Intent Narrative

It is important to create a comfortable living style that feels refined and clean. With the best materials, appliances, furnishings, and fabrics, a residence can be turned into a home. A place to stay becomes a place of comfort where someone can have pride for the space they live in. Easy-to-clean surfaces made of high quality material can brighten up a room and make it feel warm. While accents that bring character and life to a space can make it feel more fun and relaxed, everyone should be entitled to feel like they live in a place of elegance.

Suite Program

Program

3 bedrooms
• 3 walnut beds
o cream-colored jersey sheets
o thin, olive-colored down comforters
• 3 white 4-in1 cribs
o pale green sheets and surrounding cushion (with prints)
• 3 walnut rail-rider changing tables
• 3 walnut wardrobes
• thick, grey shag carpet
• 3 ceiling fans with attached lights
2 bathrooms
• 2 white porcelain bathtubs
• 2 Italian Carerra marble sinks
• 2 white porcelain toilets
• * In the larger bathroom: Italian Carerra marble-tiled stand-up shower
• white, ceramic-tiled floors
• circular lighting recessed into ceiling
kitchen
• 25.1 cu. ft. bottom-mount stainless steel refrigerator
• free standing gas stove-top with stainless steel oven
• 24” stainless steel dishwasher
• Italian Carrera marble countertops
• stainless steel sink
• bamboo floors
• circular lighting recessed into ceiling
lounge
• 26” silver flat screen television
• walnut television stand
o two shelves
o push-open glass doors on front
• dark brown leather sectional couch
• walnut coffee table
o glass top
• studio lighting from ceiling
• tall floor lamp

Close To Home

Connections to History

The Close To Home exhibit in the gallery of the Gatewood Studio Arts Building seems to be centered around the idea of connections. The structure is built purely of strips of wood that are connected to each other with bars that have each end embedded in a piece of wood. This concept fits since the goal of the project was to make a connection and a tribute in memory of Edward Loewenstein.

When walking into the space, the dim lighting and towering structures draw you in and lead you around the area. It feels like a fortress above you that would make for an easy hiding place. The natural colors reinforced the already natural colors that were pre-existing in the gallery. The wood and metal is reminiscent of architecture because of their link to strength and sustainability. The wooden planks on the top of the structure made an interesting view in relationship to the recessed concrete cubes in the ceiling.

The structures reflect Modernism with their “stripped away,” facades. The material is used as the decoration instead of having it applied. With all of the images in the space, you get a feeling for the spaces that Loewenstein designed in his day. Many of the spaces correspond directly to the inspirations and process work done by the students. The most interesting and eye-catching images in the installation were the digital images of the living spaces done by the Art students.

Some of the images were extremely realistic-looking and they had you staring at them to find each detail within the image. Personally, I found that as I encountered the space, I would tend to start from the right and make my way to the left. I would rarely spend time in the back-right area within the exhibit. Perhaps if entering from the left side, I would be more prone to venture to the right side. All of the connections, moving pictures, digital images, photography, text, and catchy comments on the boards came together to create a visual treat that was able to be experienced from every angle.

Group Technocolor model

Individual Technocolor model

iar 222 Self-Reflection

1. This course has changed the way that I view design because it has given me deeper knowledge about architecture, furniture design and many other things that tie into design. I see how design has changed over time and also why it has changed. With the invention of new procedures, machines, and occurrences of economic changes, design evolves and is affected directly. Though when design changes, it is usually reverting back to an earlier idea. It is strange to think of how the world changes drastically over time and design mostly cycles around itself. Granted there are substantial improvements in material based on available and affordable resources, but the concepts tend to be linked to the past. Design is how, where, and what we live in.

2. The library on the UNCG campus has a strong link to the past. It has the very traditional rotunda at the center of it where the “brain” of the library is. This part of the library is built of standard brick and fits in well with the rest of the University’s predominately brick buildings. The library does have two parts, though. The tower of the library is extremely modern in contrast to its counterpart. Because of this, the library speaks this language of wanting to keep its ties to tradition and culture while also trying to progress forward in design and styles.



3. Creating a new perspective that both embraces the past and says something innovative about the present almost comes natural. Past influences are unavoidable since they are visible, livable, and easy to research and find now a days. We will always have influences from the present, though. People are constantly trying to find ways to make things better, more affordable, more appealing, and more sustainable. That is what changes and influences designer’s decisions when they borrow ideas from past designs. It is what keeps designers from copying previous ideas. You can see this blending of ideas in places like churches where there are arches and columns outside, and flat screen monitors with modern spaces inside.

4. Backyard barbeques were much more low key in the 1960s than they are today. People would make grills out of bricks, spare barrels, or whatever was around. They would eat on picnic tables and they would all use charcoal to heat their grills. There were less expendables back then and therefore, the supplies were more limited. I don’t think that backyard barbeques have changed drastically since then except for the fact that we have better technology and more money to spend on equipment to make our backyard barbeques a more chic experience. Now it is almost just another way to show off nice stuff for company.

Group Intent Statement

The use of color and light in our design emphasizes our intent to infuse the space with emotion. Our exterior has a strong horizontal language that is incorporated into the interior. These horizontals throughout the building reflect our idea of nature within and around the structure.

Individual Intent Description

The design for My Sister's House changed with each charrette that passed. After the light survey, we decided that we wanted the most windows to be on the East and West walls of the building. We also decided that the front should have the largest amount of windows, so we changed the orientation of the building so that the front was facing West. After neglecting to show the placement of the columns in our initial 1/4"=1'-0" design, we had to change the placement of some of the important parts of the interior. We were able to eliminate some of our walls since the columns separated space in a nice way by themselves. When we started to design our exterior, we really focused on the influence that the architects, artists, and designers that we researched had on us. We discussed colored tiles, windows that were very functional in terms of sight, and wanted to emphasize the embracing courtyard area with a change in vertical windows. To connect these buildings more, we created a curved walkway that provides patio area for some furniture that implies a hang-out space. After creating our moment, we realized that our ideas were not developed quite enough and that we were limiting ourselves within a space. This caused us to consider lowering the grade in the back of the building and opening up the basement so that we could create our moment outside of the building. Our horizontal bands of windows could be incorporated from our 1/8"=1'-0" model to the inside of the building where we could have weaving bands of walkways and halls and rooms. I see our project going in a direction of something unconventional and intriguing to the outside onlooker. I think that our space will be infused with emotion and have a warmth to it that is often lacking in public buildings. I am excited for the next step in this project.

Jazz Blue Collage