REFLECTION

In the very short time I have been in the Interior Design program, six months to be exact, I have been on complete overload. I had never sketched, worked with Photoshop or the InDesign program, the learning curve has been straight up. I do feel I have come a very long way in that short period of time but I also know I have a long way to go. In the field of design you need to be able to quickly sketch an idea for a client, well for me this was no easy task as six months ago I could not sketch a stick figure. Since enrolling in the interior design program I have been tasked with line and contour drawings, hatch and value to provide depth and realism, using color to bring new dimensions to sketches, 1-point perspective drawings, 2-point perspective drawings and freehand drawings of how things work. With my sketches I used a variety of color techniques: colored pencil, water color and markers, my favorite are the water colors. I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable with sketching, I believe understanding the perspectives has helped with this. Time management has been a challenge for me, I have a large family that has relied upon me for everything up until I enrolled in the design program. Not only have I had to learn to delegate but my family has also had to learn to take on more responsibility. It was not until our first major project was due that I finally started to delegate as I was up a total of 41 hours in order to finish my project, I vowed to never to that again. I do have to say that I am very lucky as there have not been many complaints with the newly assigned duties.

VISIT WITH DESIGN DIRECTIONS

On Monday, November 25th I had the great pleasure of meeting with five designers at Design Directions

a premier residential and commercial design center in the Lewis-Clark Valley. They pride themselves on providing quality flooring, wall-coverings, counter-top materials, custom window treatments and expert design service. I met with the designers to discuss transforming a commercial space into two living spaces with a common entry and social space. The downstairs space is to be ADA compliant while the upstairs will be a one bedroom loft apartment for rental income that is ADA visitable. I discussed with the designers the concept used throughout the design was a watering can. One of the designers thought that my use of the round elevator in the shared entrance was a great idea of applying my concept, she also said that it looked like it belonged on the Palouse as it resembled a silo.

After discussing the project and showing them the floor plans of both spaces they were shocked that I had only been in the program for six months. One of the designers did question the attachment of the stairs in the shared entry, which you can see in the rendering I show them as a full set of stairs. I now wish I had showed the stairs as floating rather than enclosed. I think that would have given the front entrance a more urban feel with the style of elevator that I chose. I had an amazing visit with this group of designers, I am very excited to go back and learn from them.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Recently I had the pleasure of working on a habitat for humanity home in Albion Washington. This experience was multi-faceted for me, not only getting the experience of working hands on building houses, seeing every detail that goes into the finished product, but also having the satisfaction of helping on a project that will ultimately be a “family in need” dwelling and home. Our day was spent performing many tasks; however the main priority was to enclose the roof in order to weather proof the dwelling. We were tasked with sheeting the roof; this involved hanging hurricane brackets for the trusses and finishing with laying sheeting across the south side of the roof. Throughout the process I was able to reflect on how decisions as a designer ultimately affect the people tasked with building these structures. Overall it was a very rewarding and educational experience, allowing me to see first hand how a building is constructed as well as helping to advance someone else’s dream of owning a home.

BUILD URBAN JOB SHADOW

I had the opportunity to participate in a field trip to Seattle with the Washington State University Interior Design Department. The highlight of the Seattle field trip came as a job shadow with Build Urban. Build Urban is a full service real estate development company. Keying on land use acquisition, urban designing and construction management, they provide clients with everything from feasibility studies to the final turnkey projects. They focus on projects that use fully sustainable building practices as well as obtaining as many local materials as possible. Their highest priority is building projects on prime view lots and creating value engineering in each and every project. I had the pleasure of meeting with Build Urban’s interior designers, Alyse and Brittney, and they walked me through a floor plan layout as well as finished material selections. I even had the opportunity of creating a floor plan of a space that they are currently designing. While I was incredibly nervous about this undertaking upon first being presented with the task, it was an incredible experience, even receiving approval from one of the company’s designers. We then proceeded to one of their projects in progress; two magnificent townhouses with open floor plans, each with 2 bedrooms, 2 bath and a single car garage. What was most impressive was the floor to ceiling windows that give you an incredible view toward Lake Union, Queen Anne, Gasworks Park, and Downtown Seattle. What I found so interesting about their designs were the simple lines and simplistic materials merging to create an elegant yet earthy space. This meeting certainly validated my career choice as an interior designer, but also gives me direction in which type of firm I may seek out upon completion of my education. While reflecting upon this amazing experience I must ponder if I would have had the same thoughts if I had the opportunity to job shadow a different firm.

