Current Event: Interdisciplianry collaboration

Interdisciplianry collaboration at SCAD

Teaching Innovation

I found this article about a subject I had never really heard before: interdisciplinary Collaboration. Basically this terms describes "the merging of specialties—and professional interaction and experience." Interior design can work by itself, but the collaboration of real-life projects, with other students from other majors results in a creative storm.
The article above discusses how for a project at SCAD (Savannah School of Art and Design), students from majors including fashion, furniture design, graphic design, marketing management and advertising, collaborated their efforts in creating a new flagship store.
students in advertising, architecture, fashion, furniture design, graphic design, marketing management and service design worked with Benetton’s interior design department to design a new flagship store.  Apparently this type of education process gives the student a new perspective as far as creating a project that is tended from every angle.
I think this type of education is very beneficial to the student and creates a more rounded student as far as knowledge in the interior design world. I'm not sure if Kristin ever experience this kind of education while she was in school, but it's definitely become popular over the last 4 years.
I know this is true in my education. In one of my classes, we worked with the fashion majors to create a mobile retail cart. A feat that could not have been accomplished without both minds working together!

Week 5: Visiting another client

    Kristin and I had been scouting out potential items for a client's porch and master bedroom, so it was time to go see her and talk about what she wanted to do for the space.  While Kristin discussed with her about the spaces she wanted done, I worked on painting the lamp shade chain that hung above the dining roomtable. Kristin had already completed the dining room of the house and everything looked awesome except for the chain on the lamp. This lamp is very cool, very rectangular and modern. It looks really perfect in the living space and I simply love how it ties in with everything. BUT, needless to say, there was a problem, because the chain was stark white, which didn't fit in well with the rest of the rustic blue, and brown dining space. A few weeks earlier, Lia and I had bought some bronze metallic paint at hobby lobby for just this purpose--to repaint chains. So, for a couple hours, I worked my Van Gogh skills while Kristin talked with her client. For this week, that was the main event! Until next time!!

These are a few items that could potentially be used for Kelly's porch!

Current Events: up and coming trends

Freshome Design & Architecture

In this article by Freshome, the top 10 trends for the design world are summarized. This is a great article for tracing what's hot and new in the market, especially if you're trying to stay up-to-date with your interior design!
I thought it was very interesting that the number one trend they chose was design that was male-related. Design that caters to men has really become an up and coming trend, which makes sense simply because of the lifestyle of today's society. It's not uncommon at all for a wife to work full time, and the husband to stay at home with the kids, or perhaps just work at home. In fact, I know a lot of people who have done this. So, the result of this changing lifestyle, obviously meaning that the male is at home more, changes the aesthetic of the household.
The #3 trend I thought was very interesting, and SO appropriate was the DIY projects. I' m surrounded by so many people that love doing home projects and designs! There's something very satisfactory in having your own project or creation displayed in your home. DIY is really everywhere. And we all know Pinterest is probably to blame...
The last one I found very relatable was #9. Hand sketching and wall-writing. I love this type of look in any room. It can make a room more homey, sophisticated, and unique.
I've seen design trend #9 a lot in the area where Kristin works. Since most of her work is in churches, writing, painting, and sketching on the wall is a common trend. I love that kind of look though!

                                                                       #1

#3

 

 

#9

Week 4: meetings & logos

 

       Lia and I met at Walker’s downtown and brought our laptops to do a little internet shopping and online scavenging. We found two different options for every object that Kristin needed for the church. This included items like old gas pumps, basketballs, and faux flowers for the kids hallway.

For part of this week, Kristin was in Chicago at the Neocon conference, so Lia and I worked on creating Google docs that she needed to be organized for the church.

This week too, I worked on designing a few logos for Kristin, so that she could put it on the thank- you notes that she gave to clients after a completed project.

          On Friday, we had the opportunity of sitting in on a budget meeting that Kristin had with another client: the pastor of a church in Athens. This church is currently in the process of relocating, and it is currently undergoing the first stages of construction. We sat with Kristin so that she could plan out, in as much detail as possible, the office designs, the children’s area, the chairs for the main auditorium, etc. There’s a lot to cover in the whole space, and we all kept our notebooks handy to jot down whatever needed to be remembered.  And good news! We later journeyed that afternoon to an Antique store outside of Athens, only to find they had the gas pumps that we needed!

                                                           The logo I made for Kristin

                                                         The other logo that she liked

Current Event: Neocon: Interior Design Event

What is NeoCon?

