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Emerald Green!

Emerald Green! The color of 2013, and I must say I'm super jazzed! I have always loved Green and now I feel that it is my design duty to use a pop of it here and there! Check out these amazing designs that I came across that inspire me. I hope they inspire you as well. <3

ohhhh...& the combo of Gold with the Emerald... Beautiful.

                       

                                           

The rainforest is uniquely bursting with vibrant colors, textures, sounds and creatures. The concept was designed by using the elements found in the rainforest. The Harmony House lends an open door to youth that are in need of a home. The rainforest is a diverse place that accepts a variety of creatures. The idea is that the rainforest concept directly relates to the idea of housing a variety of youth that will learn to live harmoniously together, just as living things in the rainforest do. The principles and elements of design were practiced through the choice of fabrics and finishes. The choices led to the overall feeling of vibrancy because of the triadic color scheme, yet calm due to the use of natural tones that balanced the space. The fabrics and finishes created variety and rhythm in the design. The overall style for the design is modern/contemporary, with an organic, sustainable feel due to the use of natural products such as bamboo, stone, counters made from recycled paper, and tile made from recycled glass.

            The service counter in the sandwich shop on the first floor is designed to be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. The design allows the customers to enter at the front of the building and the traffic flow to be immediately directed to the service counter which is parallel to the entrance. This will allow easy access and eliminate confusion. After approaching the service counter the circulation of the customer moves from left to right by ordering on the left, moving down the line and checking out on the right. This ultimately creates functionality in the service counter. The second floor was designed to create a residential environment as well as functional space for the youths’ living quarters. When entering from the back set of stairs there is a long hall with many adjoining bedrooms for the youth. The counselor’s station is set up directly across from the residents’ rooms. The restrooms and shower rooms are behind the counselor’s station. By centering the counselor’s station in the middle of the hall the counselor is easily able to monitor the surrounding spaces. At the end of the hall along with the other stairwell there is the common area, the computer area and a small kitchenette where youth are able to hang out, watch TV and access the computers. This area serves as a living room, so to speak, for the youth to allow them to feel at home. All the furnishings and finishes are meant to directly mimic the concept. The design features organic shaped furniture pieces as well as colors and textures found in the patterns of the textiles along with the flooring selections and wall coverings.

            The design provides an inspiring and positive healing environment by creating spaces such as the group meeting area and the mentoring rooms for life counseling and growth. The sandwich shop allows the youth to gain work experience and an understanding of responsibility. The individual resident rooms provide the youth a space where they can be alone and feel a sense of security and ownership. Through counseling and group therapy the Harmony House helps reunite youth with their families and alleviate their problems. Sustainability is an important practice for youth to learn. The design implements sustainability by selecting furniture and finishes that are sustainable to set an example for the youth.

            By researching a concept, drawing from inspiration, meticulous programming, and the study of youth psychology, the rainforest concept embodies a healthy, stable environment for runaway youth in need. The rainforest caters to a variety of different species that are unique, while the Harmony House caters to a group of unique youth that are in need of guidance.

Hotel Design

CONCEPT

Hotel “lust” is about the connection between people and their desire for one another. Lust was inspired by lush materials, modern style, high-end furniture and dark colors. The hotel embodies the word and invites couples to stay and embrace the high style.

The restaurant “love” is meant to play off the hotel concept “lust” by being the next stage of a relationship. Love is shared between people and is a bond that everyone yearns for. Love is beautiful design with plush seating and a relaxing feel.

The retail store “envy” is about harvesting guest’s desire for items that are expensive and luxurious. envy was inspired by the catch phrase “green with envy.” The store would be full of items that are wanted by many such as diamonds, designer bags, jewelry, and perfumes.

Harmony House- Sandwich Shop

The Harmony House is coming along great! I have chosen my fabrics and finishes for each space! For this entry, I'm going to share some of the fabrics and finishes I selected for the Sandwich Shop in the lower level of the Harmony House. The floors are going to be wood and then tile for the paths of egress. The walls will be off white with bamboo on focal walls and 3-form as well. There will be a water wall serving as a divider for the booths. I used a triadic color scheme which included yellow-green, blue-violet and red-orange. 

These two fabrics are going on the booths!

Here's the bamboo for the accent areas!

In this blog, I'm going to explain my floor plan for the second floor and why I placed furniture/rooms where I did. The second/third floor of the Harmony House is the living quarters for the youth. One floor is all female and the other male.When entering from the back set of stairs, the youth will have a long hall and this is where their rooms would be off of as well as the bathrooms and shower rooms across the hall. The bathroom and shower room are joined for easy access. The councilors station is located between youth rooms and bathroom areas to monitor space. At the end of the hall is the seating area for the youth to hang out and watch TV. The kitchenette is located behind the seating area along with a bar for seating. Next to the kitchenette and between the elevator are computer stations, allowing the youth to access the internet or play games, study, etc. 

Here's the first and second floor of my Harmony House Floor plan. In this blog I'm going to walk you through the layout and reasoning for my placement of rooms/furniture for the first floor only. The sandwich shop is located on the first floor of the house and is open to the public. I placed the sandwich shop on the street entrance to allow easy access and attract business. I kept the entrance door and exit door on the front of the building to create an ideal traffic flow. The elevator is within the space to allow food that has been prepared in the downstairs basement kitchen to be easily brought up. I located the cash-wrap directly parallel to the entrance so it is the first thing one would see when entering the space. I set up the cash-wrap to work as cafeteria style walk through. I kept the traffic flow of the space in a U-shape to allow easy flow. The seating is flanking the paths. The bathrooms are located in the center of everything allowing access for the customers of the sandwich shop as well as the youth staying in the house. The access for runaway youth to come in is located in the back. This allows privacy for the youth and allows them to feel comfortable in coming to the Harmony House for help. The reception is directly next to the back entrance door. The offices and mentoring rooms are down the hall. The group meeting room as well as kitchenette are located next to reception. The stairs allow the youth to travel up to their rooms.