live, love, and sketch

The Greenhouse | Final

2009-12-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

The Hatchery | Brain storming

2009-11-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

My concept for the Hatchery has taken me in a direction that I am SO ok with. In the previous entry, I was conceptualizing about how Greensboro is like a forest and Elm street is a small clearing within that forest that needs a little tender love and care. After sitting at my desk and sketching out different ideas, the word "Greenhouse" popped into my head. Greenhouse. It makes so much sense. It is a place where plants are grown from nothing, into thriving and flourishing organisms. This is my concept. In fact, I've even decided to change the name of the store to "The Greenhouse" instead of "The Hatchery." (The name is even perfect for it location. Think about it. It's in the city of Greensboro. Down the street from the green bean and Natty Greene's. It fits like a little happy puzzle piece.

Above is a perspective of the view of the Greenhouse from the front door. This is just the retail area. I'm wanting to utilize the second floor also, and have it be a loft area to look down into the first floor space. The tall thin structures are going to be made of acrylic, or another durable material. They are placed at random intervals in the center of the space, around the central cashwrap. They are each a different height, no more that 20' and no less than 10'. After each year, students will take big acrylic colorful beads and slide them onto the tall structures, creating a time piece within space. As time goes by, the space gets visually more and more dense with these beads that are placed on the many vertical structures. Also, the surrounding materials are all going to be white and reflective. As time goes on, the color from the light bouncing onto these surfaces from colorful beads will grow and change.

This floor plan is not to scale. I was just playing around with the spacing of the different rooms. I realize now that this is going to have to be completely reworked because the actual space is a LOT more narrow than I have drawn it. My idea for the entire space was that as someone moves back, the glass walls dividing up the rooms would become more and more dense until they get to the performance/ exhibition area, which is completely opaque. I was thinking about using 3form glass, although I'm still searching for material options.
Here are a few different logos that I thought of replacing the Hatchery's egg logo with. Personally, I like the top right one. I think it speaks best to the concept.
This is the cashwrap, for the moment. In the front of it, there is a recess that has cords strung vertically all along it. There are beads strung neatly on it, giving it the same sort of feel as the huge structures around it. It is a minuscule version of them. I'm going to try to have lots of verticalities happening throughout the entire store in different scales. Verticality helps speak to the greenhouse concept.
These panels are going to be hung from the ceiling of the second floor and pointed at the vertical structures. They are abstractions of tree limbs, and also serve as luminaires for the space. They have a strip of LED lights on the top of them, shooting the light up to the ceiling, which would reflect it softly back down to rest of space.

The upper image is of the retail area, below the hangover from the second floor. This wall is where paintings from students are to be hung, as well as merchandise that is to be sold. There are vertical reveals at varying heights all along the wall. There are little latches within these reveals that shelves can be attached to for merchandise. Hooks can also be attached to them for artwork. This allows for great flexibility, so the retail space can morph a little, depending on the stuff they have to sell. Also, there is a track system on the floor and ceiling that vertical panels can be placed into. These panels will prevent the playful colors that are emmited from the large structures from interfering with the displayed artwork. (There are track lights on the ceiling that can point towards art, making it easier to see the piece as it was originally intended by the artist.)

After researching greenhouses a little, I noticed that glass, light, and metal play an enormous role in pretty much every greenhouse. I'm still deciding what I want to do in the space, but so far, I think I'm going in the right direction. The more I design for it, the more excited I get about it.

The Hatchery | Concept Research

2009-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

A forest is a mass of elements that depend on one another to grow and thrive. A forest, like anything else, builds from the ground up. It starts out small and quite simple. A few trees, a few plants, a few animals. Then, with time and the help of the components within, it builds on top of itself and begins to flourish into a lush, dense mass where everything helps everything else.

Greensboro's artsy reputation is endearing to its citizens, old and new. I imagine a person, coming to Greensboro for the first time, meandering up and down the streets in between the tall buildings of Downtown Greensboro. In my imagination, this image of this visitor is taking more of an abstract form, so bare with me and try to visualize this. I see them wandering through a forest--a thriving, flourishing forest where everything is interesting, vibrant, and intriguing. The light feathers in gently through the trees as they pick their path, careful to avoid stampedes of cheetahs and monkeys (cars and bikes..heehee). As they walk into different coves (the stores), they are inspired and mesmerized by what they see. (Are you visualizing this? Bare with me, its not over.) The person sees a clearing in the forest ahead. Even though its brighter because there are less trees, it somehow seems darker. As they linger closer, they start to zero in on slight changes in the environment around them. The vibrancy of the forest dims to a dull hue. The trees surrounding the clearing look a little charred, Finally, they reach the threshhold of this strange clearing and realize that there had been a fire here--not a terrible one, but one that destroyed what that immediate area needed to survive. The person sees tiny signs of life, like baby grass growing back on the ground, and moss covering the charred trees, signifying that this poor little clearing it isn't past the point of no return. Its just a patient, desolate plane in the middle of this thriving forest, waiting for new inhabitants to help it become useful and beautiful once again.

Ok, abstraction over. Here's the translation. This person, intrigued by all of what Greensboro has to offer, stumbles upon South Elm street and notices that there isn't much happening on a small part of it. Most of the stores are vacant, and the majority of the ones that aren't, look like they soon will be. Compared to the rest of Downtown Greensboro, that area is a little dead and needs a lot of work. In order to make it thrive like the rest of it, though, it needs inhabitants that are willing to put forth the correct amount of resources that it needs to re-flourish.

That being said, I haven't though as much about the actual design of the interior of the Hatchery, which, we all know, resides in the midst of this poor, desolate, charred area of downtown Greensboro. I know for a fact that I want lots of vertical elements within it, symbolizing the vertical element within any forest that one decides to wander through. There will be a cutout in the middle of the second floor, allowing these vertical elements to shoot up very high, creating that feeling of wonderful vertigo for the people walking around the retail space. So I won't be in the risk of my space looking too much like an actual forest, I am going to adopt inorganic manmade materials. Galvanized steel? Cement? Acrylic? Lacquered walls? I'm still debating, but I know that materiality and color are going to be quite different from an actual forest. As a person walks through the space, I want light somehow to be filtered in from different places above, giving it that walking-through-a-forest feel. The bottom floor would be darker (making that perfect for hanging artwork and aiming lights at it to highlight them) and the second floor to be lighter because it is up in the "canopy" of the forest. These are my thoughts so far--nothing too concrete, but I think I'm going in the right direction...at least I hope I am.

The Hatchery | Concept Research

2009-10-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

The above three images were all from http://www.insider-worldwide.com/interior_design_london_tours/

The three images above remind me of the renaissance festival that I visit every fall in Huntersville. The top image reminds me of a castle. The two bottom images look organic, woodsy, and handcrafted. I think this might be a good concept for the Hatchery because the “Renaissance” times were filled with artisans, all collaborating and working together to create new works of art, which is what the hatchery is all about. We are creating this space to expose the very talented artisans within the walls of UNCG to the rest of the Greensboro community.

Material-wise, I want the walls to be gray brick, with predetermined shapes at regular intervals cut out in it and lights (light the picture above) will be placed within them. This might be just one band on the wall near the ceiling, and maybe angled up at the ceiling. I don’t want that detail to compete with the artwork being sold within the retail space. The grey brick walls loosely symbolize castle walls and the materiality within these walls will be a woodsy, organic feel. I don’t want this to be too renaissance-themed, but I do want it to have the same feel with materiality and shapes used within the space.

The Hatchery | Bubble Diagrams

2009-10-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Hatchery | Inventory Investigation

2009-10-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

The inventory of the Hatchery would consist of products from all of the different fine arts departments at UNCG.

The Art department could sell, of course, their works of art. This includes sculptures, drawings, paintings, and other artifacts they create. People specializing in photography can take beautiful photos of Greensboro and sell them as post cards.

Some people in the music school could sell their compositions they have written, if said compositions are particularly outstanding. Or if any students at UNCG have a CD that they have had recorded of themselves and their instruments, they could sell those there.

