out of 35 participants from the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Samford University and Virginia College.

“I always thought I had a knack for design but never really put myself out there; so in my senior year I decided to enter the contest,” Hudson said. “Much to my surprise, I won. I have never been more ecstatic and am so proud to finally know I made the right decision in choosing interior design as my future profession.”

Hudson entered her design into the retail/restaurant category.

“The project was a coffee shop named Froth. It was a semester-long project, which included onsite research of the floor plans, layouts and ceiling/lighting designs of several existing coffee shops,” she said. “I developed a floor plan, ceiling plan, switching plan and lighting plan for Froth.

“I also built in 3D and showed several views. I calculated the light wattage and coloring rending index, temperature, etc., and used this information to choose the materials and finishes of the space,” she said.

Hudson’s design is handicapped accessible and meets all fire and safety codes, she said.

Hudson, who graduated from UA on Saturday with a bachelor’s degree in interior design with a French minor, said she’s lived all over the United States and traveled to Europe numerous times, even living in Italy for a while.

“I have always loved architecture from the world and always secretly wanted to be in the design field,” she said. “However, all of my family works in the medical-dental field, so naturally, I began my college career under pre-med as a biology and chemistry major.

“This major was not a right fit, so I tried out international business for a while and picked up French as a minor along the way,” Hudson said. “After transferring to the University of Alabama, I looked into the interior design program. I took the intro course, which encompassed a little bit of everything dealing with interior design, and absolutely fell in love.”

Hudson said she made the pains-taking decision to add two years to her college career in making the switch to interior design.

She interned with Davis Architects in Birmingham, and studied abroad in Italy.

“I am currently working as a CAD tech for a plumbing contractor until I find employment in my field,” Hudson said. “I have made contact with a firm in Paris, and would be open to carrying out my career overseas or within the good ole United States.”

She is the daughter of Joey and Toni Thornton of Andalusia, and Dr. Dan and Tammy Hudson of Montgomery.

Her grandparents are Farris and Barbara Norris of Andalusia and Janice Hudson Lindsay and the late Buddy Hudson of Opp.