Masonic Hall Project

inspiration from Vicente Wolf

An historic building in downtown Boise, Idaho was to be part design studio part residence. The client, our professor, was interviewed to get an idea of his wants, needs, and taste. We were to draft out plans for the use of space throughout the three floors.

My inspiration for the project was largely based on the designs of Vincente Wolf. By using a neutral color palette and natural materials, the client’s own pieces were able to stand out.

This project came together for me surprisingly fast. Instead of making multiple to do lists over and over, I just chose one part I needed to do and got it done.

My favorite parts were designing the kitchen and the bedroom for the two sons. For the kitchen, I went with a contemporary look with glossy, white cabinets and black countertops. Platinum-leafed glass tiles for the backsplash enhanced the luxury of the space along.

In the boys room, the client wanted a space theme. I chose red and gold, inspired by the sun, and contrasted that with silvery lunar colors. The result answered the desire for a space theme while keeping the space consistent with the rest of the residence.

Passive Solar/Sustainable/Barrier-free Home

This was the most involved, most time consuming project I have done thus far. To understand the project requirements, I researched the definitions of passive solar, sustainability, and barrier-free. Basically, passive solar design is all about maximizing the sun’s energy benefits with as little effort as possible. You don’t use solar panels or other active solar methods. It’s all about home orientation, lighting controls, and natural air flow. If you want to learn more about passive solar techniques, click here.

Besides researching what passive solar was, I also learned about the many I also learned how to design a barrier-free home, which involves complete wheelchair accessibility. Check out the ADA Accessibility Guidelines to learn all you ever wanted to know (and more) about the codes and guidelines for barrier-free design. NKBA.org is another helpful resource when designing specifically kitchen or bath areas.

On to the project! From the clients, to the floor plan, to the building lot—everything was imagined by me. The clients, Antonio and Luciana Capri, were an Italian couple wanting a vacation home in Santorini, Greece. Luciana was a wheelchair user and all aspects of the home had to be user friendly for her. Throughout the design, Greece island architecture was combined with contemporary furniture pieces.

Because all aspects of the project were made up, this project was completely unrealistic (let’s not talk about the non-existent budget) but I learned many valuable principles that will help me in real projects. Those included the importance of time management, graphic presentation consistency, and research.

This project had many requirements that were overwhelming at first. But I was able to eat the entire elephant a bite at a time by organizing all of the requirements and then dividing them into smaller projects. I wrote out check lists almost as much as I ideated (sketched out ideas). When I found myself writing a list for all of my to do lists, I had to stop myself and just get to work.

My professor strongly emphasized the graphic presentation of the project. My drawings were formatted with the same title block that incorporated my project logo. This logo was the heading throughout my client book and was repeated on the boards. This instilled in me the importance of a logo and the consistent, professional image that it communicates.

Research is at the core of this project, and really any project. You have to know what you’re before you can do it. You have to know the codes, as boring as they are, in order to create a design that will be usable and worthwhile. Once you have the bones of the project (the codes) you can then move to the muscles (the client’s needs) and finally to the skin (the aesthetics!) of the home.

Below is a selection of the various plans and elevations drawn on AutoCAD. Notes throughout the plans describe the use of passive solar, sustainable, and/or barrier-free considerations. Perspectives, colored elevation, and board photos are also included for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

plot plan

furniture and finishes plan

kitchen elevation

exterior rendering

solar study (model drawn in Google SketchUp)

bedroom perspective

bedroom material board

living room material board

bathroom material board

JJ Lounge Project

For this assignment in my 3D modeling class, I had two clients looking for design ideas for a lounge. The target group was college students in the Rexburg area looking for a cool place to hang out and meet new people. The class was divided into groups, and my group was assigned to design the entry area in a “New York” style.

Our inspiration came from the coffee shop in the TV show Friends, with the brick building façade and casual, hang out vibe. We chose industrial materials such as steel and concrete, along with brick and glass to create the “New York” look. By keeping it casual, this space translated easily into the lifestyles of college students in Rexburg, Idaho.

Our main design goal involved flow and functionality. The curved glass wall not only directs the flow of traffic to the box office area, but also provides a visual of what is going on inside. Because Rexburg has cold temperature during much of the year, we wanted the area to accommodate people waiting to meet up with friends before entering the lounge along with having plenty of coat storage.

My two group members worked mostly on building the model while I rendered the perspective. Working in a group provided an opportunity for me to get beyond my ideas and reconsider my design habits. Our strengths balanced out our weaknesses, and together we create a space that was inviting and functional.