Students from the creative writing department could sell poems and stories they have written. There would be a great opportunity for collaboration between this and the art students. Maybe the art students could illustrate for the stories. Or the poems could written atop of a painting to make a cool piece of art.

The CARS department at UNCG can design clothing to sell within the shop. That would be a good incentive for them to design well-crafted clothing--the idea that it is actually going in a real store and going to be for sale. A good idea for collaboration between students would be that a graphic artist student could design a graphic and it could be printed onto t-shirts.

This is only a few ideas of pieces of art that can be sold within the store. I think that once we all put our heads together, many many more ideas will emerge. Once the idea was introduced that students from different departments could come together and work on pieces of art, the possibilities for creativity really opened up.

The Hatchery | Precedent Research

2009-10-12T21:54:00.001-07:00

Before diving into the design of the hatchery, it is a wise idea to first look at other places that have a similar concept and elements as the hatchery. So lets start with that, shall we?

Elsewhere
Elsewhere is a museum in downtown Greensboro. It is very peculiar, but in a good way. Elsewhere is FILLED with stuff. Everywhere. As soon as you walk in, you feel like you've been enveloped by the place where your socks go when they disappear from the rest of your clothing in the dryer. Or maybe you feel like you've just fallen into the abyss between your sofa cushions. Confused? Me too. What happens in this space is that artists from all over come to elsewhere to morph its "stuff" and use it as inspiration for their works. The space is constantly shifting--its different every time I go in (which isn't a lot because, frankly, I feel like if I go too much, my chances of getting lost forever are much higher..)

The reason elsewhere is part of my precedent research is because the Hatchery is all about collaboration and the arts. In elsewhere, you can find everything you aren't looking for. There isn't a surface that isn't covered with stuff from way-back-when. The items are mostly all from decades ago, and its fun to sit and think about the people that used them or the kids that played with them. All of those things started out in different places all over the world, and now ended up in this weird space to serve a purpose far from its original intent--to inspire. When I walked in about a week ago, I was inspired! I started snapping pictures with my camera right away and ended up with these pictures that I find beautiful pieces of art in themselves:

So the moral of this story is; I think Elsewhere is a great place to remember while designing the Hatchery because it is a collaborative space that inspires people as soon as they step foot inside its doors. The hatchery should be inspirational to people too.

For more information about elsewhere, visit their website here. Or just go there!

Fairy Flair Boutique
^This is the facade of the store. Picture taken from here.^
^A fairy dress. This picture taken from here^

This boutique resides where my mother lives--in Mooresville, NC. It is a quaint little store that sells, you guessed it, fairy paraphernalia! Fairy-like dresses, wings, books, little statues, you name it. How cute. Reason its a precedent, you ask? Well. The woman that owns the store actually makes all of the clothing that she sells. While walking through the store, I can tell she focused predominantly of the textures throughout the store, many of which lie with the clothing. Sandy Hlavin, the owner/designer, works closely with clients to design the perfect dress for them. She understands the importance of listening to her clients and working hard to achieve an attractive outcome. Do you want a fairy outfit too? Here's her website! Click here!

The Coffee Break
^Both of the above photos taken from the Coffee Break website^

The Coffee Break is close to campus and serves delicious coffee. It provides a quaint atmosphere for lounging comfortably while sipping a hot mocha, whilst reading the Carolinian, doing a crossword puzzle, or facebooking on a laptop. What I really like about the coffee break, and why I've chosen it as a part of my research is because their is always local artwork for sale that is hanging on the walls. That's actually the main reason I go there a lot--to look at the artwork. It seems to bring in a lot of business.

The Carolina Renaissance Festival

^Pictures taken from the Carolina Renaissance Festival website^

Located in Huntersville, North Carolina, there is a fair that happens every October and November. It is filled with artisans of all types that come together and create an experience for its paying visitors. It has a fantasy-like Renaissance theme. As one walks through the fair, they pass by glass-blowers, pewter figurine-makers, painters, musicians, quirky plays, dancers, and many, many more. They each have a different talent to give and all of their talents add up to an amazing experience. For me, just being in the presence of so many people who have a passion for the arts makes me want to go straight home and pick up my sketchbook and start sketching away. Hopefully the hatchery will evoke that same feeling of inspiration in its visitors.

Etsy.com
^pic taken from Etsy.com^

This is a website that allows people to sell their own artwork over the internet. It works kind of in the way ebay does. You put pictures up of your art, show your price, and people who love it contact you and voila! You're artwork has been sold. Even though this precedent differs from the Hatchery because of the fact it is online, it still has kind of the same idea. There is a tab on the site that says "Customs." Once one clicks on it, they can choose from an array of different artists and request from them a custom piece of artwork. The Hatchery also has the consultation area within it for this exact reason.

The Hatchery | Intro

2009-10-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

This new project is one that I am SO excited to start. We showed up to class about a week ago, and a grad student, miss Ashley Boycher, was waiting patiently to start her presentation. A while ago, I'm not sure how long, some people in Greensboro collaborated to design a space in downtown Greensboro that would showcase student work, as well as let people buy some of it. This space is called "The Hatchery." It would have four different spaces within it: A retail space for student work to be sold to the public; A collaboration area that would allow people from different departments to, well, collaborate, and create art together using their different skills; A consultation area for students to meet with clients; and an exhibition/performance space, which is pretty self explanatory.

It's an amazing idea because this space would bridge gaps between departments, as well as let the Greensboro community know what is going on within the walls of UNCG. Our whole city is known for its artistic vibe, and this space would only accentuate that.

Painting the Shoes Red

2009-10-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Diana and I dipped lots and lots of shoes in red paint! They're for our guerrilla marketing project for the new Salvation Army store that we are helping to design. We are going to set them up in installations in high traffic areas around the store. We had SOOOO much fun doing this--I mean, this is something that we've never been allowed to do before. Whose parents would have dared let their children dip their shoes in paint?? None that I know.

What really made me happy about it was that the actual dipping of the shoes was also kind of a guerrilla marketing strategy in itself. Students (along with a couple visiting families) did a double-take as they passed, made a u-turn, and started chirping questions to us about what the heck we were doing. Hopefully, the image of us dipping shoes in red paint was weird enough of a memory for it to stand out to them, and they will pass it on to their friends later. Voila! Now people know a little more about Salvation Army by word-of-mouth. Anything to raise awareness. Hopefully we'll keep getting shoes so we can do this again next weekend and confuse more people. In the meantime, here are some cool images from the weekend.

Reuse Group | Display Ideas

2009-09-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Displays for Salvation Army

2009-09-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

We are helping to design the new Salvation Army Select store. We are the creative minds, putting the finishing touches on it. This means that we get the joy of doing the displays within the store. The "bones" of the store has already been designed. Our retail design class gets to be the creative source that breathes life into the space. We get to give the customers the warm fuzzy feeling that is so often felt when one gets to reinvent themselves by buying new (or in this case, gently used) clothes. I think most of us are leaning towards the displays having a boutiquey, vintage feel--a classy and antique touch. On our field trip to Anthropologie, one of the display fixtures they had was this table with a smoked and tarnished mirror as one of its surfaces. Its flawed surface caught my eye. The fact that it was hard to make out images in it, and the way the light was softly distorted in it--well, lets just say that I desperately want to use tarnished mirrors somewhere in the store. I think its a beautiful material to work with. I imagine the image above to be on the wall in front of the dressing rooms. Right now it is just blank, and there needs to be something there. Also, it is quite dark back there, so having a reflective surface would help brighten up the space.
The display above that I have designed also incorporates the tarnished mirror circles. I used my walk through greensboro as inspiration for this. It had rained earlier that day and I noticed lots of leaves. The mirrors, along with the leather straps that hang mimic the shape of a raindrop. There is also leaves and moss/fake grass placed under the mannequins, giving the space an outdoorsy feeling. Also, placed within the leaves are some red shoes that we have been collecting/painting to incorporate our guerrilla marketing strategy. I like the idea of having a two mock walls behind the platform. This gives us as designers more to work with space-wise. Also, I have designed my own platform, just for the sake of my display areas. I think this one works well because it subtle enough to be very versatile, yet still goes with the rest of the fixtures in the store because of its white paint, and rectangular reveal that pierces through it on all sides.

