Can I get that creativity on the side, please?

so. about the feller. he can work a building like nobody's business but i guess florida a&m is not so much concerned with architecture history. being somewhat of a fanatic (and by that i mean, all my sight-seeing i've ever done in any city has revolved around architecture and design as much as i can help it), i have done my best to educate him about the great architects, architectural landmarks, and have successfully turned him on to international design (don't worry, there will be another blog soon to come dedicated to the explanation of international design--its not just design in other countries).

since architecture hasn't been rolling in projects lately, he came up with a rough idea for a one bedroom, loft-like dwelling, based on what i've taught him about international design. i'm so proud :)

now. since i'm over here just waiting for someone to put me on the task of finish selection (so i can secretly gaze at the beautiful lonely finishes that we never use in our library), i jumped on the chance for a dream side project.

slowly, when we have the time, we're adding to it. here's what its looking like so far. its really exciting to have my hands in something like this.

the order of the drawings goes: front of house, back of house, kitchen view from dining room, living room view from kitchen. i should have added a floor plan. that will come later when perfected. there's still some funky walls going on (mr. architecture will have to fix that), and adding furniture in revit is much harder than it is in autocad. you kind of have to hunt it down in hopes that someone out there has built what you're looking for.

the house is very open--lots of windows, simple. there is a 3-sided fireplace separating the living and dining room (hard to tell what it is). you can see the loft above the kitchen, although there's no railing or furniture yet.

its a work in progress--i actually haven't touched it in a while because it requires me working during lunch or after work so its not during work hours. i usually abhore staying late, but it has moved into the fun stages lately.

i'll keep updates posted! especially when i figure out rendering-ha. i'll just print it and color it myself and it will look WAY better. duh.

REcovered

For those of you who, like me, are still too poor to have a house/apartment full of your own furniture and have a grand collection of hand-me-downs and yard sale finds--there lies hope!

i had at my apartment in auburn, a sofa and chair that belonged to my grandmother since the 50s. they both survived children, grandchildren, smokers, art projects, and pets. the beautiful cream upholstery had turned yellow, there were stains, and a fine hybrid fragrance of old people and dog. even still i was absolutely in love with both of them. when it came time to move down to florida, i had to make the tough call to donate the sofa and keep the chair. after a very hurting REJECTION from the salvation army (i mean really, they do that??) my mom and i dumped it at the garden district apartments (not nearly as lovely as they sound) in hopes that it would at least gather beer spills and dna (as my mom says) at some party house. i can only hope...

so i still have the chair. upon learning of the fantastic designer discounts offered from upholstery manufacturers, i decided to take the financial leap of reupholstery. the chair is a family heirloom, it would cost more to replace--it just made the most sense. architex offers a 50% discount to designers on top of their already good prices (find a designer if you're not one and tell them to buy you some fabric--upholstery shops will snactch up your pocketbook fast!) thanks to the amazing work of pettus upholstery here in pensacola, my chair is as good as new. see for yourself:

before

after! [disclaimer: this is a camera phone shot. my digital is jacked up. and yes that's a dog toy on the ground.]

little bit of a detail shot for you. the brass nailheads were a last minute idea. and i love them!!

FYI: the upholstery is architex, corinthian: westchester. the buttons (which i'm contemplating adding another row) are anzea, exotiqua: snapdragon and my only disapppointment. i thought they'd make more of a statement. it almost makes me wish i'd done the whole chair in alligator, but i'm still happy.

to give you an idea on price: 7yds of fabric cost me $100. the upholstery job including reupholstery, all new foam, and nailheads was $400. a new chair like that would have cost double that if not more. it left me poor, but that chair will be in the family for generations to come.

a little warning about faux leathers though, especially if you have aminals. my dogs sat on it after i put on their flea treatment and the oil got on the fabric and left a mark. its not very noticeable and i'm sure a pillow can cover it, but it was still disappointing. they don't run tests for flea treatment resistance!

What to Expect

Hey folks--
First post. I thought I'd let everyone know a little bit of what I'm about. First and foremost, most of the time I do not care to use capitalization in my typing. The first few sentences were freebies. now you're out of luck. however, i place great emphasis on punctuation and grammar. so no worries there.

so you might be thinking "what will this blog be about?" well i established it because i am an artist at heart, and right now i am stuck in an extremely un-creative interior design job. i know you must be wondering how interior design can be uncreative. well, we do government interior design. that means gray, beige, and every once and a while the wonderful air force/army color blend of teal. some days i would just die for a box of crayons.

in my spare time i rarely have opportunity to take creative adventures. but i often look at them, talk about them, and dream about them. this blog is an opportunity for me to share with you the things i do, and the things i love in the world of design.

a daily ritual of mine includes visiting http://www.archdaily.com/ at least twice daily (thanks to their frequent updates), and my computer background rotates between the particular things that inspire me each week. this is one of my favorites:

why i think this is good design: notice the different elements used: glass, wood, porcelain, concrete, tile, and metal. the 6 most important elements of good bathroom design. personally i love the colors. you can't get more relaxed than that. and the spectacular view doesn't hurt. beyond that, the planning is excellent. i usually find luxury bathrooms to have the common fault of wasting space. although appearing large because of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the footprint of the space is not all that big, but you still have the feeling of an open space. look at all those shower heads!! ahhh....

above is one of my favorite bedrooms to ever grace ArchDaily. usually too much white seems yuppy to me, but this is brilliantly executed with the almost retail-like lighting, dark wood floors, and pops of color to move your eye around the room. notice how the room is separated. i can't tell if that's stairs in the middle or a look to below, but it definitely separates the office and sleep spaces. with the ceiling kept all white, your eye stays lower in the bedroom for a cozy feel; the high-book shelves in the office bring your eye up for a more grand space (such as an office should be, living in a house like this.)

well that's all for today. somehow between work and all my personal designs at home, i hope to bring you a little piece of me next post.

do great things!