Showrooms and House of the Immediate Future

Showroom at Design Tex

Throughout the study tour in Seattle, we toured several tour rooms, getting to experience all sorts of fields in design. Starting at the Seattle Design Center, I visited Mafi International Rugs and Design Tex textiles. I was very intrigued to learn about how the rugs were made by hand, and the customer could choose a preset design or design a rug of their own. It gives the client a chance to let their ideas shine, and this company was very passionate about meeting the client’s wants and needs. At Design Tex, the showroom manager introduced us to several types of fabric both residential and commercial.

Storage room at Pental

Showroom at Pental: Flooring Wall

Next, to accompany a current kitchen and bathroom design, I visited the DalTile and Pental showrooms. At both DalTile and Pental, I got to tour their showrooms and stock rooms where they keep all the slabs of stone for orders that will soon be cut and used in designs. At Pental, I was explained the different types of stone they carry, from granite, marble, limestone, and how each stone is give a letter grade to determine the cost, which depends on the desirability of the stone. At DalTile, we were also give a tour of the showroom and then we got to walk around and choose several samples of material that we would like and possibly use in our kitchen and bathroom designs.

                The next businesses on our itinerary included the showrooms at Knoll and 3Form. At Knoll, I was exposed to the evolution of the office environment. I learned that there are many elements that go into the design of an office work space. A designer has to consider cubicle height for privacy, and accessibility to communicate with coworkers, storage space location, work space, but most importantly, the universal design of the work chair. After gathering in the conference room for a short introduction about navigating the website, we were left to sketch in the show room.

Two chairs designed by Knoll.

Left: Platner Stool Right: Generation Task Chair

Knoll office space sketch

           

3Form office

Onto 3Form Lighting Company, I sincerely was blown away by the amazing products this company produces. This company takes inspiration from nature, ideas, and clients and to form light fixtures. After being welcomed by the manager and his team, we watched a few videos about the mission at 3Form and the elements that go into their design. We got to tour their work and construction room where they cut, form and assemble their products. I learned from the owner that sometimes in life, you have to take chances and go for your dreams and opportunities, as he was an architecture student who became an entrepreneur and started 3Form.

House of the Immediate Future

The last two destinations on the study tour was Habitat for Humanity: House of the Immediate Future and EHS Design. Natural air circulation, a wet box, and rain water use were some mentionable qualities that were featured in the House for the Immediate Future. After the tour, we got to sketch the exterior of the building. From the outside, it was easy to see a couple sustainable features of the home, including the multiple rows of windows, a ramp leading to the front entrance, and wood paneling on the outside.

                At EHS design, we toured their design firm which employs about half interior designers and half architectures.. Very high ceilings and large concrete columns were accompanied by echoes of voices traveling throughout the open office space. In their more private conference areas, a couple innovative elements in their office included full wall white boards, allowing writing on presentations, bleacher seats, and turning/folding boards with half pin board half white board. My favorite part of this design firm was resource room which included an extensive collection of materials, a light box with different colored light bulbs and individual work drawers.

From each location, I got to experience different elements of design. Each element serving a different purpose, but at the same time, everything related back together. With all this new knowledge in the interior design field, I hope to gain an internship in the near future to continue my learning outside of the classroom.

Group shot at the Seattle Design Center

Urban Sketchers: Olympic Sculpture Park

Group shot at Olympic Park

Sketching at Olympic Sculpture Park gave me multiple opportunities to sketch many different views and sculptures. A highlight of the day was to accompanied by the Urban Sketchers group in Seattle. After sketching for a while, I walked around to talk to some of the sketchers and ask them about their work. One woman I talked to had just started her sketch of a sculpture. The drawing consisted of a simple outline of the sculpture and a little bit of the landscape, but from there she started to add some color with water color. I thought that would be a great way for me to try to add color to my sketches as the rendering markers tend to bleed. She directed me to a local Seattle art store with great supplies, and recommended Dan Smith Inc watercolors, even just the basic blue, red and yellow would work.

                Another woman I approached had a very detailed drawing of a sculpture at the end of a tree covered path. Like the previous sketcher, she had did not have too much drawing detail, but added detail and depth with the colors she used. She said she spends about 10 minutes doing the line work and then 20 to 30 minutes adding in color. She was using a Pentallic watercolor paper sketch book and watercolor. Flipping through her book, I was amazed at how much detail and how lifelike she was able to make her drawing with the use of watercolor.

