One Point Perspective Renderings

 

Above is a rendering of a space I designed, focusing on hotel lobby design.

This rendering came from the basic structure of a space I found on campus. After determining the relative scale of the room, I created a grid and went on to design this coffee bar.

Final Residence Design

For this design, I really wanted to draw from the strong points of my previous designs as well as incorporate a new concept. From there considered what I wanted to take from my original inspiration piece, Eric Clapton's "Back Home", while also taking into consideration my first concept model. By using the words "memories", "trust", and "belong", I came to the conclusion that my design should focus more on the common area and successfully creating a communal space and then applying that design concept to the one bedroom apartment.

For me, the words I chose were things that came from experiences had with family and friends, and with the challenge of the common area being possibly useless to the building tenants, I wanted to use the words as a source of inspiration for creating a common space. The issue of the space lies in its ability to encourage gatherings and provide a refuge away from home that would build a sense of community for each floor. This problem was what I was most determined to address. With that in mind, I took the curves from my original concept model and let them be the focal point of my new parti. After completing several sketches, I chose the one above because of its enclosed circles and realistic application to my design ideas. One particular application of my parti can be seen in one of my seating areas located in the commons that is slightly enclosed by a curved wall. By incorporating this niche, I was also able to include a specific request made by the client to have glass blocks. Seeing as how the common area has very little light, but is a very large space, I sought to find some sort of separation of space while still having the whole area still tie together. I was able to achieve this by topping the wall that separated the seating area from the rest of the space with glass blocks, that while dilineating the space, still provide a sense of cohesion by being relatively translucent.

Another area in which I used my parti to create a division of space was in my kitchen where I integrated a bar which also aided in providing a more visible entryway, rather than just a door leading into the apartment.

For the rest of the apartment and common area, I continued with the same approach, seeking to find opportunities that inspired conversations and gatherings. ADA requirements were also considered in the design and were addressed in all areas of the apartment and living area to ensure easy access for any tenant that might be mobility impaired. Similar materials were selected in comparison to the two bedroom apartment and the color scheme also remained relatively similar with the exception of lighter walls to better accomodate the variety of tenants that will be living in the apartments.

Designer Meeting

Over Thanksgiving break, I had the opportunity to meet with Susanne Weaver, a close family friend who currently owns a small boutique in Spokane, WA. Prior to her owning the shop, however, Susanne used to be an interior designer in a small firm that operated out of San Bernadino, California. Most of Susanne's experience with design deals primarily with residential interiors, which proved her expertise to be most useful when I sought her out to review my Palouse apartment design.

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.

Palouse Bathroom Design

For this design, as with my kitchen design, I was driven by the juxtaposition of both curves and more rigid forms that were drawn from my concept model. Both organic forms were the foundation for my selection of materials as well as colors because I wanted the space to evoke a more natural and simplistic aesthetic.

First and foremost, with this particular space, accessibility played a large part in the overall design. Due to the above-counter sink that I chose, I already needed to lower the counter, and made sure that the overall height of the sink met the ADA requirements. As with the toilet, enough space was allowed for side or even front access along with a grab bar placed the south most wall of the bathroom. To ensure that door clearance did not interfere with the 60" wheelchair turn radius, I also opted for a pocket door into the bathroom. Though another solution could have been to have the door open into the hallway, I found that storage areas and another entryway into an adjacent bedroom would make that impermissible.

Storage is an important inclusion in any bathroom and was no exception in this case. A large cabinet was designed into the room as well as additional storage placed underneath the counter. Ample lighting was also provided not only for tasks completed in the bathroom, but also to compliment and allow for such a dark wall color. In addition to wall sconces on each side of the vanity mirror, cove lighting was also incorporated into the space. Though I like the look of all white bathrooms, I chose to warm up the room and make it cozier by darkening the walls. All other materials, however, were selected to follow the clean and simple aesthetic that white bathrooms provide.

When completing my original drawings, I had not originally planned on incorporating any free-standing furniture into the space. I did, however have a free corner of space near the bathtub and instead of adding more storage, chose to add a chair in the event that maybe a parent and child could inhabit this apartment. Bathing for young children often requires accompaniment and extra seating accommodates that need and provides comfortability in a space filled with otherwise hard materials. Overall, I am very satisfied with the design, but might opt for a more creative approach when designing another bathroom.

Concept Development: Palouse Kitchen Design

As a starting point for this concept, I selected the song "Back Home" by Eric Clapton and proceeded to sketch ideas that surrounded the idea of these two great loves discussed in the song. As the lyrics say, the singer is saying how much he misses his home and the comfort he finds there, but is torn between his need to return home and his love for his life on the road. To illustrate these two competing ideals, I constructed a concept model that is composed of a curved central figure flanked by two linear "tracks", which represent the pull and push of conflict. From these developments in my concept, I then went on to start designing small elements that I wanted to incorporate into my spaces such as linear patterns, rectangular shapes that are overlapped, and small areas with curves to mimick the curvature of that central figure. Overall, I am satisfied with my concept, however am considering making small changes so that it is applicable to the various spaces I will design to ensure cohesion.

Process Poster

For this project, the task was to make a poster that summarized the design process used to create a concept model. To begin with, a nature object was selected that was an abstract representation of a chosen designers overall aesthetic. The nature object was then transformed into parti drawings that then inspired a 2-D concept model. The concept model was intended as a 2-d representation of the extension of lines found in leaves. The concept of the lines extending from a central core was then taken into the next design process of creating a concept model for a furniture piece. The room in which it resides was thought to be a calming room, where the user would be able to sit and relax, maybe read a book. To help create that ambiance, a sort of stool was designed that elevated the user above the floor and set a tone for the room that encouraged isolation in a comforting way. Personal motivations helped to conclude that a light source underneath the stool would also create a calming effect, given that the furniture piece would be made of some sort of translucent material. A series of lines would also seemingly grow out from underneath the seat which would create patterns on the walls of the room and help immerse the user in the soft glow and make them feel as if they are surrounded by nature.