Printing

I have decided that I will get my artwork printed in A1 and I will have my designs printed and mounted on foam board. I will also create my mood board on foam board so that I can mount it on the wall if I wish to, this will also mean that they will both be the same thickness.

I have decided on printing 3 images for my final designs, I will have 1 A1 portrait and the 2 A2’s landscape. I decided on these sizes and orientations by wanting my work to fit together on the wall easily. I want to have the A1 as my focus piece with the A2’s on the right-hand side.

I was going to get my work printed online but I decided against that and got my work printed from the college. I chose the college because it was more convenient for me and my prints were quite cheap compared to other printing facilities. I was able to send my work to be printed and collect my prints within 2 hours and I am more than happy with how they look.

B&Q

 

My preferred style of lighting is energy saving because it is warmer and also will save money. If I was to use a fluorescent light this will make the room look clinical like an operating theatre, this doesn’t create a comforting feeling for me so I definitely won’t use fluorescent bulbs. I am certain that I will have access to direct sunlight from including a large window, as well as making the living room north facing, so that the sunlight will enter directly through the window, lighting up the room. Something to consider is the colour sample I chose to use because it will make the lighting seem unflattering if I was to use a deep purple for instance. I chose a burnt orange which helps to make the room look warmer.

For the walls, I will use a light composition instead of a bright colour because this is more to my personal taste. I am not keen on aquatic colours because they can make the space seem cold, also because I associate blue with water, therefore, I would use it in a bathroom. I have decided that I will use an off white paint for the walls because this will match the light flooring that I am planning on including. I have yet to decide on the type of finish that I am after but my usual go to is matte because it is easy to apply to the walls and it creates a nice finish. I might look into testing out satin’s and glosses as a comparison between the finishes and how easy they are to use.

I prefer the wallpaper when the print is larger, if I was to use this for my feature wall then I think it would be an eyesore because it looks like an optical illusion and the pattern looks busy. Therefore I am not using this pattern. I was originally drawn to the wallpaper because of the metallic effect, even though I am not using this wallpaper I can create the same effect with metallic accessories like a painted vase and a metal light fixture. I can also take into small details like having metal legs on the sofa and coffee table. The texture of the wallpaper resembles polystyrene and doesn’t work very well with the mundane texture of the gold.

 

This wallpaper also looks better up close like the other. I chose this because he hexagons fit nicely with the art pieces, which I am going to create. The background looks as if it has been made with watercolours. I like the brush strokes on the pattern because it adds depth to the overall appearance. I am fond of the light colour scheme because it looks delicate and also has a marble effect. Therefore it will complement the marble fireplace that I am including.

 

I like this light fixture because it looks like a candelabra with lightbulbs instead of candles, which is what I originally planned on using. The paint that has been used for this light is cream and also creates a rustic feel by having the paintwork distressed. I also like the leaves entwined along the arm because this incorporates nature and it will work well with the plants that I am going to include.

I like the shape of the lights but I don’t like the harsh fluorescent lighting however I do like the ability to change the colour with the remote. I am impressed with the range of colours available, this means that you could change the settings depending on the mood that you are trying to create. I love that you are able to change the lighting in so many ways. I, personally, enjoy the mix between modern and vintage in interior design with the vintage appearance but with modern technology, like the T.V and the lights that can be controlled by a remote and even a mobile phone. I would like to include the ability to change the lighting with this technology but by using a different style of light fixture. I don’t like the size of the light because they look too large for the magnitude of the room.

 

 

 

Ikea

 

The corner sofa will be one of the main focus points of the room because I want to be able to feel comfortable and a large corner piece is one of the best ways to portray this. I am certain on including this style of settee and I am likely to choose a neutral toned sofa so that the range of complimenting colours is of a broader choice. I will also include bright and plump cushions, which are likely to be stuffed with duck feathers which is more of a personal preference. I like this style of sofa because of the material which looks like cotton and is also very soft, including the cushions. Even though I like the overall appearance of the settee, I think that the scatter cushions on the right-hand side are too clustered and there aren’t enough on the left-hand side. When I add pillows to my design I will have them spaced out from one another because they look visually appealing.

I chose this showroom primarily because of the textured feature wall with bamboo, also because of the warm-toned lighting. For my living room, I would like to add a feature wall however I haven’t decided on the texture but I would like to use natural material to create the authentic vintage living room with some modern elements incorporated as well. I will also include warm-toned lighting to create a feeling of comfort and tranquillity in my ideal interior design space. I don’t like the paper lampshades because they are low hanging and I dislike the appearance of them. I also think that they are too large and use up too much space. Instead, I will use a light that resembles a candelabra or a chandelier.

I like the placement of the plants, although I don’t like the harsh spotlight lighting and I would prefer them if there was natural light as opposed to artificial. I would have the verdures on a floating shelf or on the floor if it was any bigger. I think that the wooden basket and the plants work well together because they look natural and that is something that I am trying to incorporate into my designs, even though the foliage may be fake they still create the same effect, therefore, I will use greenery to bring colour to my designs.