NKBA Kitchen Competition Project

Since my Interior Design program is accredited by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), an entire class is devoted to learning about kitchen and bath design. As a major project in the class, the NKBA student competition for the kitchen was used as a project in the class with modifications to fit our semester schedule. Although I did not enter this project into the actual competition, I gained valuable skills and experience, particularly working with AutoCAD. I learned the necessity of paying extreme attention to details. I also learned value of inspiration, allowing it to guide the design process. So far the kitchen and bath class has been one of my favorites and I could see myself going into this specialty.

For this project, we were required to design a kitchen with certain client requests and construction restrictions as presented for the NKBA Student Design Competition. A contemporary style, high-end appliances, and luxurious materials were the focus. There was a steep learning curve for this project because it was one of the first time I extensively used AutoCAD. It was also challenging, in a good way, to design with the building’s construction. It required product research and creative solutions. I found these restrictions expanded rather than inhibited my creativity due to the guidance that they gave.

My design concept for the project is as follows along with some gorgeous inspiration photos:

The Fletcher’s new kitchen is inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. Throughout the space, elements from his design will be incorporated with sleek, high tech appliances and luxurious materials to make this kitchen the perfect space for entertaining and impressing guests. Continuous, clean lines of the cabinets and countertops will establish this kitchen’s strong horizontality. Vertical columns, inspired by those of the Farnsworth House, will add contrast. Polished, smooth materials accented by rough elements will also add contrast. A neutral palette will be the backdrop to the spectacular view and the Fletcher’s sculpture and glass collections.

Here is the kitchen solution, which is a summary of my design executed, with the floor plan and a couple elevations drafted:

The Fletcher’s kitchen emphasizes entertaining and focuses on the view as well as Thomas and Margaret’s art collections. Only high-end brands such as Sub-Zero and Wolf are used in the space. Warming drawers along with a microwave drawer add efficiency for the caterers. There is plenty of counter space for preparation and cleanup. Two dishwashers (one of which is a Hobart commercial dishwasher), a food waste disposal at the main sink, Dornbract’s Profi spray, and trash/recycling space under the sink enhance the kitchen’s functionality.

Rectilinear forms in the cabinets combined with the continuous line of the countertops create a sleek, contemporary look. Those lines are repeated throughout the space in the sophisticated shape of the Dornbracht’s LOT faucet, the custom stainless steel drawer pulls, and the island.

The island is an area of multiple functions. As an extension of the bar, it houses the refrigerated wine storage, and refrigerator/freezer drawers that store ice and drink garnishes. Since it is the focal point of the kitchen, the island displays the Fletcher’s glass collection and top shelf liquor on glass shelves lighted by a dramatic Bocci pendant light fixture. It is also the space where Thomas and Margaret can sit down for breakfast and enjoy their stunning view.

Luxurious materials, such as polished green onyx, are used throughout the space for sophistication and interest. Lacquered ivory cabinets with linear hardware are the foundation to the kitchen’s contemporary look. Stainless steel pilasters echo the columns of the same material in the island, and add contrast to the textural travertine backsplash.

The floor plan.

An elevation.

Elevations of the island.

Shape Project & Photos

This project was one of the hardest for me yet in the sense that I had a difficult time wanting to do it at all. The assignment was to build a cylinder, a pyramid, a cube, and a cone out of foam core, chip board, and styrene. Do the math. That’s twelve shapes. And since I didn’t really like the idea of making one let alone multiple versions of each shape, let’s just say I was super excited!

Alright. Enough with the sarcasm. For this project, I had to figure out not only how to construct each shape, but I also needed to work with the different materials. Each shape and material had its own challenges. Foam core was sturdy, which was good for building a cube, but inflexible when it came to the cylinder. This was also true for the chip board, although it was a bit more pliable. To get the curve, I scored the material and then was able to bend it to how I wanted it to be (almost). Styrene, on the other hand, was something I had never knew existed, and I got pretty excited about using it when my teacher explained that it could be curved. It’s just getting the curve to stay without getting the styrene glue all over the form that is the trick. I found out that the glue literally melts the styrene together, whether you meant it to or not.

Despite, and probably because of, this project’s difficulty I learned a lot. Yes, there was the introduction to various materials and the challenge of constructing each shape with those materials. But the greatest challenge was finding the will to do the project. Whether it will be a project for client in my career or just a gigantic pile of dishes that need to be washed, I will have to overcome my lack of motivation and, as Nike “said”, just do it. Perhaps that will be my new motto…

Eventually my entire class put all of our shapes together making this pretty great piece that kind of looked like a wave. Or a cobra. It was great to build it all together. I may or may not have also really liked taking it down and stuffing it into not one but two large trash bags, never to be seen again.

For the photos, I arranged more shapes that I made and went around town taking pictures of them. It was a great opportunity to do something a little different than drafting, and it got me out of the Interior Design building. Although it’s a slightly pathetic attempt at being a creative photographer, I had fun getting out of my comfort zone. Maybe I’ll take some photography classes, or save up for a nice camera and figure it out for myself.