I decided that this display would be up around back-to-school season. Many old, leather bound books would be stacked around, with our red shoes, sitting strategically on the stacks and platform. This, to me, has a vintage and sophisticated feel--a feeling I adore.

An Inspiring Walk Through Greensboro

2009-09-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

The pictures above are the products of my wonderful photography skills. I decided to take a walk through a neighborhood in Greensboro this weekend. I snapped pictures of things that tickled my fancy. Sometimes, in order to get inspired, all you have to do is open your eyes.

p.s. i LOVE editing photos. I think it might be my forte. Perhaps I should look for an internship doing photography. hmmm...something to ponder.

Inspiration

2009-09-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, I was driving back home from work and it started to rain. I stopped at one of the very annoying stoplights between my apartment and work and my attention was caught by a raindrop, rolling its way down my windshield. I adjusted the focus of my eyes to see all of the raindrops more clearly instead of just looking past them (probably not a good idea when I'm supposed to be waiting for a red light to change to green..but I'm just so easily distracted.) I noticed right then just how beautiful they were. The way they picked up the light and distorted the image beyond the window was just lovely. Perhaps I can use this concept in design somehow.

Timepieces

2009-09-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hello all! As a continuation of our store that we conceptually created, our class was given a new task: to design three different time pieces that could fit into the store. They had to somehow document the passage of time while also keeping the concept of the store in mind.

This first idea is my favorite--I think it goes with my concept the best. I researched different ways (other than clocks) to tell the passage of time. Two really interesting things that I found was the hourglass and the act of counting tree rings to tell the age of the tree. I thought of how neat it would be to combine those two ideas into one beautiful timepiece. I think both of the elements used (sand and wood) go very well with my concept. I decided to take the "zen garden" approach to my project. As we all know, the zen garden's main element is sand--thus, the hourglass. Also, I knew that the zen garden came from the Japanese. When I think of japanese design, I think "symmetry," "geometry," and "simplicity." I also remember that they use lots of wood in their design.

The timepiece designed below is my interpretation of the combining of these two ideas. I decided to place it on the back wall of the store behind the cashwrap. All of my materials in the store lead the eye back to that point. I placed an hourglass-like installation within a wooden circle. The sand within the hourglass takes a full year to fall completely to the bottom. The wooden circle consists of four rings that are all stained different shades (the lightest on the outside, and darkest on the inside--this creates visual depth.) Each ring represents one of the four seasons. One can tell what season it is currently, based on the level of sand. When it reaches a new ring, that indicates a new season. The sand in the hourglass counts the tree rings. The whole timepiece (or, timewheel, as I like to call it) can be rotated from the back of the wall when the year is finished. To me, this is the most interesting and most calming piece.

The next idea I though of for a timepiece is illustrated below. It would be placed at the same place as the previous timepiece (obviously, the store would only have one or the other of these timepieces.) After researching a zen garden, I found myself captivated by the ripples in the sand. I wanted to capture that texture and imitate it in a larger scale up on the wall. To do that, I decided that my back wall would be a textured wall. One time while researching, I came across a wall located in the Fort Lauderdale airport that seemed to mimic the undulating ripples of zen garden sand. The way the light hit the wall was incredible. (A picture of this wall is a couple posts down in my inspiration photos.) I decided to have a wall like this in my space, made out of molded plaster. I thought about the passage of time and decided to use two bamboo stalks as clock hands. There would be no numbers on this "clock," just the shadow of the bamboo on the ripples behind it.

For my last idea, I thought that I would take a bit of a different approach. Both of my previous ideas are at a large scale, so I thought I would also create a timepiece at a smaller scale--something that could be set around the store. Going along with the concept of "silent stone," and my continuation of the concept, "zen garden," I realized that since the common denominator between the two is the stone, I would create a stone replica that would tell the time. Now, I don't mean that I'm just going to slap a little clock on top of a random stone--I'm wanting to have really nice glowing stones, sprinkled throughout the display areas of the store. They would be made out of a thick, slightly textured acrylic. Inside would be a light that is set to a timer and changes colors depending on the time of day. It changes slowly from a robins egg blue during the morning to a grassy green during noon time. From there it changes to a pale, sunset pink for evening, and then to a dark indigo for when night comes around. In order to change the batteries, all one has to do is slide open a well hidden bottom compartment that sits flush with the rest of the stone.

Materials Presentation

2009-09-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the material presentation I talked about in the previous post. I think I might make some make some minor changes to it before I print it out. But I think from looking at it, the feeling that I want to convey is very apparent. I'm so glad I found the wall covering picture (shown reflecting each other on either side of the board.) It is pretty perfect--even the flowers in it have the rosy warm pop that I was envisioning in my head for the store. Yay.

New Project!!

2009-09-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

New project alert! It is nearing the end of our second week back to school. What's due tomorrow, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. It's a digital material presentation board for a new store that we are going to be designing. For this project, we were GIVEN the concept. Let me stress how meaningful that is--coming up with a concept for any new project is so challenging. It is actually one of my favorite parts of the design process, but gah, it gives me headaches. When coming up for something that your whole project is going to be based on or inspired by, so many ideas are running through your head, and it is difficult to pick just one. Or sometimes, you can't think of any. So for miss Suzanne to just hand me my concept on a silver platter (actually, I picked it out of a plastic tub), that completely skipped the "oh my gosh, what the heck is this whole thing going to be about" part of the process. It is a good way to start off the year, I think. We're getting back into the swing of things slowly.

Anyway, for my little store, I'm going to be selling perfume and cosmetics and my concept is: (drumroll, please) Silent Stones.

Did you just say "Huh?" because that was my exact reaction. I really didn't know what it was. I started researching it and for a couple days really kind of drew a blank a to which direction I should take it. At first I thought that I wanted to set up different beautiful, lit up displays around a dimly lit room and they would symbolize rock formations. After a meeting with the class, though, I rethought that and went back to the concept.

What is a stone? How does "silent stone" make me feel? Where are stones found? I thought of the feel of a stone. What differentiates between a rock and a stone?

After being in this state of mind, my thoughts were flooded with relaxing images in nature. Already at this point, I like where this was heading much more than the lousy 'rock formation' idea. What was I thinking? That had no substance. This store is going to feel spa-like and slightly japanese inspired. I'll have my actual materials presentation up tomorrow, but for now, here's some images that inspired me.

First Assignment of the year? Go shopping!

2009-08-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

My studio class this semester is focusing on retail design. I absolutely love going to stores and just looking around and figuring out what exactly it is that creates the ambiance. This semester is going to be lots of fun! To kickstart things, our first assignment is to go to five different stores and take note of its materials, lighting, and pretty much anything that contributes to its design. I decided to focus on these five: Abercrombie & Fitch, IKEA, Earthbound Trading Company, Sun & Ski, and Bass Pro Shop. The last three, I found at Concord Mills over the weekend.

Abercrombie & Fitch

I chose this store because I’ve worked there for the past two years, so I pretty much know every nook and cranny of the place. As soon as one walks in their eyes have to adjust to the sudden darkness. The lighting coming from above is recessed way into the ceiling, creating a spotlight affect on whatever is directly above the bulbs. Located on the ceiling near the walls is track lighting, which is pointed at the clothing or pictures on the walls, much like it is used at art galleries. The walls are painted a dusty shade of gray, framed in white wood molding. Abercrombie uses wood a lot throughout the store. The floor is hardwood that is painted a shiny black that lets the lights reflect vibrantly off of it. All of the tables are wood, as well. Only they are a rich, cherry hue that really adds warmth to the otherwise cold rooms. (An occasional very tall, and very fake plant helps with this too.) Near the center of the store where the fitting rooms and register is located, there is a material change on the floor from the shiny black wood to dull concrete. I can only imagine that it is like that to break up the room a little and signify that that particular area has a specific function. That was a pretty smart design idea. I will remember it.

Here is an example of how one of the walls of the store looks. See how the lights have that spotlight effect on the clothing and picture?

