What does an Interior Designer Do?

I am doing my internship at Applegate Tran (check out the website). It is so incredible. Gioi Tran is inspirational and I look forward to learning so much from him. I helped out with a recent workshop Gioi gave to homeowners remodeling their kitchens. Gioi presented a slide show of before and after kitchen designs and there were many “oh” and “ahs” from the audience. Then came the Q&A and it occurred to me – most people just do not understand the role of an interior designer. This surprised me – don’t they watch HGTV? And why would you ever undertake a remodel without an interior designer?


The NCIDQ website says “Interior design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants, and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with code and regulatory requirements, and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.”

To sum it all up, an Interior Designer (not to be confused with an Interior Decorator) creates a better experience. I have discovered that getting a degree in Interior Design involves technical, analytical, creative skills, and understandings of architectural elements. I definitely did not think it would be so difficult – after all I am a Certified Public Accountant – becoming an Interior Designer couldn’t be more complicated – wrong! It is complicated, but when it all comes together the end result is so satisfying for the Designer and the Client. I guess people are leery of hiring a designer because they think it will cost too much, but in the long wrong it actually saves your pocket book, but more importantly it saves your sanity.

Modern Furniture

My project for this quarters Construction Documents class is a case study on the Barcelona Pavilion designed by architect Mies van de Rohe in 1929 for the International Exhibition. This is an exciting assignment for me. Part of the assignment is to draft three millwork pieces. Mies intended for the pavilion to be bare, hence it is difficult to create three millwork pieces. So I am drawing the Barcelona chair, which he designed specifically for the pavilion. As I learned this, I was astonished - after all this chair is the icon for modern furniture design and is still manufactured today!


Drafting this chair affirms my passion for interior design, amazing me that it is as fresh as if it had been created yesterday. Let me point out that I could not find anywhere – digitally or in print – any drawings with specific dimensions or details, so I am creating it as best I can from the Knoll website (the current patent holder). My meager CAD talents turned out a fairly nice rendition and I embrace all things modern, even when they were created over 80 years ago.

Design Contest

Crying is a good thing – right? I just finished a “good cry” because I completed my first board for the Design Contest. Yes, I am competing in the San Francisco Design Centers Student Career Forum Design Contest. I am doing the Art Gallery Contest. The criterion is to create a contemporary art gallery located in Sonoma County. The floor plan is provided and we do the space planning and finish selections. Last quarter this was our assignment for the Architectural Detailing Class. But I have been refining it for the past six weeks. Today I finished Board#2. This probably doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but for a perfectionist like me, it has been a BIG deal. Also, I am trying new things like using a mitered mat board, new types of glues, and rendering digitally. Hence, the big cry of relief this morning when I finished Board#2. Still after all these months of planning, things went wrong and the finished board is not in the least perfect. I figured out that I could work on it forever and it would never be “perfect”, so I am finished. A few labels are slighting skewed, some glue leaked out, and some of the mitered edges are a little wonky. I just hope it is good enough t win a prize. Oh by the way, I had planned on finishing Board #1 today as well, but the printers cut one of the transparency ¼” shorter than the others ….arghhhh

Tessellations are regular patterns of shapes fitting snugly together to fill the page, without overlapping to form a symmetrical pattern. M.C.Escher had tessellations of people and animals neatly fitting together making interesting patterns. I drew this tessellation of the cobra pose, and after a few hours today at the Northern California Regional Yoga Asana Championships I have confirmed to myself that the human eye is good at seeing things which aren't really there and yogis are good at contorting the body into shapes that don't seem possible. Both create a feeling of well being and balance for the mind and the body. It is a beautiful thing.

Contemplating 2009

It is the time of year when we think about the past and plan for the future. All my life I have had a plan - for each day, week, month, and year. Oddly, my current reality is nothing like anything I ever imagined. 2009 was the year that I came to grips with my new reality - one that I had not planned - I am a creative person that I did not know existed and learning so many new things. Sometimes it is exhilarating and sometimes it is so frustrating when my brain just won't work the way I want it to.

New Year's day I was watching "Marley and Me" and Owen Wilson lamented to his editor that his plan was to be a reporter not a columnist. The editor told him "sometimes life comes up with a better idea." As I sit here with tears rolling down my face I am so glad "life had a better idea." I have many exciting things "planned" for 2010 - an internship, an design contest, new classes, perfecting my drafting and drawing skills and guess what - I am leaving one door opened for the unknown.............imagine that!!

Stanfield is Completed!!

Stanfield is completed and will go to the new owners tomorrow. I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed designing it. I created a little rendering of the family room and placed it on the fireplace mantle with a thank you card.

I am busy finding my next house to design and already researching the latest trends in finishes and colors. My creative juices are flowing and it is exciting to be excited!

Wallpaper

I wallpapered two of the walls in the entry on Friday. It had mean about five years since I had wallpapered and now I remembered that it is fun, but a lot of work. Climbing up and down the ladder is literally a pain. Wallpaper adds a lot to a space. It gives it texture, color and a visual pattern. I choose a pattern that is a modern baroque with a gray background and silver print. I choose this fancy pattern to offset the stainless steel and marble finishes in the kitchen which have a smooth tactile appearance and although the wallpaper is smooth, the pattern adds just the right amount of texture. The silver color contrasts nicely with the wood floor.

Thank goodness Brian helped me. I would still be wallpapering if it weren't for him! Afterwards we were both pleased with our work and we had fun.