Some things that we discussed were my concept and how it applied to my design as well as materials, lighting, and the designs of the common area and apartment. With my concept, she advised that I make my original ideas that I drew from the concept more clear in my designs, and to not take the lyrics from my song so literally. As for my materials, she really liked the combinations of textures and colors, however said that I needed to research my materials better for their intended use seeing as I had brought in a sample for the type of cabinets I wanted and the sample turned out to be for blinds (oops!). She also encouraged me to research other options outside of our research room.
When it came to my designs and floor plans, Susanne gave me simple ideas that I think can help improve my ideas now, as well as in the future with other projects. She suggested multiple solutions for alternative lighting, bathroom layouts, wall colors, material selections, storage ideas, etc. Although I did not change much with my design after the meeting, one suggestion was taken into consideration and inspired this change that I made to my kitchen.
This is my original kitchen design for my cabinetry, which was created in an effort to look the same as my 2-BR kitchen design. Although Susanne liked the design, she still encouraged me to be more creative and not just create the "standard kitchen". She pointed out that with residential design, apartments especially, there is little room for personalization, because it poses the hazard of deterring potential tenants. It doesn't necessarily mean, however, that there is no room for creative details, which led to my final kitchen design.
With this
With this kitchen, I chose to change one wall of the cabinetry to open shelving that features a variety of storage sizes. In the meeting, we also discussed solutions for the ceiling height and came up with a lowered soffit that rests on the counters, which breaks up the wall a bit and helps the ceiling feel a little lower and the space more cozy. Another change I made after the meeting was lowering the ceiling in the living room, for the same cozy effect, while also creating a feeling of separation between spaces. Overall, the meeting was a great opportunity to find solutions for the questions that I had pertaining to my design, but I found that it was also a great way to get a professionals opinion and learn some common problem solving ideas for the future.