IKEA

I have been to the IKEA in Charlotte before and loved it! I recommend it to everyone. At first glance, IKEA has a warehouse-type feel. That’s because, let’s face it, it is a huge warehouse. The main material on the floor is concrete and it is huge and open. What caught my attention about it, though, was the material changes on the floor when little room displays were set up. With every different display was a different floor material. I don’t know why that baffles me so much. I just think about how long that must have taken to install so many different kinds of flooring. It made me realize, though, how much a room can change depending on just one element of design. So many restaurants and stores that I go to disappoint me so much because they just forgot about doing something interesting with the floor and even the ceiling. They just focus on the walls. But when designing an area, it’s important to think about EVERYTHING. You’re designing the whole room—that’s what is going to make people have the best experience. IKEA was such an inspiration to me and opened my eyes a little more.

This photo belongs to Judy Hedding. I didn't take it. Its on here because it shows the material change on the ground, as well as shows how its a warehouse. Notice the trellis-like ceiling? I thought that was really cool. I like things that create the illusion of a ceiling.

Earthbound Trading Company

My mother and I went to Concord Mills (a huge outlet mall in Concord, NC) over the weekend and I got to go to my favorite store in the whole mall. Earthbound Trading Company is a small store that has products in it from a hodgepodge of different cultures. I don’t really like going in because of the stuff that they sell, but rather because I simply enjoy the way it feels. My absolute favorite part of it is how it uses the lights that it sells as the main lighting for the store. Hanging down from the ceiling are many ornate Japanese paper lights. They look like they just floating gently in the air, casting a soft glow on everything below them. Sigh. I love lighting. Another interesting thing about the store is how the owners chose to display merchandise on the wall. Instead of hanging things right on the wall, there are actually bright yellow acrylic rectangle panels that are mounted on the wall at regular intervals all around the room. The yellow against the very dark blue wall contributes to the starlight effect that the lights were making from above. They also created a very nice steady rhythm across the room. It felt very pleasant to be in. Hmm. Lighting and Rhythm. Noted.

^Here are the yellow panels I wrote about. They lined every wall. That is a good way to bring order to chaos--have a shape that repeats over and over.

This is a little doodle I did of the lights in Earthbound. They felt so festive and peaceful..all at once.

Sun & Ski Sports

This store isn’t my favorite; we went in because my mother just had to see if they had a good sale on sweaters, so I was dragged in against my will. Once I was in there and wiped the grimace off my face, though, I looked around and liked some of the ideas the designers were trying to execute (even if it was done kind of poorly, in my opinion.) The main material for flooring in the store was an ugly wall to wall carpet. What caught my eye, though, was that there was a stone path that led the customers around the store, weaving gently in and out of different sections. Once I took note of that, I looked up and noticed, to my surprise, that the whole store was made to look like you were standing outside in the middle of a little mountain ski village. The walls were all one massive panoramic picture of a beautiful snowy mountain range. There were facades placed around the store along the wall, made to look like store fronts. It was very bright because there were clerestory windows way above me, as well as a bunch of fluorescent lighting (ick), which probably felt closest to daylight during the night. So, in conclusion, I still dislike the store, but I took away some good ideas from it.

If ever there was a time to do wall paper, it would be for something like this.

Bass Pro Shop

Ahh, the paradise of the hunter and fisher. I must say, though, even though I’m not much into either sport, I enjoy this store every time I walk through it. It is pretty huge with what seems to be twenty foot ceilings. At least. The floor is a polished concrete that changes colors slightly every now and again, which adds nice visual interest. There is a high usage of wood throughout the store. The tables for the clothing are all wood, as well as cute little furnishings that add to the rustic ambiance. At one point in the middle of the store, the ceiling shoots up to its highest point of maybe thirty feet. This allows some clerestory windows to nestle in nicely in the wall, high above the main path in the store. These windows let daylight pour into the store and make it feel open and friendly. (This is illustrated in the pictures below.) One little detail that I thought was a great idea was the fact that while letting the cement dry, the designers stamped different molds of animal feet in the cement to make it look like bears, birds, etc had been walking around the store. I like the idea of having a sense of humor in design and doing a little something that is just fun. It has to be well thought out, though. (This is also in a picture below.) I’m sorry to say that there is a plethora of dead and mounted animals intermingled in with all of these good ideas. Sigh.

In conclusion, I learned to be more observant of my surroundings when I am out and about. Once you open your eyes and pay close attention to where you are, its amazing to recognize the thought (or lack thereof) that went into different environments.

Until next time,

-J

Hear we are again

2009-08-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

That's right! Another year of Interior Architecture has began. I'm back in the computer lab in the art studio at school, tip-tapping away at the computer. I've found that over the summer, I've forgotten a lot about what I learned last semester--this statement particularly pertains to the more technical aspect of the major. I was on photoshop today and I had trouble drawing a simple rectangle. What's wrong with me?? Looks like I need to get back in gear. I intend to be much more attentive to my blog this semester. I don't want it to be something that I merely have to do just to satisfy a requirement for my class. I want to feel a proud senses of ownership over it. So be ready for a lot more blog-loving on my end.

I'll keep you posted!!

-J

Hipster Haven--final project of '09

2009-05-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

As you may have guessed from the text box above, the name of this project is "Hipster Haven." Our objective:: Create living spaces for young adults within a nearby warehouse. These living spaces should have sleeping lofts, and be no larger than 30' x 30'. After being given the project, we took a mini field trip to the warehouse that our school uses for storage. This building was our canvas--and as soon as we stepped foot inside it, every student's mind was busy channeling their creative energy and imagining what amazing things they could do with the space.

The first part of the project, we paired off and figured out the basic floorplan of the entire building in our pairs. I chose my pal Anna as my partner. We quickly realized that we wanted our space to be centered around the arts. Some of the living spaces we created were attached to art studios and a long stretch of the spaces were art galleries. Greensboro is thriving with artists, so we really wanted to capture and utilize that energy in our building.

In addition to our decision to have art spaces in the warehouse, Anna and I also decided to alter the structure of the whole building. We conceptually stripped away the roof, leaving the walls and floors exposed to the elements. On all of the units, we chose to have roofs made of triple pained, tinted glass. The special thing about these roofs, though, is the dramatic way we put them together. Some rooflines reach high up into the sky, some are asymmetrical, some are subtle. The reason we did this was because once one views those rooflines alltogether, it becomes a cityscape with a beautiful skyline, echoing the urban feel of Greensboro. The walkways to the seperate units (which are all made of brick) are mainly outside, with a roof jutting out from an occassional unit here and there. Located behind some of the units are beautiful gardens, with ivy-covered trellaces over them.

Below is the front of one of the art galleries with an implied skyline, giving the viewer an idea of that the outside of the building might look like.
After the pairs of students came up with their plans for the whole building, the next part of the project came: We were to split up and individually pick a unit in our building. Then we were to design it, paying attention to the client, and using green materials. The following is my unit in our artsy warehouse.

Floorplans: downstairs
upstairs

As you can see, the sleeping loft shoots over the middle of the bottom floor. You can see the bottom floor from both sides of the loft. The bottom of the loft creates a faux ceiling for some of the bottom floor.

Perspectives:

Above is a view of what the unit would look like as soon as one walks in the front door. Over to the right is the stairs , leading up to the sleeping loft. If the view is shifted to the left a little, you could see the door leading to the bathroom, right next to the display area and bar.

Here is a better look at the display area. right around the corner is the kitchen, equipped with stainless steel appliances, and counters made of "Paperstone," which is a Green, lead certified, material that is made from recycled paper.

This area is located in the top righthand side of the bottom floorplan. I didn't want to have the typical eight foot high, sheet rock walls that usually designates rooms in a space. So I decided to have three foot high planters that implied a space within them. This creates a more open and airy feel.

Here is a closer view at one of the planters. This one has negative space under it that can be used to display knick-knacks and books.

Here is a view of the bathroom. I wanted to show the color scheme in here because you see it again upstairs in the sleeping loft.

