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.