SKETCH CRAWL AT SEATTLE CENTER

The last day of our amazing Seattle trip we met with a group called the Urban Sketchers at the Seattle Center. The Urban Sketchers are a nonprofit organization that develop educational programs to foster the art of on-location drawing. The mission of the Urban Sketchers is to raise the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel. We were shown some amazing sketches done by Urban Sketchers and then tasked with creating our own sketches of the landmarks surrounding Seattle Center. After attempting to sketch the space needle for about an hour we met back up at the Armory for a critique with the Urban Sketchers. The advice that was given was to sketch as much as possible and sketch as quickly as possible.

GUIDED BY LIGHT

The Frye Art Museum opened in 1952, displaying the art collected by Charles and Emma Frye; this was the first free art museum in Seattle, WA that was open to the public. Upon the Frye’s death they had several stipulations in their will concerning the museum, one of the stipulations was specific to lighting. When the museum was renovated in 2012, careful consideration was made in exploring the variety of ways daylight could be used as a guide through the museum but also not to affect the art that was displayed. The architects after several study models (around 500) strategically designed the building so that natural light slips into the building guiding the visitors through the museum at the same time you are guided through the exhibits the designer made sure the light did not have any affect on the art work. The use of light in this building was a display of artistic talent, creating a lighted path leading you to the artistic pieces contained within the museum itself.

THE MEANING OF LIGHT

Jim Graham, of Graham Babba a design firm in Seattle, WA, met our group at St. Ignatius Chapel located at 901 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA. Before we went into the chapel Mr. Graham explained how Steven Holl, the architect of St. Ignatius Chapel, created “A gathering of different lights” in the design concept of the chapel. He further expanded on this by describing the design concept as “seven bottles of light in a stone box.” The unique exterior of St. Ignatius Chapel does not immediately convey the unique use of light; it is upon stepping through the doors that one is hit immediately with a myriad of light that creates lines heading in many directions. The light penetrating the building through the “bottles” creates geometric shapes of light being bent and twisted; the lines create and convey certain moods. The diagonal lines guide you throughout the building, creating lighted pathways that pull you in the intended direction. Some portions of this guided tour, the light bends in a horizontal fashion signaling a moment of pause or rest, the light and colors change your mood and give you moments of reflection. Vertical lines abound in certain areas suggesting spirituality other spaces have soft shallow curves giving you a feeling of comfort and safety while the combination of vertical and horizontal lines throughout the building communicate stability. Every line Holl used in defining the space coincided with the reflections of color to change the definition of the existing shape of each wall and more than anything to portray feelings.

STREET BEAN ESPRESSO

Thursday afternoon we had the privilege of meeting with Mary Steele the Executive Director of New Horizons, a nonprofit organization that helps the children living on the streets of Seattle. In 2009, Street Bean Espresso a subsidiary of New Horizons was opened as a nonprofit coffee shop. Street Bean Espresso located at 2702 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA is a very different coffee shop, not only is there a beautiful industrial aesthetic to the interior design with the use of raw wood at the barista counter, polished concrete floors and modern art that lines the walls, this coffee shop provides an opportunity for the homeless children in Seattle to acquire job training and employment so that they may exit the street life. The industrial design of the coffee shop matches the state that most of these kids are in upon entering Street Bean Espresso, raw and unrefined, ready to be molded.

WESTLAKE PROJECT

On Thursday morning we met with Leann Crist with Graham Baba a design collective firm in Seattle, WA. The project we were privileged to tour is known as the Westlake Residential project located at 325 Westlake, Seattle, WA. This building originally was a one-story auto garage built in the 1920’s. The front half of the building is undergoing a seismic retrofit with new steel frames and connections between the timber diaphragms and original perimeter masonry walls to function as Mad Art Studio. A new five story steel framed addition comprised of mixed use space and high end residential apartments is being added to the back portion of the building. The structure has a beautiful rawness to it with the steel, concrete, wood decking and utilities being exposed. There is a large skylight that will flush the interior space with natural light. The project delicately balances old with new while also incorporating modern green building practices setting the standard for building reuse in the modern age.