The sleeping loft is very simple--a dresser on one side, desk on the other, with a bed and closet. The things that make it interesting are the popping colors.

Materials Presentation:

The floor in the unit is going to be the original concrete floor that was already there before the building was reconstructed. Dark Bamboo lines the bottom of brick walls. The left wall is an olive green that brings warmth into the space.

Stair Detail:
Stair Sketch Model:

The stairs are my favorite part of the unit. They are half open-tread, and half closed-tread. The brick wall extends out to form the risers of the stairs. It only extends out about a foot and a half, though. Laid on top of the risers are 3', 8" slabs of concrete. The handrail is made of glass so it won't take away from the dramatic appearance of the stairs.

Wall Section:

The beams are located within the floor of the upper floor.

Schedule:

Works Progress Poster

2009-04-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

Object of Persuasion

2009-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Urban Pathway

2009-04-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

We learned how to make pictures look like this using the pen tool on Adobe Illustrator. This took me 8 and a half hours. It was kind of difficult at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was really relaxing. I fell into "the zone" and just clicked away till it was finished. Although now my clicker finger hurts...

Scene of Discourse

2009-04-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Pattern

2009-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a pattern that was created from photoshop. This program is AMAZING!

A Place to Bathe

2009-03-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

A Place to Bathe

Objective: Create a space that is userfriendly for everyone (that includes people in and out of wheelchairs.) One of the main purposes for this project was to design a ramp leading into a bathing area. I immediately started drawing in my sketchbook ramps, people in wheelchairs, and pools when I realized I needed some direction. That is where precedent study comes in. Searching the internet, I came across a number of different types of bathing. What really interested me, though, wasn't a bathing ritual at all. I started thinking of different types of gardens. Its very therapeutic to stroll the winding paths, and see different types of vegetation around every corner. I took that idea and abstracted it to the point where the final product didn't even resemble a garden at all, which I'm not ashamed of--that is what happens when designing something. You start with an idea that directs you in a certain way, then once you get going, the executionof that idea morphs and changes into something great, yet at first glance, seems to have nothing to do with the original idea.

artist: Lynn Keddie

Parti

After roughly putting some ideas on paper and taking the precedent research into account, I came up with the idea that I would be designing a space with winding paths that lead gradually down into small pools of water filled with flower petals and relaxing oils. These pools represent the flower bed aspect of gardens. At first, I thought to have the space outside and have vegetation all through it, but I thought the concept was being taken to literally. I wanted to go further with the essence of what I liked about gardens, but gave myself the challenge of trying to keep that essence while not using any vegetation at all in the design. That is there the surrounding wall around the "flower bed" pools came from. It is an abstract interpretation of bushes surrounding flower beds. The walls are made of glass blocks, which are slightly transparent. They allow privacy while still letting in light from the surrounding area.

Sketch Model

Floorplan Sketches

Floorplan

Elevations of Bath Wall

Schedule

Perspectives

2009-03-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

Video of last year's final project: Habitable Wall

2009-02-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

A Place to Dine | Presentation

2009-02-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Sketchup--Habitable Wall

2009-02-05T05:49:00.001-08:00

Let There be Light!

2009-01-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

The artiface I designed is inspired by the Art Nouveau movement. The designs then, as well as mine, were inspired by nature. In my opinion, this makes those designs pure and natural--even if they are used for something functional and industrial.

Lighting has always interested me. I am really excited to learn more about it and get better at creating it.

Interesting website

2009-01-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

While researching design and designers, I came across this website that looked interesting. People post some cool miscellaneous designs here.

http://http://www.cooldesignideasblog.net/

Bus|Shelter construction

2008-12-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Just Be

2008-10-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

shelter bus!!

2008-10-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

My idea for a shelter bus--enjoy :)

bus shelter!

2008-10-13T07:32:00.001-07:00

Hello all! Our assignment this time around was to individually create a bus shelter. Mine is located on Tate street in Greensboro. It is right next to a brick and marble art museum and across from a church. It is on the edge of UNCG, which has predominately brick buildings.

^I played with different forms and came up with the above one. It had lots of traits that the buildings around it have. It seemed like a little much, though, so I simplified it to the design below.

The two pictures below are my Material Investigation for my shelter. I decided to name my design the Vernacular Umbrella. Vernacular means I am taking materials from the structures and environment around me and incorporating them into my design. That is what I decided to do with my bus shelter in order to make it cohesive with its surroundings. Since UNCG and the buildings surrounding the shelter site are mainly brick, I decided to make the shelter brick. Also, there is marble in part ofthe design of the museum next to the site. It is a beautiful material and I didn't want to turn down the chance to use it. The seats and roof are marble and the rest is brick.

Making models always takes longer than I think. The studio should start charging rent--most of us feel like we live there. No complaints, though. It's a fun experience. Below is the beginning of my model. The part being made now is brick.

The marker on the wood below makes the structure look a little more like brick.

The seats below are marble.

The finished product is below. When veiwed from the side it mimics an umbrella. I thought that was appropriate since it is an immediate protection of the elements, just like an umbrella. Overall, I am proud of my work and the simple yet well thoughtout structure that I have created.

Une Table de Salon using charcoal

2008-10-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a chinese-inspired coffee table that I found online. The reason I decided to draw this one is because the curves would be challenging, yet, if done right, rewarding. I think I shaded them pretty well....but there is always room for improvement!!

Communication

2008-09-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

"Communication is about the process in which information is being passed from a sender to a recipient in order to create a shared understanding."

Print Materials: We chose to design a poster to give more information about our program as well as about the Greensboro bus system. Featuring the logo, it would also function as a branding mechanism.

People: We felt that a t-shirt would get the message out if a lot of people wore them on the same day. It would get a question started in peoples' minds. What is this? Why is everyone wearing the same shirt?
Http: The picture below would be an image that would rotate on UNCG's homepage. People may have noticed students walking around in t-shirts with the same logo, as well as the posters. Seeing it on the website, they might think, Oh, I've seen this! What the heck is it? When they click on the logo on the homepage, they will be directed to a series of images like the second one below, which describe out studio and what we are working on.

Products: One product idea we came up with was a series of decorated bus sculptures (similar to the Big Apples in New York or the cows in Kansas City), which would also function as benches at bus stops.

Places: We created a model of a booth that we would have at the Tate Street Festival. It would reinforce the logo, as well as provide seating, like a bus shelter.

For our final advertising technique, we chose to paint the "Rawk" on the UNCG campus. It was yet another form of branding.

Proxemis

2008-09-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

codes codes codes

2008-09-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

After paying closer attention to standards and codes, as a group, we realized we needed to make changes to the way we had designed things. Some of the changes include more space for egress, handicap accessibility, the amount of personal space a person needs, proper seat heights, stair heights and other ergonomic issues. As designers we need to recognize who we are designing for. Whether that is a child, an adult, or a handicapped person; each has differing abilities that have to be accounted for. Codes help in design by making sure that the environments that are designed are safe and accessible for people to interact with. They allow for consistency in design, no matter where you go, or who the designer is. Certain things will most always be the same. As designers, codes give us basic guidelines and understanding for what will make a space functional. They are also set in place to insure the safety for people that will be using the space. It helps us remember that we are designing for people and to keep our designs grounded in reality. We anticipate that codes will change our work as designers by taking our abstract designs from first year students and transforming them into spaces and environments that are usable and safe, as well as functional. We are no longer designing for our personal interests or what we think ‘looks good.’ We are now designing for the best interest of others, aesthetically and functionally, and codes will only help in this transformation.

Park & Ride pictures

2008-09-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Postcard to Jenny

2008-09-07T22:57:00.001-07:00

No Bus About It

2008-09-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

On our second week of the year, we were given a rather odd assignment. We were asked to document our experience on a public bus in Greensboro. Naturally, people assembled into small groups to go together. I went with my friends Britney and Krista.

