Zen

My initial feeling of this home was a contented sense of relaxation. The rich, mahogany wood and warm lighting create a spa-like atmosphere, which is set off by the iron-framed glass and large indoor plants. The spherical chandelier ties the room together resulting in a very complete, smooth design. (Architectural Digest, Sep. 2007)

The best of both worlds

This house is not only a beautiful, contemporary take on the traditional farmhouse, but it is also largely sustainable. The house’s interior is expansive, boasting a multitude of far-style windows and planked ceilings with exposed beams. An “inverted gable” acts as a ventilation silo, as it collects and exhausts both hot air and rainwater for the gardens. The silo’s windows are by photovoltaic panels, and the home is geographically positioned to increase energy efficiency. Because of the ventilation from natural convection currents, the home does not require air conditioning, and the silo’s panels trap warm air in the house during the winter months.
(page 300 architectural digest September 2007)

Modern Twist

Staircases are eternal places for improvement in a home. They are near-sculptural pieces begging for an identity. This staircase does an unbelievable job of recognizing its identity. It’s graceful curves offer a modern, artistic flow that transforms its surrounding space into a richly intelligent and dynamic experience. (Wallpaper June/July 2007)

Le Fem Southern

While I have a great fondness of color, I am usually hesitant to consider pink as for a room. It can be difficult to transition pink from its soft, girly tone into a more solid, adult accent. Paired with the antique circular windows and the sleek browns, pink is ideal in this space, creating a warm, feminine feel, absent of its stereotypical childish characteristics. (page 110 southern accents July/Aug 2007)

Clean and Cozy

One may usually consider an asymmetrical fireplace to be a little drastic for a small space, but such a fireplace works beautifully in this space, in perfect sync with the diagonal grains in the dark wood-shelving surround. The room is not overwhelmed by contemporary elements, but certainly has a comfortable contemporary influence. (Page 138 Traditional Home September 2007)

Cityscape

Most design journals are littered with advertisements. They usually catch my eye, but do little to hold my attention. This was not the case with one ad for Marvin windows and doors in the October 2007 edition of Dwell. The Ad was showed the view from a big-city apartment through a beautiful palladian window. The captivating feature of this room was in its brilliant design. The room seemed to flow seamlessly into the skyscrapers beyond the window, and the two were further connected by the inclusion of the buildings’ accents within the interior space. The designer recreated the grid pattern, created by the windows on the skyscrapers, throughout the room, and maintained the same neutral whites and grays found in the city’s landscape. The use of repetition aids in the development of such a space, and the simplicity of the room certainly draws the eye out into the view of the city.

Desert Oasis

This home provides a highly tasteful, well-blended take on its Californian terrain. The crisp lines and organic wood materials mimic the flat plains and weathered textures found naturally in its surroundings. Because the home does not have layer for a foundation, it seems to seep into the rough desert ground beneath it. This home has beautiful lines and a comfortable familiarity with it’s location. (page 130 Architectural Digest September 2007)

Big City Flair

The Merseyside in Liverpool, England, is a perfect blend of comfort and chic. This space has a visible flow and eye-catching use of lines, seen clearly in the central metal hood, windows, and stair rail. The wide variety of materials utilized in the room adds incredible breadth, giving the room a unique identity. The industrial metals, clean tile, and sharp wood offer drastic contrast in texture throughout the room, but balance beautifully in the context of the room. The blend of natural lighting and dim artificial lighting create strong shadows, adding yet another dimension to the room’s dynamic shape. (Page 150 Wallpaper June/July 2007)

Chic Legal Affairs

Law offices are rarely so comfortable and inviting as that of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Designers Felderman Keatinge + Associates did an excellent job incorporating a variety of lush textures into this space, while maintaining a comfortable blend of soft crèmes and neutral begies. The color palette is ideal for this space, as it allows clients a much needed relaxing environment, aided by soft natural light. The space has a very open feel, as the architects made use of curved glass walls, but is offered versatility through the use of privacy screens. (page 137 Contract May 2006)

A Seamless Blend

The architecture of the Colorado residence described in “Where Earth Meets Sky” (10/07 Architectural Digest) maintains a delicate connection with its mountainous landscape. Set in a ridge of the Rocky Mountains, this house was designed to flow seamlessly into its surroundings. The vast number of windows and careful use of materials creates the illusion of no boundaries. While modern elements, such as sharp lines, seem to contrast with the landscape, the natural stone and wood materials act to ground such variations. This is exemplified in the designers choice to use one curved, frosted glass wall, paralleled by a straight, rough stone wall. Each had used materials to blend contemporary and organic to maintain the natural feel of the house.
Because this house is designed around multiple floors (see floor plan), the many different layers imitate the feel of looking down a mountain. Its steep view is interrupted by varying lines and textures, as would the view down a mountain. The house has numerous angles, which creates shadows and depth, further enforcing the dynamic quality of this space.

