Charlotte's blog

NAME= Cardiff’s Connecting Colours: 

I was inspired by jigsaw puzzles and stickle bricks for my design; the bright coloured, light weight and fun blocks can be placed together to make different objects. They are predominately used within school environments as they help to increase focus and concentration within young people. I therefore thought they were the perfect object to use within a Uni environment to help students focus and concentrate on their work.

I want to design a seating area which can easily be changed into different arrangements to ensure that people can work in different sized groups. Each individual chair will not have any permanent fixings which means that they can easily be taken apart and put back together. Alongside this each component of the chair is joined by mortise and Tennon joints therefore can be taken apart and put into a different seat to mix and match the colours.

The product will be made out of HDPE ( High density Polyethylene), due to its flexible intermolecular connections the material can be heated and moulded as many times as required. Therefore in the future if the product needed to be recycled or reused the material can be easily melted down and created into another product. HDPE is also a very light weight material which means that students and lectures will easily be able to more the product around to different areas in the space as well as taking the seats apart. The material is also resistant to chemicals and can be easily wiped which is essential because students may eat in the space as their is a small canteen available, thereby if food is dropped on the seats it can easily be cleaned. This makes the seating very hygienic.

I was inspired by the prongs on the stickle bricks which help stick each component together, however this might be too complicated and fiddly at a bigger scale therefore I decided to just have 2 prongs which stick into a joint to fix the seating together, this makes it easier and less complicated to do. Stickle bricks come in all shapes and sizes; I want to use geometric components for my seating area as I believe it will make the space look contemporary, fun and exciting. I also am intending on using bright bold colours for each piece of furniture, I believe that fun exciting colours and more motivational compared to dull plain colours.

 

During my first week back at Uni I was told that my new project was to design functional and sustainable seating for the Heart space; which is located in the CSAD building at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Due to my product design back ground I was very excited to create a product which not only was sustainable but also fit with the aesthetic of the environment it was being placed in. Alongside designing the product I also had to redesign the space it was placed in which was also incredibly exciting.

Sustainability = ‘is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance’

Before we started to design our products we had a lecture on sustainability, the extensive use of natural resources (e.g. fossil fuels ) is causing devastation to our planet. These resources are all finite which means that they are limited resources and one day will run out, therefore we need to increase the usage of infinite energy sources such as hydroelectric dams, wind turbines and solar energy in order to reduce the damage done to our eco systems and environment. Designers all around the world are trying to reduce their carbon footprint whilst producing products for every day use, the ability for a product to be recycled, reused or repaired is incredibly important. By ensuring that this happens we are eliminating the ‘end of life – landfill’ section of The life cycle analysis.

The product I produced had to come from a sustainable source. I am incredibly interested in reusing recycled HDPE ( High density Polyethylene) this is a thermoplastic material which comes from plastic milk, shampoo and drinks bottles. Due to its flexible intermolecular connections the material can be heated and moulded as many times as it wants, therefore is a perfect material to create new sustainable products with. As the product already exists and can be reused I personally think that it is more suitable to use the reusable plastic to create a new product rather than creating more plastic from the burning of fossil fuels.

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Start with why?

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Interior Design is an art form like no other, it gives you the ability to create spaces of beauty which are directed to achieving certain needs and requirements for the client.
Design has always been my passion, however, when I was first introduced to Interior Design I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The ability to create a space which can trigger different emotions within individuals really interests me. I believe that design encompasses our everyday lives. Our clothes, cutlery, and spaces we live and work in have all be designed by someone to benefit us and make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Due to the extensive role design plays on our lives it needs to be as sustainable as possible and focus on not only helping the environment but it should also strive to protect local designers and companies.

What strives my work is the ability to use natural and locally sourced materials, by doing this I am designing in an environmentally and economically friendly way. I always try to think of innovative, sustainable and economical ways to design spaces when I undergo a project. E.g. when designing a space within Dorset I will ensure that I use local companies when creating the space, therefore helping to boost their local economy (obtaining local limestone flooring from a company in Swanage). The outcome will be successfully creating a space which encompasses the ideas of ‘object, space, experience’; this means that I carefully choose locally sourced objects (e.g. Moroccan tiles in a space in Morocco) which enhance the overall experience that is gained from a particular space. Using natural and locally sourced materials gives the space a purpose and ensures that it is perfectly suited to the environment it surrounds.