^This image was on the bus stop sign^
While walking up to the bus stop, we were a little unsure of which side of the road to be on—it would be a little embarrassing if the bus came and we were on the wrong side. Then I noticed on the side we were on the big yellow lines that mark where the bus stops, thus indicating we were on the correct side. I pointed out that those lines were very useful in wayfinding. We were beginning to wonder just how long we were going to have to wait when finally a big black bus pulled around the corner and parked inside the painted yellow rectangle on the pavement. The three of us exchanged smiles as if to say “Here goes nothing!” and we boarded the bus.
^Here's the interior of the bus we hitched a ride on^
After ascending the steps, I realized I was supposed to swipe my student id somewhere, but I had no idea where the swiper was. I flashed the driver a sheepish smile and looked at him expectantly. He got the hint that I was clueless. Rolling his eyes, he pointed to the area I was looking for and grunted, “You just gotta swipe it right there.” I did as he said and turned to look for three empty seats, settling for three that were lining the side of the bus.
^Here is the pattern that was on the seat covers--Not the prettiest.^
Once Britney, Krista and I were settled, we had the chance to take in our surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the smell; it was not pleasant. Although, taking into account just how many people have been on that bus just that day, it has to be expected. I could hear a faint murmur of a recording; it was a woman telling the passengers which stop is coming up. Looking around, I noticed the layout of the bus, which was pretty standard for most public transportation. There were two doors, one in the front, and one near the back. Some seats faced the front, and then some, like ours, lined the sides of the bus, facing each other. I noticed pretty quickly how ugly the seats were—a blue floral pattern, lined in a pea green metal. Really, who chose that?! Stretching from the front to the back of the bus was a long, thin, yellow cord. If your stop is coming up, you better pull that sucker, or the driver will drive right past it!
^The busdriver that had a lead foot^
It only took a few seconds to notice all of these things, and before I could get used to it, the engine roared to life and we were off. I have been on public transportation before, but I never remember it being so jerky and uncomfortable. I felt like I was tensing every muscle in my body just to keep from falling onto the floor! At least I was getting a workout, right? I realized that I was steadier if I kept both feet flat on the floor instead of crossing my legs.
^I took this then photoshopped it to emulate the bumpy ride we experienced^
Before I started snapping pictures, I studied the people that were riding the bus. Most were very quiet because they probably didn’t know each other—they were just trying to get from point A to point B. They each had a different destination in mind. I find this idea very interesting. The bus is a point of crossroads for people, all going to different places, yet at this one point in their life, they are all together and in the same place. That’s true for many environments, though—I think the same of hotels, airplanes, really anything having to do with traveling.

After riding around for a couple minutes and snapping pictures, I began to get used to the bus and started to watch the different houses fly by. It was interesting to view the neighborhoods through the windows of the bus—different somehow. Some houses were charming and unique, most needed a little work, and a few just needed to be put out of their misery and demolished.

So after about twenty minutes, and a huge loop around Greensboro, we exited the bus and I thought Britney was going to kiss the ground. I wouldn’t have blamed her, though. You know that rocking feeling that you get when you step off of a boat for the first time in a couple of hours? Well, while writing this, I still feel like I’m on that bus. Between you and me, I think that driver might need to go back to bus school.:)

Second Year

2008-09-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

^leah and jenny being goofy while putting together our project

So here we are again, back in the Gatewood building. It is the ending of the first week of my second in the Interior architecture program, and I have to say, it is starting out much like I thought it would. Everyone knew that as soon as we stepped foot inside the building, we would get lots of new projects and things to do--we were so right, too. The difference this year is that we knew what to expect and how to budget our time, so I find myself getting less stressed out than last year over the amount of assignments the teachers have given us.

This year is going to have a lot of team work in it. We are separated into groups and asked to accomplish assignments together. This first week we were asked to do a project on wayfinding. A couple of people in our group got together one of the night and actually had a really good time putting together our project. Then after presenting our individual goup projects, the whole class got together and combined those project together into one larger project. That experience was an interesting one. Ever heard the phrase "Too many cooks, not enough chefs?" That's kind of how that day turned out. So many people had ideas, so many people couldn't speak loud enough to voice them, and lots of people just didn't help. That's definitely something we need to work on.

Over all, I am loving second year and can't wait to get more projects!

Wayfinding

2008-08-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Elsewhere, elsewhere

2008-05-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

The sketches above are from a very surreal place called Elsewhere. Elsewhere is a place where artists from all over come and live for a couple of months. They create artwork that is inspired by the items within. When I first walked into Elsewhere, I was very overwhelmed. There was stuff EVERYWHERE. While looking around, a lot of childhood memories were brought to the surface of my mind. There were toys of all kinds, as well as miscellaneous items, stacked to the ceiling.

We went to this strange place a couple of different times, and each time something changed in the room. Elsewhere almost took on its own personality. This is the reason that some of my drawings have the same statue rabbit in them. I took the rabbit and moved it to different locations, which symbolize the ever-changing appearance of Elsewhere. All in all, this is a spectacular place and I cannot wait to go back!

Portfolio Pages

2008-05-03T11:59:00.001-07:00

Habitable Wall

2008-04-27T16:48:00.001-07:00

sketchup!!

2008-04-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

This was my first attempt at using sketchup. It was kind of hard to figure out how to do simple things, but I have a feeling I will get better aquainted with sketchup soon.

Knick-Knack drawings

2008-04-17T20:15:00.001-07:00

El Carreton Sketch

2008-04-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

surRENDER!

2008-04-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

Atypical Sleeping arrangements

2008-03-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

"Hobbit Hole"--for the groundhogs

Tents--a home for nomads.

Japanese capsule hotel--great for the commuter.

A good, old fashioned luxurious tree house. --a childhood fantasy made a reality

An ecofriendly tree house. http://www.inhabit.com/-- for the environmentally aware tree climber

a CAPtivating new project

2008-03-23T23:20:00.001-07:00

The objective of our new project is to make something out of a used bottle cap. My friend Sara and I collaborated after the preliminary sketching and did the project together. Below are some of her initial ideas.

Below are my preliminary sketches. The one we decided to execute is near the middle on the right. (The little cap man.)
Picture this..a cap..made into a little cap animal, man, alien. You name it. Once this simple idea came up, the possibilities were endless.
We sat together in class and sketched up a storm. We decided together to name them "Capples"--Its kind of like PEOple...only with a cap. So, capple.

First, we started with some wire off of last semester's time capsule project. If that isn't considered recycling, I just don't know what is.
Afterwards, we cut the wire and shaped it into little wire hands and little wire feet. Sara is a master at this!
Then comes the choosing of the bottle cap. (It is amazing how fast these things can accumulate.)
Ahh! This one is perfect.
More wire. Wire is a very crucial part of this project. It is what turns the cap from a regular ol' cap, to something that has personality.
We found that if you twist the wire together, it is stronger and better able to hold up the cap.
Next, one must punch some holes into the cap. This is where the wire goes through to become a limb.
Sara made little "peace" fingers.
Its a hippy! Groovy

He has spunk.
A couple of our Capples are functional. This little guy can hold business cards, notes, or pictures.
A mother, holding her young.
Another functional Capple holds my pen when I'm not using it. How nice of him.
A capple a day keeps the doctor away. Haha...get it?
This one holds dangle earrings.
Here is the whole gang.

We definitely had a blast with this idea. Like I stated previously, there is so much that you can make with this idea. We love how marketable Capples are. I have seen people pay for things like this, so I know there is a market for it. Our Capples are the epitome of good, clean fun and can really brighten up someone's day. This project has been one of my favorites so far. It is amazing to see how one can take something so mundane and change it to be something completely different. I guess that's "recycle" in a nutshell.

a Precedent study of the Baths of Diocletian

2008-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Behold! My first official precedent study. Drumroll please.....

EUC Presentation

2008-03-04T09:00:00.001-08:00

Project objective: Visually analyze assigned building. My group got the lovely Elliot University Center. This building is built in what looks like the style of Modern Classicism. Inside is a grand entrance, which consists of a circular foyer, which flows over to a column-lined hall that leads to a massive double-sided staircase. The Elliot University center is one building that every student on campus knows about and goes to often. It was a pleasure to draw it and create diagrams based on it.