Dirty Spoon

Coffee, anyone?

Zine for Thought

To further our understanding of layouts, my drawing class was assigned the task of creating a "Zine." This miniature magazine was to include ten buildings, interior environments, products/ artifacts, graphic media design or designers discovered through design research. Creating mosaics is a passion of mine, so I chose to research and create a Zine about tile. The latin title, Tegula, recognizes its historical importance in Architecture. The Zine examines ten different variations of tile used in architecture, today.

Self-Understanding

My studio class was assigned the challenge of creating a free-standing sculpture with eight self-portraits to allow others the opportunity to get a better understanding of us. I chose to make a very abstract sculpture, with emphasis on dynamic form and delicacy. The sculpture is made from metal mesh nailed to a wooden board. I applied a ribbon of plaster to draw attention to the shape of the sculpture, and fastened two metal rods in a curved, "X" shape to further illustrate the dynamic curves. The sculpture, itself, was very fun to design and build, but I had a great deal of trouble creating self-portraits to support it. My fear was that the drawings would take away from the sculpture, or accidentally convey a false statement about myself.

The Metamorphosis Spectrum

This studio project revolved around the metamorphosis of two students' projects, to create three new designs. The final product was intended to form a spectrum, clearly illustrating the movement from one design to the next. The two projects that I was assigned to work with were those of Alexandra Camacho and Arntia Smith.

Alexandra's Egg Environment

Arntia's Memory Container

It all began with ten thumbnail sketches...
From here I chose one sketch that represented a balanced blend of elements from each project, and designed an artifact to demonstrate this metamorphosis. I chose to illustrate the unnatural balance found in Alexandra's project and the interrupted rhythm in Arntia's memory container. In my "balanced" iteration, the pyramid is suspended to add this unnatural feeling, also blocking the view through the Plexiglas cube.


We were then assigned the task of creating two more iterations to complete the spectrum of metamorphosis between the two projects. Each of these artifacts was to resemble more closely a project on either end of the spectrum.


This iteration falls between Alexandra's egg environment and my "balanced" iteration. The pyramid shape is maintained in the outer structure, while the cube is blocking the view through the triangular windows.



This iteration falls between Arntia's memory container and my "balanced" iteration. The cube shapes are carried throughout and the black pyramid obstructs the view of the cubes behind it.

Dedication.

My original intent for this project was to illustrate the late nights that make up life in the studio, but I realized that it's not so much about the late nights as it is about the dedication. My peers and I give whatever it takes to bring our designs to life, and, in my mind, this is the epitome of studio.

The Start of "Another All-Nighter"

This layout, from the July/ August edition of I.D. magazine, is what I am using to direct my design for "what makes studio, studio?" I plan on incorporating several textures (dirt, sawdust, glue, etc.) to lay under pictures that define my studio. The layout will utilize white space to emphasize the pictures, and I hope to include short captions as well.

A Container for a Memory...

For this project we were assigned to create a container for a memory. Simple as it may seem, this assignment was quite challenging. I chose to contain my memory of visiting the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, where I rode in a hot air balloon. Because this is such a special memory, I had trouble convincing myself that I had done the memory justice. My goal was to allow the viewer the opportunity to experience looking up into a hot air balloon. At the balloon fiesta I was surrounded by incredibly bright colors as the balloons took off. The brilliance of these colors increased exponentially upon looking into the vast balloon- the light filtering through to intensify the hues. To allow my viewer this incredible experience, I set out to create an object that could mimic the light filtering through colors of a massive balloon. Through numerous iterations, I experimented with countless shapes and materials, including paper mache and fabric. My more successful materials were Mod Podge, resin, and tissue paper. My final iteration took shape around the glass of an oil lamp with a Styrofoam egg to round it off. I wrapped this shape in saran wrap, used Mod Podge to layer it with tissue paper, and painted several layers of resin over top.