                          

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End Of year 1 Evaluation

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The ‘place to exist’ project allowed me to express my individuality as a designer as I could create spaces which expressed my style, uniqueness, and personality. Compared to my previous projects throughout my first year in University, I found that I could really understand what I liked and what I disliked within a space, thus enabling me to become more confident and certain about who I am as a designer. I particularly enjoyed the large amount of freedom we gained from this project. The main sections of our brief included the space had to be somewhere that a person can live, work and play and should also be situated on a beach with cliffs behind it. This, therefore, gave me a lot of opportunities to find my own location and design the space how I wanted it. I decided to locate my building in Durdle Door, this is a stretch of the Jurassic coastline in Dorset. I chose this location because I am very familiar with the area; this has allowed me to have detailed knowledge of the area including the weather patterns, location, tourism and the opportunities and restrictions within that area. This helped me a lot when it came to analysing my location as I developed through the project. I believe that this project has gone incredibly well as I was able to successfully produce good quality outcomes for the brief that was presented to us. This shows me that I can work in a controlled manner under large amounts of pressure and can effectively use sketch- up and V-ray to a good standard. I am incredibly happy with my progress throughout this year as I have come from not knowing how to use the required software’s to be able to produce designs to good quality and standard. I am excited to see how I progress further in the second year, however, I am so pleased with where I have come so far.
During my development within ‘a place to exist’ I came across some problems with my design; the main issue I found was that my workshop was not obtaining enough light. Although this was not a major issue, it still was incredibly hard to change my design to enable more light to enter the space. Though this was hard I was able to effectively change the design by adding a hexagonal glass roof, this allowed light to flood into the workshop space. This means that the jeweler can be more energy efficient by using as much natural light as possible. I am really happy with my overall design and have loved seeing its development each week; in particular, I am proud of how well I have designed each space within the building.
My first year studying Interior Design at University has been brilliant, I have loved the projects I have had to complete and have thoroughly enjoyed learning a variety of new skills in a variety of different software’s. One part of the course which I have really benefited from was the presentations we had to do during different parts of our project. Although I am a very anxious person and find it difficult to speak in front of large groups of people I believe that being placed under this pressure multiple times throughout the year has allowed me to become more relaxed and comfortable while presenting. I have also benefited from watching other people’s presentations, this is because I have been able to see how other people design and has also given me the opportunity to find inspiration and ideas which I wouldn’t have thought of myself. However, one negative aspect of the course which I have noticed is I did not feel as though I obtained enough technical support for the software’s we used such as sketch up and V-ray. As I had never used these software’s before coming to Uni I would have highly benefited from more sketch up and V-ray workshops to develop my ability to use the software successfully.
Finally, to conclude, I believe that I have fully engaged, committed and attended the ‘place to exist’ module to the best of my ability. I certainly feel as though I have reached my potential this year as I can see how I have progressed from the beginning of the year to my final project. The work I have produced has slowly become even more successful as I have moved through different projects. At the start of the year we were told that we needed to focus on ‘Object, Space, and Experience’, these words should constantly be on my mind when designing an interior space and during this project I have been able to use these elements and components to produce a space which encompasses a variety of different experiences for the client to obtain. I will continue to use these terms throughout my career as an interior designer as I believe that they are incredibly important in order to become successful.

 

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Perspective Drawings – ‘a place to exist’

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‘A place to exist’ has enabled me to continue to develop my technical drawing skills, at the start of this project I was slightly hesitant when drawing the one point perspectives for each room however once I got started my confidence came back. Sketching has always been something which I have loved doing however when it came to one point perspectives I found it hard to remember that every detail needs to be drawn to a specific scale e.g. 1:100. I have always found scales hard to understand however after watching a variety of different technical drawing videos I have developed my knowledge and understanding with perspective drawing and scales which has helped me to draw a variety of perspectives of my building to the scale of 1:100. I am still learning how to produce high-quality perspective drawings, and know that it will take practice to truly gain a large amount of confidence with them however I think my progress this term has been very good. I think for future projects I need to make sure that I add colour to my perspective drawings to give them some life and allow others to gain a real sense of the space I am trying to create. I attempted to apply a light blue to some of the perspectives to act as windows and glass however I believe that more colour is required to make it stand out. This is something which I need to try when I start my new project in the second year. Perspective drawings have allowed me to really gain a sense of the space I am trying to create and therefore help me to gain a better understanding of the space I have available and where I can place certain objects within the space. They have also enabled me to enhance my spacial awareness within space.

