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Steven Webber

Associate Professor

Department of Interior Architecture & Design

Prior to teaching, Steve practiced in the fields of architecture and interior design for more than 10 years for several firms including Gensler. He holds an NCIDQ certification, is a LEED-AP and member of IDEC. His areas of instruction include upper-level undergraduate and graduate design studios, Construction Documents and Survey of Interior Design. His scholarship focuses on interior design pedagogy, design process, and emotional intelligence and empathy/systemizing quotients of interior design students.  He is sole author of Interior Design Fundamentals, 2nd Edition, and has been honored with an FSU Teaching Award. He has served as the Director of Graduate Studies within the Department of Interior Architecture and Design and has served extensively with the Interior Design Educators Council, most recently as President on the Board of Directors.

Education

B.S. Architecture 2001 Lawrence Technological University
B.S. Interior Architecture 2001 Lawrence Technological University
M.Arch. 2005 Lawrence Technological University

Teaching Areas

  • Upper-level undergraduate and MFA, MS Project, and First Professional graduate studio courses
  • Construction Documents
  • Survey of Interior Design

Research Areas

  • Empathy and Systemizing Quotients in designers
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Design pedagogy
  • Design process

Leadership & Awards

Leadership Roles

Interior Design Educators Council Board of Directors, President-Elect (2023-24; President 2024-25; Past President 2025-26).

Interior Design Educators Council Board of Directors, Director of Teaching (2020-23).

FSU Department of Interior Architecture & Design Director of Graduate Studies (2019-23); creation of new First Professional MS Program in Interior Design.

Awards

Service Award, Interior Design Educators Council (2024).

University Undergraduate Teaching Award, FSU (2019).

College of Fine Arts Teaching Award, FSU (2018).

University Teaching Award Nominee, FSU (2016-18).

Recent Scholarly Works

Books

Webber, S. (2024). Interior Design Fundamentals, 2nd edition. New York: Fairchild Books (International).

Webber, S. (2024). Serving the Marginalized through Design Education. Oxfordshire: Routledge (International).

Webber, S. (2019). Interior Design Fundamentals. New York: Fairchild Books (International).

Articles

Londy, T., & Webber, S. (2024). The Design Charrette: Lessons Learned in Seeking Methods to Accelerate Student Learning. Communication + Place (International), 92-106. https://cdn.segd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2023-SEGD-CommunicationPlace.pdf

Webber, S. (2017). Emotional Intelligence in the Interior Design Context. Journal of Interior Design, -. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joid.12103/full doi:10.1111/joid.12103

Webber, S. (2016). The Charrette Design Model Provides a Means to Promote Collaborative Design in Higher Education. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics, 14(1), 84-91. Retrieved from http://www.iiisci.org/journal/sci/issue.asp?is=ISS1601

Book Foreword

Webber, S. (in press). Foreword. In Nisha Ashanthi Fernando (Ed.), Handbook of Interior Architecture. Oxfordshire: Routledge.

Keynote Presentation

Webber, S. B., Mick, M., Londy, T., Chapin, T., & Maggos, J. (presented 2022, November). Creativity, Uncertainty and Social Responsibility in Education. Keynote presentation at Architecture, Media, Politics, & Society International Conference 2022, Architecture, Media, Politics & Society (AMPS), Online. (International)

Conference Presentations

Webber, S. (presented 2025, March). “What if?” Embracing Experimental Design Scenarios in the Design Curriculum. Presentation to be given at 2025 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Chicago, IL USA. (National)

Webber, S., & Orthel, B. (presented 2024, March). My bar, my rules: A visual history of the home bar. In Mariam Wifi (Ed.), 2024 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, New York, New York (pp. 440-447). Indianapolis: IDEC.

Londy, T., & Webber, S. (presented 2023, June). The Design Charrette: Lessons Learned in Seeking Methods to Accelerate Student Learning. Presentation at 2023 SEGD Academic Summit, Society for Experiential Graphic Design, online. (International)

Webber, S., Kimball, L., Anderson, M., Lee, S., & Birkentall, C. (presented 2023, March). Student Design Competitions: Practitioner Perceptions on Hiring and Working with Recent Graduates. Presentation at 2023 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Vancouver, BC Canada. (International)

Webber, S., Kimball, L., Anderson, M., Lee, S., & Birkentall, C. (presented 2023, March). The Future of the IDEC Student Design Competition: Member Perspectives. Presentation at 2023 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Vancouver, BC Canada. (International)

Webber, S., & Sickler, S. (presented 2022, March). Making the Cut: The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Acceptance into a Limited Access Interior Design Program. Presentation at 2022 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Online. (National)

Webber, S. (presented 2021, March). Empathy Quotient: Quantifying the Foundation of Design Thinking. Presentation at 2021 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Online. (National)

Ostrander, C., & Webber, S. (presented 2021, March). Interior Design in State Mental Health Facilities: How Interior Design Elements Can Impact Patient Wellbeing. Poster presentation at 2022 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Online. (National)

Perron, O., & Webber, S. (presented 2021, March). Personality and Personalization: Informing Desk Accessory Design in the Open Office. Poster presentation at 2021 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Online. (National)

Dawkins, J., Huber, A., & Webber, S. (presented 2020, July). Remote Engagement: A Hard Pivot to Embrace Alternative Internship Delivery Methods Produces Unexpected Positive Results. Presentation at 2020 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Symposium, Interior Design Educators Council, Online. (National)

Webber, S. (presented 2020, January). Neuroscience and Emotional Trait Influences Upon Design Process and Outcomes. Presentation at 2020 AMPS Parade: Experiential Design – Rethinking relations between people, objects, and environments, Architecture Media Politics Society, Tallahassee, FL. (International)

Webber, S. (presented 2019, March). Empathy Quotient: Quantifying the Foundation of Design Thinking. Presentation at 2019 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Charlotte, NC. (National)

Webber, S., & Sickler, S. (presented 2019, March). Toward a framework for human-centered design education: Enhancing empathy through experiential learning. Presentation at 2019 Interior Design Educators Council Annual Conference, Interior Design Educators Council, Charlotte, NC. (National)