As director of Farnsworth Group’s Interior Design Department and a certified Interior Design and Facilities Management Specialist, Christina VanDeVelde focuses on applying creative, practical and sustainable interiors that influence the overall tone, mood and productivity of an environment. She meets clients’ needs while considering the realities of time, appropriate materials, project scheduling and budget requirements.
When she started with Farnsworth Group five years ago, VanDeVelde was the only interior design professional in a national company of 300 employees. At the time, many questioned the need for such a position, questions which were quickly put to rest as she established herself and her profession as critical elements in the design process. She has continued to expand her role and influence within the company and now leads one of the largest interior design teams in central Illinois. She knows that successful projects aren’t just about “bricks and mortar”—that every element of interior design, from wall and floor coverings to furniture to color palettes work together to create an atmosphere that influences a facility’s tone, mood and productivity.
VanDeVelde has managed projects and design teams ranging from small renovations to multi-million-dollar projects. In 2009, she was tasked with expanding Farnsworth Group’s interior design department, and today, the group is thriving under her leadership and has been involved in some of the company’s most important projects. Several of her notable Peoria-area projects include the New Hope Apartments, Methodist North, Central Illinois Bank and LexisNexis.
A LEED Accredited Professional, VanDeVelde has earned her National Council for Interior Design qualification and has been published in the International Journal of Construction Education and Research. She is a frequent lecturer at colleges, institutions and conferences, and was awarded the National Ultron DOC Award for the interior design of the Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Denver, Colorado.
In addition to her work commitments, VanDeVelde is a volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she was a team captain and mentor for the 2010 Walk for the Cure, and for The Center for Prevention of Abuse, where she helps serve meals to victims and survivor groups and assists in fundraising for the annual Duck Race.
VanDeVelde serves on the Peoria Promise Young Leaders Advisory Board, and planned and organized a benefit raising $60,000 for Addison Grace Nowlan, a one-year-old who underwent five open heart surgeries after being diagnosed with heart defects. She is also a volunteer for the Children’s Hospital of Illinois, where she served as a telethon VIP, and is a graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School. iBi
