Green and Solar Home Tours

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During the Green and Solar Home Tours, we saw lots of different materials used on the homes. The most interesting is shown in the third picture. It is a combination of woodchips and cement that is molded together and made into blocks. These blocks create good protection from the outdoors and keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer without needing much heat and without needing an air conditioner. The owners put clay over the top of the blocks on the inside creating a smooth surface for the walls. On the outside of the house, they painted the bricks a burnt orange color. This home also had it's own solar panels which made it very efficient. The picture in the middle is a cement wall that was cast between 2 by 4's and 2 by 6's. I really liked the texture of this material and how it showed the knots in the wood and the lines between the wood. I think it is a good idea for the outside of a home, but not so much for the inside because it creates more of an industrial look and it is not as inviting.

Wheel Chair

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This wheelchair assignment was a challenge because I didn't realize how hard it actually was to be in a wheelchair and try to get around campus. The hardest part for Katie and I was trying to get from Daggy to Carpenter without needing go go down a big hill, and trying to avoid stairs. It was hard for Katie to go into the stall in the bathroom and try to get out as well. The space inside the stall didn't seem like it was big enough for her to get in, turn around and get out. It was challenging for me when we went into Carpenter and had to go to the cafe and try to order coffee. The height of the counter was way too high for someone in a wheelchair and it made it almost impossible to see someone behind the counter.

St. Ignatius, Seattle

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I really enjoyed going to St Ignatius to skech when we were in Seattle. The thing that was most interesting to me were the bright colors from the glass that reflected onto the white walls and cast amazing shadows. I loved the texture of the wax room with the tree in it. I also really liked the floor to ceiling glass wall that overlooked the water outside. It gave you the impression that it was bringing the outside indoors.

Bathroom

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For my bathroom, I designed it around the painting "Echo and Narcussis" by John Waterhouse. The painting caught my attention because of the feeling of being in nature with all of the different colors, which relates to the Gregory residence because they like the colors of the Palouse. I also was intreged by the contrast and brightness of the red clothing. I incorporated that into the bathroom with red accents around the bath tub, in the tiles as well as the lighting fixture. Overall, I am happy with the way this turned out. The only thing I would consider changing about this space is how large it is. It seems to be too large for a master bathroom, but considering it needs to meet ADA requirements, it justifies the square footage.

Meeting With A Designer

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Over Thanksgiving break, I got the opportunity to meet with a designer from my hometown who has been specializing in staging rooms for the past couple years. She graduated from Bellevue College's interior design program a few years ago and has been involved in the design world ever since. She gave me many suggestions on how to better my space such as not thinking that all walls have to be straight and at a 90 degree angle. She also suggested that I moved the closet around in the bathroom so it provided more space for the Grandparents to get by, especially if they need to use a wheelchair one day. Another suggestion she had that I thought was interesting was in one corner of the bedroom, I originally had a little bench that they could use for reading, but she suggested that I change it into a bookshelf or something else so it is more intreging and inviting for people to walk into that corner. She also gave me some good advice about the real world of designers and told me that not all the time will you be starting from scratch and so you will often times have to think outside of the box, especially on a very limited budget.

Seattle Trip

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In Seattle, I had a reallly good time learning about all the different fields you can go into with an Interior Design degree. I really liked going to 3form and seeing how lighting can also be art and how it can completly change an entire room. Another highlight was meeting with a designer and seeing what she does on a daily basis. We got the chance to walk up to one of the sites they were working on and see some of the apartments that were being sold downtown. One of the spaces we toured was the most expensive one they rented in the tower that went for over $6000 per month. They had us help them pick out carpet for an excersize facility that was going in a new building that they were designing. I found it somewhat difficult to get two carpets that went well together as well as finding paint that matched. Overall, Seattle was a really good expierence and it showed me that there is a lot more that you can do with an Interior Design degree than I thought.

Gregory Kitchen

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This kitchen was very challenging for me just because we had so little time to design it. I had a hard time planning where everything was going to go  and how exactly I wanted it to look. Given that it was our first kitchen design, I am pleased with the way it turned out, but there are some things I would change if I had more time or was given the opportunity to design it again.