I am naturally drawn to floral patterns and in Ikea, they have a wide range of fabric in their ” Creative Hub”, including the opportunity to create mood boards by using a camera that is connected to the computer and these are some of the patterns that caught my eye.  Out of the two patterns, I prefer the larger print because there is more detail in the flowers and leaves. If I was to use this material I would make scatter cushions for the sofa to add character to the living room, this will create a contrast between the plain settee.

I chose this pattern because it reminds me of the style “Geometric Abstraction” which was popular in Wassily Kandinsky’s work during the early 1900s. I like the irregularity of the sizes and colours used, this suggests that the pattern is random and fun. I think that the settee is will compliment the boldness of the material. As a result of this, I can create scatter cushions with my chosen material. The only thing that might be an issue is how thick the fabric is. This could make it hard for me to sew into because the needle may not pass all the way through. Also due to the tension from the sewing machine, this could cause the fabric to gather and create an unprofessional appearance.

I like these pictures individually and as a trilogy, because they have the same techniques being used. They follow the same theme, which is a landscape with text over the top. This reminds me of the deconstructing images workshop I completed earlier this year. I will be including artwork into my designs and this is the art style I would like to use, which is Art Deco. I will also be creating these designs myself instead of using somebody else’s work because can create a design which best fits my colour scheme which I have been inspired by from the framed artwork. At this point, I am unsure of the orientation and size of the work that I am going to create but I will make three images and decide on which are the strongest and go from there.

I like the light because it doesn’t hang too low and the lampshades help to create the warm-toned lighting that I am after. Although I am not keen on the colour of the ceiling because it looks like wall plaster. Overall, I think that the room is too dark, especially with the black bookshelf. So, I will ensure to use light colours on the walls and ceiling to help reflect the light. This style of room reminds me of the Victorian Era and I don’t want that style, I intend on creating a twist on the modern living room with some key vintage design features, such as a textured feature wall with a fireplace.

For the fireplace, I will use “White Marble 40” with “Black Stone 33” for the shelf that the fireplace will sit on. I chose these two textures because they will look nice alongside one another. I chose a charcoal grey because it is less harsh than jet black and because I want my interior design space to be bright. The darker the hue, the more light that is being absorbed by the dark instead of being reflected by the lighter colours.

Using Sketchup

I was familiarising myself with using SketchUp by watching a YouTube video so that I could get used to the basic tools that I need to use, so I created an architectural design of a house. From using the tutorial I now feel confident enough to use this software for my final designs. This was due to the tutorial being detailed and thorough as well as me keep replaying certain parts of the video.

From using SketchUp I am now aware that the right hand panel allows me to use furniture and other extras to create my design in an easier way. If I had to include my own accessories I would use a free design package from Pinterest which could be time consuming.

My main goal for this project is to include a large quantity of windows so that there is as much natural light as possible. I am not likely to create the window like this as this is more like sliding doors to a conservatory, instead I will make them a little smaller. Although I want a lot of natural light entering the living room, I also want there to be comfort and security because of this I will include black out curtains as this adds to the privacy of the home.

I enjoy using the pen and the shape tool as this helps me to draw the windows so tat they are the same size and same width apart. I like this design software because it seems fairly easily to grasp and find it useful that they already have the x, y and z axis on compared to using Adobe Illustrator where I would have to draw them on. what I found difficult was using the tools to zoom in and out this is because I am used to using Illustrator where the command is straight forward. I overcame this issue when I watched  the YouTube video because they explained how to zoom in and out. It also helped to follow the tutorial which was provided by SketchUp as they explain what all the tools do.

This is my chosen perspective for how I want my final design to look. I will also see how a direct birds eye view as a floor plan will look alongside the chosen angle. For my final blog posts I will take screenshots of my designs but when I print my work off I will save my work as JPG files.

Line drawings

I drew over the main features of each image in order to deconstruct them. This allowed me to look at the foundations of the rooms, this is to help me decide on my prefered style of the room. I decided to deconstruct these images because I find it easier to see the different elements of the rooms in black and white instead of bright colours and patterns.

I like the appearance of the open space floor plans, therefore, I like the staircase. I like how modern and clean the house looks, I would like to include: stairs, large windows and a rug.

In order to make my designs modern, I will use inspiration from this style to include a floating fireplace or T.V so that I am including one focus point in the room. I want to make them risen off the floor because this creates the illusion that the room is bigger than it is, this also helps to push the idea of minimalist designs.

I like the position of the fireplace but I would prefer it if it was at the centre of the wall parallel to the artwork. When I create my designs I will include a large window similar to this however I will have a smaller width on the horizontal window frame, I will make it the same width as the vertical frames.

I like the irregular style of the fireplace but I would prefer it if it was hidden in the wall. This has inspired me to experiment with different shapes and textures that I am not familiar with.

From the line drawing, I can see that I don’t like the windows. I think that there are too many windows as I would prefer a few large windows. I would also prefer it of they were the same size throughout the living room. Due to the perspective of the room I feel that the windows are condensed. Therefore this may make it difficult to follow for inspiration for my perspective drawing.

I like how prominent the interior design feature line is in this space. This makes the design look futuristic and minimalistic. I like the shelves and how clean and thin they are. This shows that they are made out a strong material, which could possibly be glass due to the reflection. I am certain that I would like to include floating shelves to maximise the space that I have.