Sketching at a concert

2008-02-24T17:27:00.001-08:00

My friend, Ben, and I went to a Baroque concert in downtown Greensboro. When I got there, I had the overwhelming urge to break out the mini-sketchbook and just start drawing. I can finally start to be proud of my drawings now. yay :)

Scaled figures and coffee

2008-02-24T17:25:00.000-08:00

The best place to draw people is somewhere where they are sitting very still. What better place for that than a coffee shop?

Charlie's Cafe

2008-02-20T12:55:00.001-08:00

Suzanne, our awesome teacher, decided that our next assignment was to go to a coffee shop and do some drawings. This was my favorite assignment yet. I ordered some coffee (a Rose Mocha...soo good,) got cozy in a squishy armchair, whipped out my sketchbook and started sketching. I really love how I draw when I'm interested in the subject. The atmosphere of a coffee shop is so warm and charming. Oh, I wish we could always draw coffee shops..although I'm sure I would develop a caffeine addiction.

Architectural sketching techniques

2008-02-12T13:45:00.001-08:00

I like the quality of the lines in this sketch, drawn by a firm called TaStudio. I can tell they aren't done with a ruler because they are spaced unevenly and not all mechanically straight. But I like the way it all looks together.

This picture, drawn by Nadir Kianersi, has a cartoon quality that I really enjoy. The lines are very clean and slightly curved where they should be straight.

This is a gesture of Cinderella's castle in Disney World, done by Alina Chau . It looks very cool from afar and when I look at it closely, I can tell that it is really easy to do. the lines don't all connect, but my mind puts in what is supposed to be there.

God is in the Details

2008-02-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

System Process

2008-02-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

The process of making my "system" was a fun one. I started it off by cutting up a bunch of wood in my grandpa's shop--just to get a feel for the material and the machinery. (If Rich, the woodshop guy at school, saw this picture, he would probably cringe at how close my fingers are to the blade....I was sort of cringing too.)

Then I figured out neat ways to fit things together. I learned a new tip.."Always measure three times and cut once."

I really wanted to bring the word "tension" into the system somehow. I figured the way to really change the form of the 2x4 was to make it so some of the wood curved. I wedged both sides of a thin piece of wood in another big chunk of wood in a way that it curved upward like an arch. I then put that whole thing on another triangle to make it look like it is balancing.

I am really happy with the finished product. The composition of the system turned out better than I thought it would. This has been my favorite project yet. I'm just starting to figure out for myself just how versatile wood is. It is like a whole new world, waiting to be explored.

Cluttered sketches!

2008-01-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

System research

2008-01-17T23:48:00.000-08:00

New project: Construct a self-sustaining system out of wood, making six or more cuts. Adhesives are not allowed.

This is the first of my research for the "system" project. The more information you have on what you are doing, the better your decisions when constructing it. At this point, though, I still don't really know what my system will be. I can't wait to get in the shop and start cutting!!

Whatta Mess!!

2008-01-17T18:43:00.001-08:00

Here is a sketch of a part of my messy room. I think if i was there more, I would care about cleaning it up. But I live at the studio, pretty much....so my desk is clean. At least my priorities are straight!!

Beginning of Semester Two!

2008-01-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

So here we are again, back in the studio. Well, almost--the first day of classes is tomorrow. I have to say that so far, I have thoroughly enjoyed being in this department. I'm still trying to find my niche within it. I second guess myself all the time and have a long way to go with the way I create things and even the way I go about thinking of the different projects. I think I speak for everyone when I say it is amazing to challenge yourself in this way. It is difficult, yet we all have a blast doing it. I am very excited for the next project...hmm...I wonder how many all-nighters I'll be pulling THIS semester. :)

Final Sketch of Time Capsule

2008-01-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

Below is my final sketch of my proposal for our departments time capsule. I did a couple thumbnails of it first from different angles and then decided to go with the second one from the left. I liked the perspective of the building behind it.

This project has been incredibly eye opening. We started it from absolute scratch, and then it gradually grew into an amazing array of different projects. It shows how differently people think and how many ideas can derive from one single idea--in this case, "time capsule."

Sustainable Design

2007-12-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

Green roofs are, as seen above, roofs that are covered in vegetation. This helps reduce electricity being used because it provides a natural insulation for the house. It also helps with water runoff because it infiltrates the water into the roof, and the water that is not used by the roof evaporates back into the atmosphere. Green roofs can also be an oasis for its inhabitants, whether that be the people that live inside the house, or the wildlife that develops homes there.

Cheap solar-powered energy...it's coming our way!

2007-12-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

I have a good friend who's dad is the president of a company called Plymouth Systems Inc. They are a small company of astrophysicists, engineers, and astronomers. They have collaborated with another company called "Megawatt solar" and figured out a way to mass produce solar-powered energy in an inexpensive and very environmentally friendly way. In a couple of years, this will be the way to go with power. This is the start of something very big. Here is a news article that talks about it in more scientific terms. http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/580877.html.

Pretty Products

2007-12-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

Before looking up different products, I had no idea there was such a variety of them. People get so creative with their designs. These were very fun to research.
These two tables were designed by Michael Young. He drew inspiration from chinese paper folding to make the bases of them. This is a very simple overall form, yet i would have never thought to make a cone-like shape the bottom of a table. I enjoy that Young made these after being inspired by something else. It makes me remember to always be observant of my surroundings because I never know when I am going to see something that will be great to integrate into a design.

The three stools above were designed by a woman named Zaha Hadid. I enjoy the way they fit together like a puzzle. It adds a nice interactive element as well as being functional. I can't imagine how comfortable they are to sit in, though. They look kind of cold. Maybe a more inviting color or material would make them look more inviting.

When I first saw this, I didn't think "chair." I did not really know what to think. Then, of course, after looking at it closer, I saw that it was, in fact, a chair. The design threw me off considerably well. It was designed by Felice Rossi in Italy. It was made to mimic the form of the body. It swoops up to provide a side table--most likely for some technological bee-bop.

This couch is also designed by Italian designer, Felice Rossi. It looks like a piece of foam, thrown over a metal frame. When I look at the waving line on the top of it, I think of movement. While it looks cool, it doesn't look very comfortable. Perhaps Rossi prioritizes design over functionality. I'm sure that is also how many more designers design things.

How cool is this?? I could not pass this up when sufing the web. I enjoy the thought of making odd things into something completely new. It's a nice idea.

This lamp, which was made by JTH lighting company, has a nice quality to it. The organic curve of the shaft give a feeling of movement to the lights. I'm finding that I really enjoy curving lines in product design.

The name of this coffee table is the "Alien Table," designed by Y. Shito. It has a futuristic feel to it with the round top and shiny metal. I enjoy how the base is solid and swoops up and out to the flat top. The light shining down from the ceiling complements the table because it is also round and metal.

The "Princess Light," designed by Christophe Pillett, reminds me of a floating orb. This is something I would like to have in my room. It definitely has a feminine quality to it, with the engraved flowers on the side of it.

This light by the Birch and Willow is not my favorite. It looks like it was made to look like an overgrown nest. I do not find it aesthetically pleasing, yet I am sure the shadows it casts are pretty interesting.

