Designers of the future studying in unique program at Lester B. Pearson School Board

Montreal -

For most people, it's daunting to try to model your kitchen or living room after the latest trends. Knowing which colours match and where to put each piece of furniture can be a never-ending puzzle.

For a few people, though, it's the opposite -- and they have a program in Montreal where they can find each other.

Lester B. Pearson’s interior decorating and visual display program is the only one of its kind in English on the Island of Montreal.

“A lot of times students come to us and say 'I'm here because I'm really good at this.' But they don't know why,” said Lory Watkins, an interior designer and teacher.

“As they go through the program, they start understanding the technical reasons why they know what they know and why what they do is correct.”

Watkins says students can go on to do a wide range of things, maybe designing interiors of airplanes or working in visual merchandising for retail companies.

Students learn different aspects of interior design, but also event planning and perspective drawing.

The variety of classes opens doors when graduates enter the workforce, its grads say.

“You could do commercial design, you can do special events, which is like event planning,” said Marielle Maurice Toca, a recent program graduate.

“I would say it's a mix of everything -- it's diverse.”

Student Marco Medina prefers sketching and says it requires a lot of focus and precision.

“You have to think a lot," Medina said. "You have to have a good eye and to be very assertive and a perfectionist with everything."

The program may be the only one like it in town, but it's also been around for decades, which means several generation of likeminded Montrealers drawn together -- and lots of networking opportunities.

“We have a lot of graduates return looking for skills that they need because they grow their business and they need help,” Watkins said.

“The best thing about the program is the students get jobs.”