Gratz Park Inn & 21c Hotel

I'm back again for today! This post will be about the Gratz Park Inn and 21c Hotel, and about the finishes as well as the experience of each space.
   When I went into the Gratz Park Inn (pictured to the left), the first thing I noticed was how traditional the overall style was, which makes complete sense considering it's located by a bunch of historic buildings. I noticed that there was a lot of things like old wood carved furniture, brass light fixtures, and some wrought iron pieces throughout the lobby. These pieces all gave off an old-school formal experience for people who would walk through the room.
   On the other hand, when I walked through the lobby of the 21c Hotel (pictured to the right) I noticed a lot more modern characteristics in comparison to the Gratz Park Inn. There were a lot more clean-cut surfaces, shiny metals, and glass. This space definitely make someone feel like they're in a formal place and makes them feel miniscule while walking through the room.

Unit Summary: Finishes

Hello, everyone! It's about that time again for a unit summary; this time, it'll be over finishes and how it connects back to experience. Accompanying my explanation, I'll be including an image of my roommate working at her Starbucks over on Versailles.
   Something I learned in this past unit is that the finishes of the materials in a space thoroughly effect the overall experience that someone has. For instance, if you were in a formal location but it appeared to be a casual place because of the rough and basic finishes, the incorrect feelings would be experienced; the same thing would happen if it were vice versa. Something a designer has to figure out is how the space needs to "feel" to then choose what finishes to apply to the location.
   A really good example of a casual space that I've personally experienced on multiple occasions would be the Starbucks over on Versailles Road where my roommate/best friend lives. When I first observed the space, I noticed that there was a combination of matte and shine surfaces, as well as a variety of nature-based colors with low warm lighting. These finishes work for this space because they're not all clean-cut like you'd see in a formal place; you definitely get a coffee shop feel out of the location. When hanging out in this Starbucks, you can definitely feel a positive vibe from not only the appearance of the space, but also the people who spend their time there.

Below are a couple of images of the Starbucks I just described.

       

Design & Decoration

Hello, everyone! This discussion will be over my opinion on the connection between Interior Design and decorating. Personally, I believe that designing and decorating are on two separate playing fields: designers have to learn how to problem solve and understand functionality for the client while decorators think about only personal aesthetic.
   In the "I'm Not a Decorator" article over Florence Knoll, I read about how she felt about interior design vs. decorating, and she made so many strong points. One main point that stuck with me is that decorators kind of think about themselves (and I compare them to artists in this way) and what they want to see, while designers think about the client and what they asked for. There's a big difference between the two, yet they're still constantly confused with each other. Makes literally NO sense to me.
   Now, I can understand how some aspects are similar. For instance, decorators deal with the objects in a room, like the furniture and the wall decorations; interior designers also work with furniture. However, different thoughts go into how the space is set up. For a decorator, they'll pick whatever furniture looks the best to make it look "pretty." On the other hand, we have designers who can literally CREATE their own furniture that can have multiple functions. In the video we had to watch where in showed one of the Knoll showrooms during NeoCon 2016, and I'm pretty sure I saw a couch that could turn into a room divider for privacy. How freaking cool is that?! That, my friend, is interior designing (aka PROBLEM SOLVING).
   After understanding the difference between decorating and designing, I kind of enjoyed being able to look back at the past few lectures and think about whether it was designed or decorated. I feel like the Greeks and Romans were more decorators since they were so dramatic with how they wanted to portray their lives, and then the cathedrals seemed more designed since they had intricate detailing that carried a lot of symbolism. I'm honestly hoping to make more connections like this in the coming unit when we talk about different furnishings.

Motif

Hello, everyone! Today, I'll be talking about my case study building: the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. The motif within the interior of this location that I chose to discuss specifically is the wood flooring (as shown bellow). I was attracted to this aspect because it actually had a pattern and color that wasn't shown anywhere else throughout the rest of building unless it was a part of one of the art pieces. Now, to talk about what characteristics of the time are described through this motif.
   The overall craft of the time seems (based on this building) very clean and well-thought out, as well as structured. The labor of the time seems like it's probably very thorough also. Lastly, the industry of that time seems like it was going through some type of change considering the style of the museum as a whole.
Below is an image of the 8" x 8" I created to interpret the chosen motif.

Timeline Sheets (Lectures 9 & 10)

Hello, everyone! Alright, well today's post is just going to include the scans of the notes I had to take while watching lectures nine and ten. Lecture nine was about the Victorian and Art/Crafts periods, and then lecture ten was about the Art Nouveau, Modernism, and Art Deco periods.
Below are the scans of both lectures!

Lecture 9

Lecture 10

Discussion Over Lectures 7 & 8

Hello, everyone! Today, I'll be discussing lectures seven and eight, which go over finishes in the Baroque/Rococo and Georgian/Neoclassical periods. In the coming lines, I'll mention what each style includes.

Baroque: This style has based influences in Italy and France. On the Italian side, the designs are generally more religious. A good example of this would be the Triumph of Jesuit Church in Sant'ignazio; the painting on the ceiling includes a scene that doesn't actually exist but deals with a religious moment. As for the French side, the influences come from Louis XIV. A motif that's directly connected to this part of the Baroque period is the fleur de lis. One example of this would be the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles; there's also golden trim and a painted religious scene. However, the difference between what's seen in Italy and France is that the fleur de lis motifs can be found in France.

Rococo: The inspiration for this period derives from Louis XIV (transferring from the Baroque period) and the Age of Enlightenment. Some important characteristics of this time are rocaille (stone), coquilles (shell), and Chinoiserie. An example of this design period would be the Salon Ovale in the Hotel de Soubise where rocaille, coquilles, and a small amount of Chinoiserie are applied.

