A Little Inspiration

So, being in a brand new apartment, obviously I'm not going to want the same decor as my old apartment. Who does?? I personally like to mix new and old pieces together. My favorite thing to do is go to nice consignment shops that customers can bring things in and get a percentage back on their items they are selling.  I typically find better things at these stores because the store owner has a say on what comes in. So, if it's trash and not treasure they have the power to say "no" if they feel it's not something people would want to buy. 

I think I find a pleasure in finding and buying items that tell a story. I know from my retail experience that when people are buying art they almost ALWAYS want to know the backstory behind the painting.  Understandable. I can also appreciate the design and craft of new furniture, which I why I like to mix the two. 

Traditional + Contemporary = Perfect Mix. 

Here are a few images of living rooms I'm keeping in mind while decorating my apartment. Keep in my I am not going to physically copy every single item in one of these rooms and translate it in my living room, but simply pull times from all of the pictures and compile them into my own design.  The ottoman, the throw pillows, candle stick, and rug are some items I'm thinking about adding to our own living room.  Timeless items are a good thing to think about too, not just trendy decorative votives or tacky picture frames that won't be in style in a year.  Ultimately, think smart, buy items you love, and put it together in a manner that inspires you!

-n

RH

So this morning I got the privilege to go to an interview at Restoration Hardware in Charlotte, NC for a sales associate position.  Can I just say how uh-mazing this company is?? They are team oriented, which to me, is so much better in a retail setting than just going into work and being focused on your own money and your own customers.  The store bases itself on four core values.

1.  People -- hence this is listed first.
2.  Quality
3.  Service
4.  Innovation

Since I am fresh out of design school this job or any like it, could be such a great stepping stone, or even HUGE opportunity for me.  Restoration Hardware seems to like to hire and promote within the company, but because they are having people interview shows that they do like fresh faces within the company as well.  RH and all it's employees exude itself as a lifestyle and does not limit itself as "just" a retail store.  There's that word "just", which I learned in design school was like saying "Voldemort" in  a world of wizards.  ;).  But in this analogy, I am using "just" in favor of RH.  I love how they are so much MORE than "just".  And, as most of us know, RH is known for their awesome paint colors and beautiful wall color choices.  I know this because my painted their bedroom a RH color.

If you find time today, take a look at their website.

www.restorationhardware.com

Personally, I think RH is a collection of traditional and contemporary styles mixed.  Mixed in such a way that it all blends perfectly.  This might be because they use neutral colors in such a calming way, but also the chandeliers pop, the pictures pop, and then the rugs tie it all in together.

If you're looking for a great company to apply to and you have some design or art background, check out Restoration Hardware!

-n

Summer Home Essentials

I work in an upscale furniture store for the remaining of the summer.  It was my internship in college and then formed into a part-time job. Being in this type of atmosphere, with my design degree, I get to witness trends for the home coming in and out. I get to see what people want or don't want in their home, or second home....or...third home. You get the point.  It's a dream of mind to be able to fill people's houses with these kinds of items, so here I have put together a couple items, textures, and a setting that screams summer to me.  

As you probably could tell I'm kind of drawn to pink.  BUT ONLY FOR THE SUMMER I SWEAR!  I'm one of those girls that's never played a sport, but I also never had a pink room.  A good mix I like to think ;). 

Far left picture is a fabric on some carved oval-back French chairs we have in the store.  Personally, I think not only does it look good on chairs, but it could be a bag, pillow, shirt, etc.  Below is a full size picture of it..

The top right picture is a star burst mirror.  It's gold and welded together, and the best part about it is the mirror in the center that has gives a "fish-eye" effect.  If I had endless amounts of money I would buy thousands of these and do a whole wall series cascading down to my indoor waterfall feature that of course overlooks the Malibu coast, wind blowing, and candles flickering while my hot mister grabs me a cold one.  Okay.  Enough.  But you get my point, these mirrors are magical and when I think magical I think summer.  Below is a close up: 

Finally, the bottom right picture is a setting I put together in hopes of making the front of the store look more fresh while also bringing in pops of color.  Greens and pinks are my absolute favorite color combination. I know, I know, I sound like a teenage girl, but c'mon I know you got those colors on your full set of braces in ninth grade too, don't even play! 

