Designing second careers and award-winning projects

What do a former medical receptionist and hospitality professional, an ex-hairstylist and a political scientist have in common?

They all made the bold decision to pivot careers by returning to school at Sheridan. But Natalie Guberney, Gigi Dybalski and Jenny Huggon's similarities don't end there. Barely past the midpoint of their Honours Bachelor of Interior Design degree program, the third-year students have already combined to win several major design competitions — and they could soon be claiming another.

The trio is one of three teams to reach the final of this year’s LIV Design Student Challenge, an annual contest that showcases the top interior design post-secondary students from across the country. Competition host LIV Design Studio will bring each of the finalist entries to life via Augmented Reality at the 2025 Interior Design Show Toronto (Jan. 23-26 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre), where the winner will be announced on stage and receive an $8,000 cash prize.

This year's LIV Design Studio Challenge tasked students with designing a 790-square-foot lobby that functions as a "third space" — a social environment distinct from home (first space) and work (second space) where people gather, interact and build relationships. Guberney, Dybalski and Huggon's design, Crossroads, reimagines a condo lobby as a dynamic community hub featuring an AI-powered digital light wall that changes and evolves throughout the day, flexible seating options and an inviting café.

"We saw pictures of every submission before the finalists were announced, and we thought all the entries were amazing work," says Dybalski. "When we heard we were in the top three, we were all in shock for quite a while."

Given their previous success in design contests, perhaps they shouldn't have been so surprised.

In fact, this isn’t the first time that the three students' work will be on display at IDS Toronto. Last year, Guberney, Dybalski and Huggon won the Metropolitan Design Challenge provincial student competition for Origins, an installation that allowed visitors to interact with Metropolitan Floors' booth. The design used three distinct flooring products to create layers of depth, featured overlapping lines to narrate intricate connections humans share with their planet and communities, and invited users to share their origins by placing a pin on the world map.

Dybalski and Huggon also teamed up to win last year's Staples Professional Academic Prize for Corporate Workplace Design, and were finalists in the 2024 Formica Student Innovation Competition — which attracted entries from across the continent — and in the Emerging Talent Award category of the 2024 Living Luxe national competition.

“We are so very proud of Jenny, Gigi and Nat for continuously pushing the boundaries on how to make design more inspiring and functional for all,” says Interior Design coordinator Miranda Craig. “Their talent, skillset, dedication and humility exemplify how interior designers can have a real impact on our built environment.”

Strong concepts, diverse backgrounds and determination

So, what's been the secret to their success? According to the students, there isn't just one.

"Our professors at Sheridan have driven home the importance of concept, concept, concept, because it's what inspires your design and justifies the choices you make," says Guberney. "Concept is what we spend the most time on in every project, not the renderings or drawings. As long as we all believe in the concept, we've generally been successful."

Their diverse backgrounds have also helped. Guberney, who first became interested in design after helping her parents renovate their cottage during the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen first-hand as a receptionist and hospitality professional how thoughtful design can enhance accessibility and experiences. Dybalski, who has an Arts and Arts History joint degree from Sheridan and the University of Toronto, credits her 16 years as a hairstylist for further developing her artistic eye and attention to detail. Huggon already works as a part-time design consultant and freelancer, and brings strong research skills she built while earning her undergraduate degree in political science.

“As long as we all believe in the concept, we've generally been successful.”

– Natalie Guberney

Finally, they're extremely motivated to make the most of every opportunity — something they attribute to maturity and discovering their true professional passion later in life. Creating projects for competitions like the LIV Design Studio Challenge is extracurricular, so Guberney, Dybalski and Huggon set aside an entire Sunday to create Crossroads during a 13-hour marathon Zoom session.

 "Being older and having life experience has really helped. This program can be very challenging with six courses per semester and several projects due every week, so you've got to be organized and top of things," Huggon says.

"We're good friends so we can be very honest and transparent, telling each other when something doesn't work," adds Dybalski.

"These contests are a great way to be creative outside of class and have something different we can put in our portfolio. We'll keep entering as many of them as we can."

Learn how Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Interior Design provides practical hands-on training in design software, project management, building systems and more.