Focal: Grand prize winner

In the middle of June, Kristin was out of town in Chicago, attending the NeoCon design conference. The link above can give a good description of what exactly NeoCon is, but Kristin went to get some inspiration for her own design business.
This event is HUGE, with an attendance of 40,000 people and 700 showrooms and vendors around the world. I wish I could have gone, but in a sense it would have been rather overwhelming. Kristin showed us pictures of things she liked at the conference. One thing she showed us were these carpet tiles that were hexagon-shaped, instead of just square. The tiles also came in gradient colors, so not only did the design look awesome, the colors made it even cooler.
After hearing about if from Kristin, I can see how it would be a very valuable experience.
Product Innovations chose their grand prize winner at this conference: The company Focal, with the Locus Workstation desk.
This desk offered a tilted desk with an adjustable chair. The main point of this chair was to offer a seating option that would be comfortable for doing work, especially with your back bent.

Week 3: exploring

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      This week moved a lot more slowly than the two previous weeks. There was a lot of work for me to do for Kristin's client's master bedroom. Since the shopping world is so dominated by Pinterest—meaning you are able to pin practically anything from any website, I created a Pinterest board for the bedroom and porch I was working on. I pinned the paint swatches, pillows, mirrors, rugs, and every item that you could think of to the secret board. It was easier for me to see all the combinations of items together, so I could visualize what the rooms could look like. I worked a long time on those, trying to figure out exactly what we could do to make the space the style that this particularl wanted.

The second main event of the week was traveling to the church in Peachtree City on Friday to set up the furniture in the youth building. However, we were pleasantly surprised when we got to the building because the church staff had already set up most of the furniture: cutting it from boxes, taking off plastic wrap, and arranging it on the floor. It looked amazing! I don’t have a picture but I’ll try to post one once I get it from Kristin.

So, we all left from Southside much earlier than we expected! Kristin and I took an unplanned trip to Scott’s Antique market in Atlanta to do a little shopping.  I had never been before but it was amazing seeing how much furniture, trinkets, clothing, and random unidentified objects could fit into this space! The vendors were really nice and we found a booth full of letters from old signs. Perfect! This is what Kristin needed for one of the walls in the kids hallway at the church. She was going to spell Wisdom Faith Friendship on the wall.

So we spent some time finding all the right letters, and arranged them on the ground. The vendor gave us an awesome deal on all of them and so we gathered them up and took them to the car. Success! We then made our way home, satisfied that we had stopped.
   The last biggest thing for this week was finishing up the law office in Athens. A project that Lia and I helped with when we first started the internship! This office is in an old Victorian house off of Prince Avenue. This client is a patent lawyer, so the traditional furniture was perfect for the look he was going for. Below are the finished pictures of his office.  Lia and I spent a lot of time trying to hang the pictures above the Hickory Chairs. After a lot of effort, they finally hung straight!

                                  The Pillow I picked out for the master bedroom

        The hanging lamp that Kristin picked out. This could

 potentially hang on either side of her bed

                                                 Potential paint color for Kelly's bedroom: 
                                        Brainstorm Bronze SW 7033 from Sherwin-Williams

                              The letters we found. Still missing a couple F's!

      Before

 After

(The picture of The Dude was a must-stay. Naturally ;)

Week 2: Meeting A Client

We didn't have as much to do this week because of Memorial Day and so we all met with Kristin on Tuesday to discuss what our schedule would look like for the week. The main priority was meeting with a client in downtown Atlanta to talk about plans for his living room. This particular client really likes design, loves visiting furniture stores, and going on Atlanta home tours. But he wants a very modern look for his living room and needs help deciding what sort of furniture he should buy. He is very interested in the Mid Century Modern look and wants to put a womb chair in his space. And so, Kristin sat down with him, Lia and I nearby with notepads in hand to talk about what he would like to see in his newly designed living room. Kristin discussed everything with him from furniture arrangement to the color of the authentic womb chair he had his eye on. Kristin already designed the nursery for his daughter, so now he and his wife want her help with the dining space, living room, and eventually the master bedroom. It was a very productive time and after our meeting we said our goodbyes, then headed out to lunch. We did some shopping and an "inspiration run" around some of the shops in Atlanta, and then headed home. The week was filled with a lot of different errands and meetings, including buying a pair of leather wingback Hickory chairs for another client's law office, and making sure they were delivered safely. It was a good week! And I'm learning a lot from all these experiences!

                                  This is what the living room looks like right now

This is the photoshopped view of the room that Kristin made of what the room could potentially look like