Alexis' Design Blog: warmth

Monday, February 7, 2011

TRANQUILITY EMERSED IN WARMTH -Habitat for Humanity board 1/2

This is the Habitat for Humity house design project that we did in our studio class. Habitat for Humanity is an organization that builds homes for the lower income population. The homes are built with the owners and volunteers of the area. This is way for the home owners to "pay" for their house with out money. We were paired up with a partner and together were supposed to come up with a 3 bedroom floor plan, no bigger than 11,000 square feet, and fall right on or below the desired budget 80-85 K. The idea of combining tranquility and warmth with in the home is what katrina and I decided to go with. We then came up with this house design built around the idea of having a shed roof. At first we were told not to design a house with a shed roof because the clients just didn't see how this would work, but with persistance katrina and I designed a funtionable, cheap, aesthetically pleasing and sustainable home containing a shed roof. The first board contains our floor plan, the main living space perspective, some pictures of the site where the house is to be built and also the 2 exterior elevations. This was an excellent experience working with another designer to come up with such a design. The color pallet, materials, over all layout and interior features all connect and support our concept of tranquility emersed in warmth.

Habitat for Humainity board 2/2

This is the second board of Katrina and I's habitat home design. It displays many of the elevations and some of the perspectives that were done for the house. The interior elevations describe and show how the chosen shed roof design is handled when it comes to the interior aesthetics of the home and also why certain aspects and details of the home are the way they are. the windows in the living area that are set high are because of the shed roof, allowing for natural light to come in. The lowered ceiling heights in all the bedrooms are because of the shed roofs large void it would leave in personal and private areas. The bedroom interior, bath interior and kitchen interior perspectives all show show the homes tranquility and warmth through out the chosen materials. This is a home that anyone can enjoy, relax and experience true nirvana within.

Designer's Statement

Hello everyone, my name is Alexis Herbold and I am a student here at Washington State University in Pullman where I am currently enrolled as an under graduate in the senior interior design classes. Interior design has always been of interest to me and I feel that this profession is most compatible with my talents, imagination and creativity.
My interest in interior design goes as far back as I can remember where re-arranging my mother’s living room and my room as well, organizing the kitchen’s drawers and cleaning like crazy all became my hobbies. This if anything was my inspiration. You wouldn’t find me on a sunny day playing with the neighborhood kids, but rather keeping myself busy with household cleaning and re-arranging of some sort. It wasn’t until I grew up a bit and started thinking about career paths that I may want to take after school that I discovered interior design and decorating was my calling. All the possible ways in which you can transform a room and space into someplace inspiring is both amazing and exciting to me. Also, the ways in which you are able to listen to your clients wants and needs and then interpret that in your own way and present to them a room that you think would best suit them I feel is the most exciting and best part of the job.
At this point and time, interior design to me is something that I become more and more excited about every day. I can’t wait to see what I have to offer this career field as well as its clients and firms and also where it will take me in life.
I would like to graduate and hopefully already have an internship or job set up for me so that I can start my career as a successful, up and coming designer. After a few years of working under people and for firms I would then love to start my own business in interior design and decorating somewhere more east coast of here where I would work with people interested in a change of space. For now, I am still learning all there is to know about the field, but I look forward to getting out there and doing what I love most!