Sarah Bax

As part of my primary research I reached out to Interior design lecturers at Southampton Solent University as I am enrolled on the Undergraduates course and I could gain valuable information which would help me in my project.

I started off with emailing the course leader, Sarah Bax, as well as other lecturers that teach the same subject. However Sarah was the only one who was able to answer the questions I was asking, this is because the other lecturers specialised in other areas of interior design like ergonomics and the history of interior design.

I also emailed a wide range of profession interior designers to see how everyones answers differ, however, I emailed them almost a month ago and I still haven’t got a response. I think that the answers I have received from Sarah as well as my other primary research should be plenty.

These are the questions that Sarah responded to:

How did you get into the interior design industry?
I started as a junior interior designer in an architects which inspired me to go into the industry.

Do you prefer working in domestic or commercial interiors?
Commercial is more exciting but there are certain regulations for fire and disability that you have to be aware.

Do you have any interior designers that influence your work?
Not so much interior designers but architects like Louis Khan, who uses daylight in his architectural interior design.

Do you have a particular art style?
Contemporary modern mixing old with new is my favourite.

Do you have any advice for an aspiring interior designer?
Interior design is such an interesting, always changing subject. If you are lucky enough to get into the architectural interior design field like I did this opens more doors and is more interesting than just styling an interior. I liked it so much I set up two businesses and teach the subject, if I can do it you can also if you put your heart into to.

I appreciate Sarah’s response and this has given me the insight into my chosen career choice. Before her response I have never considered architectural interior design and now this could potentially be a new career opportunity after university.  This has also given me an architect to research and if I like their style then I can include further research and use them as part of the progression in my project.

Mood boards

This is a collection of interior design elements that I enjoy and would like to consider in my final pieces. I enjoyed this exercise because I could see what works well in the industry from the perspective of professional interior designers. From creating this mood board it is apparent to me that I prefer natural light to artificial light so I will include large windows. I also like the appearance of neutral colours as well as accent pieces such as artwork. This has made it easy for me to visualise how I want my final designs to look.

This mood board consists of design elements that I dislike, this is mostly because the patterns and colours are too bold and extravagant for my particular taste. This helps me to visualise how I will piece my living room together by looking at the magazines that I got the images from.

3 point perspective

I drew the horizontal and vertical lines to help me decide on where to put the vanishing points.

I drew in 3 point perspective and by using Illustrator I now prefer using Illustrator because I found it easier. This is because of the software helping me get the lines the same length and the same distance apart. Therefore when I am next sketching out ideas then I will use Illustrator.

I am least likely to use this perspective towards my designs because it is mostly associated with architecture, instead I am more likely to use 2 point perspective. Also because I prefer the appearance of the work produced in 2 point perspective.

 

2 point perspective

I am most likely to use this perspective because I am able to use an angle to best show my designs next to one another.

The horizontal grey line represents eye level this makes it easy for me to make sure that the lines are the same length and distance apart. The black vertical line is to show the furthest corner of the room, the green and red lines are the vanishing points.

I have drawn the lines in green and red to show the different angles, also because I was following an article on how to draw in perspective and they followed the same principle.

I drew the basic interior of a bedroom even though I am planning on create a living room. This was purely to practice drawing the furniture to make it proportional to one another.

 

 

Although I am familiar with using Illustrator I took this opportunity to decide on the main tools which I will be using towards my designs. This has allowed me to find out the tools I prefer to use as this will save time, this is because I can use certain tools as short cuts. This is also personal preference. I now know that I enjoy using the line tool as apposed to the pen tool. Therefore I feel more confident about creating my designs.

I enjoy drawing from this angle because I can compare the different walls and see how the work flows together. This will allow me to see what the outcome may be if I have a different colour on one of the walls or if I decide to use wallpaper, as a feature wall, then  it is essential that the don’t clash together.

For my final pieces I will include a large window but for the purpose of this perspective I used a small window. Now that I’ve drawn the window I am certain that I would prefer a large window, even though this will take up a large amount of space where I could be adding artwork and other design features, this will allow the room to be light up by natural lighting. Another thing that I have decided is that I won’t have the window this close to the ceiling as I will have the window the same height as the door.

1 point perspective

This is called 1 point perspective because you are only drawing from one given point. Even though all three show you how to draw in 3D they are from different points of the same room.

I started off by drawing a rectangle in the centre of the page and adding the blue horizontal line approximately 2/3 of the way up.

I enjoyed drawing in this perspective because this allowed me to use the line as a guide to make sure that my furniture was in proportion to the size of the room, therefore I can get it as close to how I want it to look without needing to include measurements because it should be clear enough just from its appearance.

I think I made the door too large compared to the height of the ceiling. This is a learning curve for me as I will be more aware of the sizes next time. This will help me create a more accurate design to help convey how I want my designs to look.

I drew the accessories using the line tool however this was quite time consuming and I would prefer to use a interior design pack which includes the furniture in a range of styles to choose from. I will be able to decide on a specific design pack by doing further research into the range they have on Pinterest, which are free to download.