Georgian: This period gained inspiration from King George and his application of merchantilism. Some distinctive characteristics and motifs are plaster, vibrant paint colors, chair rails, and dark base board. An example that shows several of these aspects is the Wythe House where plaster, chair rails, and dark base boards are used throughout the dining room as well as a bright green strategically used within the space.

Neoclassical: The inspiration for this period is drawn from Herculareum, Pompeii, and Robert Adam. A specific characteristic of this space involves color schemes and intricate ceiling designs. An example of this would be the library in the Kenwood House. There's a domed ceiling and a color scheme that includes pale blue, cream, gold, and maroon/magenta.

Timeline Sheets (Lectures 3-8)

Hey, guys! Today's post is mainly going to include scans of some worksheets I had to fill out while watching lectures three through eight.
Below are the scans of the timeline worksheets! **Sorry in advance for all of the scrolling!**
Lecture 3:

Lecture 4:

Lecture 5:

Lecture 6:

Lecture 7:

Lecture 8:

Scavenger Hunt

Hello, everyone! Today, I'll be posting an image of a worksheet I had to fill out while searching for motifs such as Greek keys, volutes, acanthus, chevron, and trefoil.
Below is an image of my worksheet!

(RE)Finish

Hi, guys! Today, I'll be discussing two time periods that relate back to the past four lectures and find the connections between them based on finishes use during these times. The time periods I've chosen to discuss are the classical Greek and Renaissance.
   While watching these lecture, I noticed that there were a lot of connections going from one period to another, even if there were only slight changes made to certain techniques or designs, based on their finishes. Something that kept catching my eye was the use of geometry and mathematics in order to create a full composition; Fibonacci sequence (which I remembered learning and enjoying in high school) is one of the main formulas used during the Renaissance period. The examples I'd like to share are of the tesserae tile flooring patterns from ancient Greece (and triclinium in Rome) from the images shown in Lecture 4 and the intarsia patterns in the Duke of Urbino's studiolo (a closet-like space where someone could store their most private and personal belongings). Each design is very two-dimensional, but also have a sense of depth due to the use of geometric patterns. Although the studiolo represents more perspective than geometry, if you thoroughly look at the image you'll be able to see the geometric aesthetic.

Unit Summary: Experience

Hello, guys! I'm here today to discuss what I learned about during this experience unit and how I think it effects interior design. Along with this description, there'll be an image that helps to describe my point.
   The experience that someone has in any space is very important because it effects how they feel when navigating through it. It's usually based on the lighting, color scheme, and behavior throughout the room. For instance, if you were to enter a room that had dark walls and dim lighting, you probably would get an negative feeling about the space. On the other hand, if you were to enter a room the had light colored walls and brighter lighting, you'd feel a lot better about this room in comparison to the other. While more factors go into the overall experience of a space, lighting and color are some of the main ones in my eyes.
   While on the subject of experience, I'd like to mention one of the locations I had to visit for a field study: the Christ Church Cathedral. The color choices throughout the room were very rich, and some of them were lightened by the warm lighting that filled the entire space. There were gold/brass light fixtures that were placed along each wall and hanging from the high ceiling. This gave off a very positive feeling to the members of the church as well as newcomers. The acoustics of the voices and music that made up the sermon were another factor that helped the experience of the space. Overall, the Christ Church Cathedral was definitely a great example of a good experience of a space.
Below is an image taken at the Christ Church Cathedral.

Experience as a Person

Hello, everyone! Today, I'll be discussing how my own experience was at the "In Flight" dance concert and the eleven-a.m. service at the Christ Church Cathedral, as well as the way other people were interacting and navigating around each space.
   Since I attended the dance concert first, I suppose I'll discuss that first. While I was unable to take notes or sketch here, I do vividly remember the whole night simply because I enjoyed every bit of it. Upon arrival, guests were either buying tickets or showing their already-purchased tickets, and then getting seated. I do recall a lot of interacting between the audience members before the show, during intermission, and at the end of the show; it was apparent that the guests attending the show generally all knew each other. I believe this is due to the location of the show, which was in the Fine Arts College, and I feel as though a lot of the students there were there in support of the performers. Along with this, the performances were fantastic; I'm not just talking about the dancing, though. The lighting throughout each routine was impeccable and fit each one emotionally through color and intensity. The music played also reflected the emotions of each piece and effected the audiences' reactions to what was happening on stage. Overall, the whole experience of the show brought the feelings of intrigue, excitement, and more.
   At the church service, I surprisingly felt very comfortable and welcome. I was greeted from the moment I walked through the door and asked if I needed any assistance when I was entering the chapel, and then led up to the balcony-like area to get a better view of the whole room. There were high-rising ceilings, bright electrical candelabrum fixtures along the walls, beautiful regal-like chandeliers hanging from the middle of the ceiling, and so much more! The feeling within the room was very comforting and warm, which I believe was a reflection of how the people occupying this space were feeling. It was nice to feel so much joy and love from people I'd never met before . . . and to feel it at a church service with so much strength behind it was phenomenal, especially for me since I've never been much of a church-going type of person. The whole experience had me almost in tears (of joy, by the way).
   The whole experience, from the dance concert to the church service, was a lovely learning experience and I honestly hope for more field visits like this because it feels like I'm broadening my knowledge even more. Going on field visits honestly helps me to better understand the content we're learning throughout the semester and to learn the process of finding things when I'm out on my own.

Below is an image of the sketches and notes I took from the Christ Church Cathedral service.