Happy summer! 

-n

in with the new

On my journey to convert this once design school blog, to a lifestyle blog, I decided for my first post I will show a compilation of some of my favorite things this summer.  Almost a "what's in my bag" but more like a "what's on my makeup counter".
Enjoy!

-n

IAR 302: Essay

Friday in 302, Tommy and Patrick’s class did combined presentations as a somewhat interim of the beginning process of redesigning the 3^rd year studio space.

The discussion began with the Interior Architecture program itself and what spaces are most used throughout. In order from most used to least used they begin as followed: Studio Area, Digital Lab, Library, 401 Critique Room, Student Lounge. This goes to show me that the studio area is most likely the space I would like to focus on through my design, because it will have the biggest impact on the IARC department.

A few things I found interesting throughout the presentations is that many things that were programmed in the construction documents did not actually get factored in to the building during construction. Some furniture was supposed to be provided through the budget that wasn’t, and also tackable wall surfaces. The fact that one of the biggest needs for the department wasn’t included in the actual construction is rather unfortunate, but also leaves room for us to create something even better.

A major want/need expressed throughout the class and even the department itself was that all of the spaces in the building that are public spaces for the students need to feel like you are welcome to enter and use them. Many spaces such as the library and student lounge almost have a “sterile” feel to them which give off the vibe of do not touch and do not talk. These spaces are open to the public and I feel as though they do not get used as such because the atmosphere the space itself gives off. As for things that were talked about during the presentations were the want for showers, a rendering lab, retreat area, sleeping area, and food/appliance areas as well. Some of these I do think take priority over others. I would much rather have a food/shared appliance area than showers, and a retreat area over a sleeping area.

There many problems addressed also, which I am greatfull for everyone voicing their opinion on this because it makes the design process a lot “easier” when you have something to base your ideas off of. One issue is that the studio needs more motivating qualities within. We are a group of extremely creative individuals, and there is no reason the space should not reflect that. I feel as though the space should be constantly changing and inspirational. Sound is a major issue, meaning there is too much of it. There needs to be more visual stimulant to keep our creative juices flowing. I have been circulating in my min the idea of an inspiration wall that leaves anyone free to contribute to it and refer to it when need of inspiration. Finally, many people in class like the idea of leaving a legacy. This is something to consider because we all want to see IARC grow and see where we started off from. Something that is somewhat of a timeline to help all of us keep reaching for that finish line. To conclude, I think all of us have our work cut out for us because there are many obvious problems that need addressing that our designs could solve.

4 Core Values

Community

The minute I saw this photo I knew wanted I it to represent the word community for this assignment. To me, community means a group of people joined together in some kind of unison for a common reason or cause. This picture shows how a group of people join together for something. These men look as if they're praying because they are bent to the ground and in the corner of the photo there are shoes placed. As an IARC community we all share common goals and interests. With these things in common it almost automatically unified all of us together and we now have our own small community.

Authenticity

I chose this picture to represent authentic because this photo shows the tomatoes as they are. This farmer had picked the tomatoes and there is something authentic about the fact that he has taken all his hard work and made something out of it. Leaving something as is and letting it be is what is authentic to me. Something that needs no changing to make it better is truly authentic

Innovation

When I think of innovation I think of motivation. In this photo a woman is standing up for her rights facing a crowd of men. Innovation is thought of as moving forward, maybe doing something that has never been thought of or done before. This woman had the innovation to do something and stand up to an existing law and change it because of her inspiring motivation.

Stewardship

I chose this photo to represent stewardship because stewardship is looked at as authority, being above someone for a specific reason. When I look at this I immediately associate it with a hierarchy and this mother taking stewardship over her baby. Even the arrangement of the photo shows the mother standing over her baby while the baby is innocent, and the mother is on watch for the safety of both of them. This photo shows stewardship at its best in my opinion.

Sketch Series 4