THE FUTURE

The Seattle field trip begins at a 10-unit townhome development called zHome in Issaquah, WA. zHome uses a smart design to reduce environmental impacts. A few of the energy-efficient techniques used to reduce energy use are super insulated walls, double-paned fiberglass windows that allow solar heat gain to enter the homes during the cooler months, tight exterior walls that exceed code standards, a ground source heat pump is used for heating and hot water, a heat recovery ventilator which allows cold air coming into the house to be heated by the warm air that is being exhausted, and hydronic heating which water that runs through the floors and walls that heat the units. The most effective technique is the use of photovoltaic panels; these panels absorb the sun’s rays and turn it into electricity. What happens when it’s cloudy? A lot of solar energy does make it through the clouds in Western Washington. zHome has a 40% water use. The landscape design used around the townhouses are that of drought-tolerant plants that won’t require any watering once they are established. Rainwater storage tanks are used to flush toilets and wash clothes year-round. Because so much time is spent indoors the air quality inside a home greatly impacts ones health. zHome increases air quality through proper ventilation and the use of low-toxicity materials. zHome has an amazing concept that is becoming the way of our future. Homeowners in the zHome community not only save money with the energy techniques used but they also have a very positive impact on our environment.

RIDE, DON'T WALK

It has often been said that you can’t truly know another person’s challenges until you “walk a mile in their shoes”. I would like to modify that a little. I recently had the opportunity to “roll a mile in someone’s chair.” This experience was part of the Ride, Don’t walk project at Washington State University. We were given the task of navigating two buildings on campus using a wheel chair and no outside help. This experience gave us an opportunity to gain a real understanding of the daily challenges faced by people with disabilities, as well as the limitations of current design standards when addressing accessibility issues. I sat in the wheelchair, immediately feeling helpless, finding it difficult to roll forward or turn, everything that I take for granted becomes challenging and seems almost impossible. Little things became like climbing a mountain, from the crumbling sidewalks, to steep ramps entering buildings with landings too small to accommodate a wheelchair as you try to open the door that is not equipped with an automated door opener. Rolling through buildings was even more difficult, with hallways and doorways that are far too narrow. Then came the most challenging task of the day, trying to go to the bathroom was akin to trying to park a semi-truck into a compact parking spot. Even things that seem effortless in everyday life become monumental tasks, like ordering a cup of coffee at countertops that you can’t begin to see over while planted in a wheelchair. Even grabbing a snack out of the back of the fridge leaves you feeling like your arms just aren’t long enough. Many of these issues could be resolved with simple design changes that would make each of these spaces functional for all. As I reflect about my experience I wonder what kinds of design changes could be made to better accommodate people with disabilities. Would it be that difficult to put automated doors throughout a building or widen the bathroom stall just a little bit? Would it take that much to put pull out shelves on cupboards and refrigerators or lower ordering counters so that everyone can see over them. Each of these improvements comes at a cost, but what is the cost of someone not being able to enjoy these spaces. As technology improves all of our lives we as designers must look for ways to incorporate new technologies to not only benefit those without disabilities but how can we best integrate new technologies to make those with disabilities lives easier. These seem like little things but they have a large impact, now I have a greater appreciation of the challenges faced by those with disabilities and will keep these things in mind throughout my design career.

Watering Can Sketch

Home Is.......

Home is often talked about but hard to define. Most people's feelings of home revolve around emotions and feelings more than a physical location or inanimate object. The feeling of safety and love come to the forefront when trying to define these emotions. There are certain objects that can be tied to these feelings, for me it is a watering can. As a small child most of my time was spent with my grandparents, when staying with them I was taught many things but the fondest memory is helping my grandfather with his garden so watering cans spark many loving memories of the time spent in their home.