Finally, my favorite product of this small bunch. This is called the "Ether" by a company called Eurofase. It is a chandelier AND a centerpiece for a dinner table. It is made of dangling blown glass balls with lights shining on them, reflecting the light around the room. I love water and this design strongly represents bubbles. I very much enjoy glass, so once I found Eurofase's website, I was in heaven. They have many different glass products. I encourage everyone to take a look. www.eurofase.com

Ten Websites to Linger On

2007-12-05T17:10:00.001-08:00

A very good way to gain more knowledge of design is to browse through the web's many design sites. It is both informative, and quite inspirational. Let's take a look, shall we?

www.glass-innovations.net/new

Above is a screenshot of the website of the design company called Glass innovations. This is a great site to look through--especially for people, like me, who have an infatuation with glass. They show their various projects, which include glass furniture, lighting, and even glass architecture. I would really like to explore the different uses for glass and crystalization in the near future. It is a beautiful material and has great conceptual potential.

http://www.thedesignfirm.com/

When surfing through this site, one gets a sense of femininity while looking at the various rooms that were designed. The Design Firm like very luxurious rooms. Some would say they are overdone. Some would say they are just right. I guess it is just a matter of opinion. As far as the website goes, though, it is very easy to navigate through. It has a very attractive appearance and soothing colors. Overall I am pleased with their webdesign and contents.

www.imichaelinteriordesign.com/index.html

The words "stately" and "sophisticated" come to mind when looking at the designs of I. Michael Interior Design. When I look at their pictures, I like the way they use diffused, accented lighting. This goes great with the theme of dark colors they use in their designs. Despite the great designs, I feel like the website is lacking something. I can't quite put my finger on it, though. I feel like maybe the layout is too simple--almost boring. This contrasts greatly with their type of designs, which are subtle, but definitely not boring. I think maybe they were trying to go for the sophisticated look; however, I feel they could have "beefed" it up a little without taking anything away from their designs.

www.balongue.com/index.cfm

I really enjoyed looking through the website of Balongue Interiors. I admire their professional layout. When one clicks on one of the categories either on the right-hand side or the top of the page, a window opens with many thumbnails of a lot of work they have done in that category.

Balongue Interiors, which is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, doesn't have just one style of designing. They have a variety. When surfing through their many pictures, I noticed both very sleek, straight lines. I also noticed very organic and wavy lines. I noticed monochromatic and classic color themes. And then there are dramatic color themes in which the color pops out. I have found that one of the many things that makes a good designer is the ability to have variety.

http://www.ispacesinc.com/

This site doesn't look like it was thought through well. When I got to it, the first thing I saw was a LOT of writing. When people look at a website--especially a design website--the first thing their eyes should be drawn to is something that was designed well. That may be either a picture of their work, or even the layout. Their has to be some amount of interest in order to keep the viewer looking at their work. Once I got past the dissappointment of the website, I started looking at the firm's actual work. I wouldn't even call them designers. Decorator is a better term. In order to spice up a room, they change strictly what is on the surface. Their is an abundance of stenciling used and cheap-looking furniture. Looking at work like this makes me proud to be in the program that I am in. I know that even though I know much failure will come from me in the future, so will success. The knowledge that I will learn will take me far beyond these decorators and show me a perspective of the world that they cannot even begin to fathom. (wow. i'm harsh)

www.lauradaydesign.com/#welcome

On a lighter note, this firm's work is very delightful. Laura Day Designs uses fun, pastel colors and lots of geometric shapes in their designs. They are innovative and have a slight whimsicle vibe. Bravo

www.innovationsid.com/#

The layout of this website was well thoughtout. I like the homey vibe of some of Innovation's designs, however other designs of theirs lack a sense of being well thought out. Sure, they put together furniture that was manufactured to go in the same room. But their was no thought process behind a lot of their designs. Once again, I would call them decorators. They merely pay for the furniture, place it in the room, and that's about it.

www.davidmichaelmiller.com/port.html

This is an entertaining website. I enjoy the ecclectic vibe I get from the interior spaces designed by Daved Michael Miller. They are inspirational to look at because he takes design elements from different cultures and incorporates to his work.

www.pineapple.com/portfolio5.htm

This firm is called Pineapple House Interior Designs. The colors and materials they use for their interiors are classic and charming. I adore designs that make me want to jump through the computer screen and actually be in the room. That's when you know it was well designed.

www.tuckerandmarks.com/index.asp

Tucker and Marks Designs use Itailian design as their inspiration. I like the warm colors and accented lighting. This really makes me excited about the study abroad program. I think looking at different countries for inspiration is a great idea. Oh, third year cannot come soon enough!

Gateway to Gatewood drawing

2007-11-29T10:53:00.001-08:00

This is a drawing of my final project. As soon as I get to a different computer, I will rotate the image...I can't on this computer. I really like the layout of this drawing. The thumbnails on the bottom are different views of the archway in its ultimate location. The bigger picture is one of the thumbnails blown up and shaded a bit better.

Time Capsule Zine

2007-11-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

This has been a long, but worthwhile process. One thing that I forgot to explain in the zine was the reason why I chose to do an archway as a time capsule. One can only assume that it has a symbolic meaning, and that assumption is true. I call the archway "Gateway to Gatewood." I would like for it to be placed on the walkway coming from the parking lot and up to the building. It symbolizes the students' transition period into the crazy and rewarding world of interior architecture. In this world, everyone must be as crazily creative as possible and rules (well, some rules) seem to be made only to be broken. It seems so different from other majors, so I thought that there should be more of an emphasis put upon entering the building. The archway is made out of metal. There will be lots of metal wire intertwined all around the arch to create a, if you will, metal "vine." Every student in the first year department will bring a piece of wire. The size, color, and thickness is completely to their preference. This represents the collaboration of many unique beings. Altogether, I think this is a pretty decent idea. I'm really excited to work with metal and wire.

A combination of Techniques

2007-11-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

This assignment allowed us to combine all of the techniques that we have touched on so far this year. A grad student sat in a chair up on a pedestal and we had to divide our paper into an attractive layout with four separate places for pictures. Then we drew her in those places using a different technique for each one. The outcome was really quite interesting. I like how her shoe came out.

I Think I Need New Pencils...Mine are now 3 inches long

2007-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Melia, who volunteered to sit on a table and have people draw her. I think I did pretty well with the proportions. I still have trouble with weight distribution, though. She doesn't really look like she is putting any weight on that back arm, which is drawn funny. Maybe one day I will look back on this one and laugh....just not today.
The next model was Molly. I am a lot happier with the way this one turned out. It actually looks a little like her, which is a big accomplishment on my part. I think I did better on the shading than Melia's. Its amazes me at how the slightest difference in pressure you put on the pencil changes the demension of what you're drawing.

I thought this one was going to be easy....2 pencils and a half an eraser later, I realized different. This really made me separate myself from what I saw and what I knew to be there. I knew the wall was white in the picture. But when looking at it and all of the shadow on it, only a small portion of it was actually white. It was hard to gradate towards that, while still keeping the wall looking smooth and wall-like. I still think I could have done a better job...but who doesn't think that?

Shaded Pictures of Time Capsule Models

2007-11-13T09:20:00.001-08:00

Fun with Shading!!

2007-11-06T10:36:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned that I love shading?? Because...I love shading..
I spent about ten minutes trying to put together complicated still-lifes in order to draw them....finally I got frustrated and settled for one of my metal push-pins. I am satisfied with the outcome. I like how the bottom pin turned out.
With this exercise, we were to to use only two values to differentiate between the shaded areas on our still-lifes.

Th second part of the exercise allowed us to use more than only two values in order to develop a more complete composition.
I actually like the background a lot better than the foreground. I forgot to put more detail in the closer bench. Note to self: The closer things are, the more details they have.

These two objects (the pumpkin lamp and fabric) have two very different textures: bumpy and smooth. I tried, as best as I could, to show these different textures.
This is my favorite picture. I really like doing the white-on-black shading. It really makes the drawer pay attention to where the light is hitting on the object being drawn (in this case, rose petals.)

i LOVE shading

2007-11-02T11:14:00.001-07:00

I think that this is something that I am fairly comfortable with. I know that I can improve a lot, but I already like the outcome of everything that I try to draw with value. I love that we are learning about different shading techniques. In the bottom three pictures, I experimented with hatching , cross-hatching, stipling, and diagonal lines.

Dragon Drawing

2007-10-30T12:58:00.001-07:00

I really love fantasy, so I figured I would draw a dragon in order to practice shading. It is loosely based off of a dragon on the cover of the book "Eragon", although it turned out looking a little different. Thats ok, though. I made it my own.

Shading 101

2007-10-24T06:03:00.001-07:00

There are a couple different ways to shade objects. Two of which are shown above. The upper picture is my eraser shaded in diagonal lines of different pencil intensity. The one beneath it is my friend's pearl earring, shaded in a bunch of random lines. Shading is pretty fun. I just have to remember to really concentrate when trying to get the right values. This is definitely a time when the person drawing has to be "in the zone."