Throughout the sketch crawl, I completed four sketches. I would say they were more incomplete as I wish I had more time to add detail and possibly try to use watercolor on them, I think this calls for a future trip to Seattle. During the day, I worked on my cross hatching skills to add  value and shading to objects, measuring buildings with my pencil, and rendering markers for color. My favorite part about getting to work with the Urban Sketchers was to see their love and passion in art. They enjoy sketching so much they get together to have sketch crawls and share their work with the community. Also, finding inspiration in everyday life is a beautiful thing, and they inspire me to become better at my craft.

Using rendering markers to add color

Space Needle and local buildings, use of colored pencils

Love and Loss Sculpture, working on cross hatching

On the board walk looking towards Pike Street Market

Job Shadow: JAS Design

Being a student and learning skills in the classroom setting is essential before entering the design field. Applying those skills into an actual job setting is a skill I learned one must develop while job shadowing at JAS Design in Seattle, WA. This company ran by married couple; Joe and Kim, focuses mainly on residential design; including remodels, custom cabinetry, small additions, and single rooms all the way to full home renovations. This year celebrates their 20^th anniversary of business, and fortunately I was able to view previous projects, projects in the works, and visited an actual home that was being worked on. A highlight of the day was job shadowing a Washington State University graduate. It was rewarding getting to work with someone who was once in my shoes, and today is successfully following her dream.

                Arriving on site, I was quite nervous as to what tasks I would be introduced to through the day. With a warm welcome by interior designer, Kaitlin, she quickly gave us a tour of the office building and then into the conference room where introduced the company and some tasks that she was in charge of. Having one on one discussion with Kaitlin, I was able to ask her questions about the design profession, getting a foot in the door, and her role in the company. Kaitlin described when she first joined this company, she was very overwhelmed with her tasks of projects, but soon got the hang of her duties as time progressed, and of course with the help of her co- workers. Some of her tasks include working in a design team including herself as the interior designer, a project manager, architect, and work crew.  As the interior designer, she puts together a spec binder full of all the requirements of the project that need to be approved (plumbing, electrical, dates), all the lighting fixtures, materials, and plans of the project. Having everything together, she meets with Kim (owner) and reviews all the elements she has put together. In a meeting, they review all the choices and will gather all things needed to present to the client. After a meeting with the client, they get the okay to continue on the project with the spec binder.

Notes I took while sitting in on details discussed between Kim and Kaitlin.

Continuing on the day, I asked Kaitlin what would be some advice she could give me as a student entering the design field. She responded that networking, making good connections with people, and try to gain some internship experience. Easier said than done. Even living in Pullman and Spokane, she said there may not be a lot of design firms to intern, but go to as many events as possible, help out any way possible, and just be involved in the design community as possible.  Also, she suggests working on having a portfolio that demonstrates your skills you have, as that is what many employers will see first. And apply everywhere. I am now informed that there are many directions I can take with this field. Some of her former classmates range in jobs from military, hospitality, corporate and residential.

Another important part of being an interior designer I realized is having the ability to work well with others. Team collaboration is crucial because there are so many elements and specialties that go into one project and everyone needs to be able to communicate and relay their ideas effectively to continue the project. Luckily we job shadowed on the third Friday of the month because at JAS Design, Kim makes a home cooked lunch for everyone. It was neat to see everyone in the company to be able to relax and enjoy each others company. I could feel warmth within their company, and that is a main reason they all work so well together, and why their company is truly amazing.

Not only is communication key within your design team, but communication with the client is essential as well. An interesting technique I found this company used is the way their designs are inspired. An effective tool they use is to find a picture to gain inspiration off of. The inspiration picture is not always a “picture” of a room or piece of furniture, but rather an abstract picture, where the client can gain the idea of a color scheme or pull out an idea as a whole rather than focusing on one piece of a picture. This tactic gives clients more than one direction to go with their project. Kim also explains that with time and experience, an interior designer can start to get a sense of a person’s style just by talking with them.

Sketch of a bathroom and bedroom under construction in one of the companies current design projects.

Design is a process, and the overall message I will take away from this experience is to work effectively with others, network, and hard work will be worthwhile.