Seat and Shelter

The inspiration behind my seat and shelter was the architect Victor Horta known for his iron stone facade and elaborate interior. Horta was known for his work during the Art Nouveau period 1890 - 1910. Art Nouveau is inspired by natural forms and structures, not only flowers and plants but also the curvilinear lines. My inspired element from nature was a branch, the reason for this choice was due to the endless curves. The seat and shelter is representative of this time period through the curvilinear lines that move around the shelter and the visual curved pattern of the seats. The sheltered spot is not only a decorative element but provides invitation to stop and relax.

Process Poster For the Seat and Shelter

Harmony In the Curve

Nature lends elements and inspiration for design. An example of this was the Art Nouveau period stretching from 1890 thru 1910. The movement was lead by victor Horta who it was often said had an "innovative spirit fueled by his rebellious nature". The same natural form and curved lines in Art Nouveau are present in the branch inspired seat and shelter. Through the smooth natural, wavelike patterns that seem to bend infinitely in the seats as the flow of the intricately detailed lines on the shelter leads our eye by suggesting direction and movement. the movements and patterns dissolve into purposeless lines that seem to bend around the seat and shelter creating rhythm and balance.

Exterior Two-Point Perspective

This is a two-point perspective sketch using graphite. I have emphasized good shade and shadow using the hatching technique but my slope is too steep.

Shade and Shadow of Interior Corner of Room

This sketch is a two-point perspective interior corner using graphite. I have shown good tonal values and shade and shadow.

Exterior One-Point Perspective Sketch

This is a one point perspective sketch of an exterior building using graphite and colored pencil. I would have to say I have improved in one point perspective drawings.

1 Point Perspective Sketch

One point perspective sketch using graphite in one and ink in the other. This sketch was done in front of a little cafe called Zoe's Underground. This was the second time I had ever done one point perspective and I have to say I did not do too bad. Again with the graphite I needed to use a heavier hand, but my value changes are definitely getting better.

Chair View Sketch

The chair....sketched from the top, underside, side view, front view and in perspective was not an easy feat for someone that just started sketching on June 26. I have to say that the side view of the chair is not too bad.

Shadow Analysis Sketch

This sketch was done at Daggy Hall observing and analyzing the shadows. Both parallel and perpendicular shadows are visible through handrail and stairs.

Graphite and Watercolor Sketch

The beautiful green grapes are a watercolor sketch showing value. I thought this would be very difficult, I was wrong it turned out great.

These grapes were sketched using graphite to show value. I did show value in this sketch, I learned that I need to have a heavier hand.

Negative Space Sketch

In negative space drawing, instead of observing the positive shape of an object, you draw the shape of the space around the object. Before this sketch I had not been introduced to sketching negative space so the process that I used was not correct, I outlined the form and shaded in the negative space.

Figure Contour Sketches

The sketch designs seen here were of a gymnast, kids jump roping and kids running while holding hands. The process was to use single stroke lines that are smooth and clean. I learned that I used a scratch line which was incorrect.

3D Study Models

These 3 dimensional abstractions were developed from the 2 dimensional sketches of the element found in nature. The abstractions are to help develop a concept for a seat and shelter. This phase of the development is difficult for me as I want to delve in and create the final project.

Concept Design in 2D

The element from nature I chose for my concept design was a branch from a tree with several delicate branches that had small flowering buds at the tips. The reason I chose this element is because Art Nouveau, also known as "modern art" was influenced by organic materials, especially floral, plants, and curvilinear forms. Here you see an original sketch of my element from nature and a water color abstraction.

Tesselation

This is the tesselation that was made from the pattern below. Several images from the Art Nouveau period, 1890-1910 were manipulated using Photoshop. I feel the strong colors and patterns work very well together but I would use a different pattern

cutout next time.

2D Repeating Pattern

This is a pattern I used to create my tesselation, I loved the contrast in colors but felt it did not have enough value to add to the analogous pattern I had established. This project was very challenging as I had not used Photoshop before this. The next project I do will have a simple pattern cut until I learn to use the tools in Photoshop more efficiently.

Palouse Silo

This is a picture of a grain silo taken on the Palouse in Eastern Washington. To view more fantastic pictures of grain silos and elevators visit this link http://dacarc.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/dissolute-beauty/

This is a sketch of a grain silo in the middle of a wheat field on the Palouse. This sketch is done with a WACOM Digital Sketch Tablet.