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Clerkenwell Design Week:

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Within the final weeks of our project we visited Clerkenwell design week in London, this was incredibly fascinating to visit as I was able to see a variety of newly developed designs as well as attending talks on a variety of different topics centered on design. Visiting the Orange box within Clerkenwell enabled me to see that there are a variety of different spaces in which provide friendly, sociable and private workspaces which can be rented out to designers if they require a new and contemporary work setting. The funky, stylish and unique layout within the orange box inspired me a lot as it showed me that work can be a place which is fun to be in. They provided a variety of different workspaces which had specific ergonomics to suit any designer for example if a designer wanted to work within a space which was comfortable then they could sit in a pod which had soft furnishings and plug sockets to make their day more manageable. They also provided individual spaces which were soundproof, this is ideal for meetings or discussions when privacy is required. Alongside this the area was full of bright, attractive colours which are seen to help individuals become happier during their working day, therefore making work enjoyable.

 

 

During the day I visited the Furniture Company Moroso, I was particularly interested in their contemporary furniture as they were full of life and colour but also would fit perfectly into a minimalistic interior. I also liked the layout of their exhibition spaces for their furniture, they showed the furniture in its ideal environment; these were particularly stylish. I am very happy that we had this amazing opportunity to visit different exhibitions as it has provided me with inspiration into further designs and has also allowed me to increase my knowledge into a variety of different brands and companies which I could potentially collaborate with in the future.

In addition, I also attended a talk on ‘future space and the way we work’. I found this particularly interesting as it is something which I feel very passionate about, I have always found that working in a dull, boring environment such as a classroom has lowered my motivation. Therefore ensuring that workspaces are fun and enjoyable to be in is incredibly important. Within this talk members of different design, companies were discussing their thoughts on adapting our design workspaces to create something which is better than your home. Thereby suggesting that it will allow designers to leave work feeling refreshed as they have been able to complete their work in a different and unique setting. Alongside this, the talk also discussed how much time has changed with the ability for designers to complete their work from different areas due to the exponential growth in digital technology. This means that designers can download software such as sketch up, Revit and CAD and complete their work from the comfort of their own home, a coffee shop or on the train. These advances in technology have allowed designers to become more independent. Once I graduate I will definitely look for workspaces which will allow me to enhance my motivation and ensure that I have an enjoyable work environment.

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Model Making – Project 3

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Model making is something which I have always had a passion for, my making techniques from A-level product design have really helped me to produce high quality and stable structured models. Initially, I used cardboard to roughly create the structure of the host building, this allowed me to gain a better understanding of the space available as well as opportunities and restrictions. The basic model helped me to see that there was very little space within the host building and therefore If I decided to divide the space into different walled off sections then I would be considerably reducing the space within the building. Therefore, I decided that because of this I would ensure that the individual spaces within the building were left open to make the accessibility to and from different rooms become easier as you increase fluidity. Once I had finalized my floor plan I went on to produce a model which was made out of a thinner card, this enabled the structure of the model to become more intricate and easier to work with. Once I had created the main features of the building I went on to producing pieces of furniture and accessories which would provide people with a better idea of the layout and the style of the building. This required large amounts of precision and delicacy however due to my love of model making I really enjoyed working on this particular part of the project. I think that producing a model should not only show the main structure of the building but should also provide additional detail. I then went on to produce the workshop and display structure which will be situated on the roof of the host building. I did find this part hard as the stairs were very fiddly to make and kept on breaking, this meant that I had to produce these multiple times; which was frustrating. However, after one last attempt, I was able to do it by using a stronger glue as well as ensuring that it was lent on a box whilst I was completing it. This made it easier for me to add each step individually with both hands rather than whilst holding the steps at the same time.