Putting It Together 2

Hello, again! Here's part two to the "Putting It Together" series of posts I'll be putting up. This one will be the halfway mark for the group of posts, and it's going to be about the same type of post (based on the last one). So let's get started!
Experience: Based on my understanding of the subject, experience is the way someone is emotionally effected in an interior environment. This feeling could come from any number of things: the arrangement of the principles and elements, the use of materials, the application of light and color, etc. It could easily just be your particular attachment to that type of space. Whatever it may be, that's what the meaning behind experience is.
One of the top examples I have for this theme is the Clubhouse at my apartment complex. The Clubhouse is the recreational area that everyone who lives here to go hang out at. There's a basketball court, a gym, a pool, a computer lab with printers, a game space, and even a communal kitchen. This entire space is very casual , but it's also a ton of fun. When I'm in this space, I don't necessarily get "crazy" emotional, but I do get a few strong feelings because it makes me realize that I am out on my own and I can do whatever I choose with my time (aside from what I do for school because school totally comes first!). The natural lighting that comes in through the large windows also effects the atmosphere of the space, so sometimes my feelings that are attached to this location are stronger during certain types of days.
Finishes: As I understand it, finishes are the different textures of surfaces that are possible in interior design. For instance, there are matte surfaces and then there are smooth surfaces; and sometimes there are a bunch of different levels between that have more smoothness versus matte or vice versa. Sometimes finishes deal with the exposure of certain materials in an interior space, such as brick or concrete. Finishes mainly just deals with different surface types in the world of design.
A direct example to this theme would be the church we (the first-year Studio class) got to go to on our trip to Berea last semester. This church was very small and had many visible materials being used. The finishes, however, varied throughout the room. The stained glass was probably one of the smoother surfaces, then it was the wood (were about a medium smoothness), and then the concrete/tile/brick-type of wall panelings. This was the material that was most exposed throughout the whole space. It created a particular feeling that kind of just took you back to the what felt like the first days of going to church, and these feelings are based on the application of finishes and knowing when they should/should not be used in specific spaces.
Furnishings: In this part of design, things get a bit more "decorative," in my opinion. This is because we start to focus more on the material items being used for the human interactions we'll partake in when inside of the interior space. This can range from anything between sofas, chairs, benches and tables to beds, chests, cabinets, and dressers. Furnishings also have to correlate between the materials and style of the designed space; it would be very odd to have a traditional wooden furniture piece (for example) in a very modern metal and glass-based space.
An example of this theme would be one of the study rooms in William T. Young Library here on campus. It's very metal-based when you look that cabinets and some of the smaller features on the desks, and then the main material on the desks is linoleum. One big flaw in this space is that they combine these materials that I just named off (which are very modern and metal-based) and wooden chairs. These chairs just don't flow with the space as a whole and they almost create a strange atmosphere within this room. It could be changed by using simple plastic chairs that match in color; the comfort in the chairs wouldn't change, then, because plastic and wooden chairs feel about the same.
Representation: The way I see it, representation is the portrayal of specific ideas within an interior space. This could be what the designer, the client, or both wish to display in the overall design. The preferred idea to portray could be literally anything: any particular aspects of design, something important to the client (maybe something they want to display in their business, a motto, etc.), and so much more. Representation can come from many starting points, but how it's carries out can vary; it can be shown through the materials used, the applied principles and elements, etc.
An example of this theme would be in the SAVS building here on campus. There's a part that you walk into and if you look up there are these interesting arrangement of lights. There are small spotlights, larger regular florescent lights, and then a skylight on the ceiling. With all of the sources of light available, it gives me multiple ideas on what the reasoning could be representation-wise. One idea could be that the client wanted to make sure the artwork was more pronounces, so more lighting was applied for that reason. Another possibility could be that people look at art from a different perspective, from a different "light" (pun totally intended), and that's why these lights are here. While that last idea is a bit of a stretch, anything could be possible.
 Theories: The way I understand this theme is very limited, so please bear with me. From what I've had to read for this course, I'd say that this theme is based on the ideas of what people (designers, architects, etc) believe to be true about buildings, spaces, and environments based on personal theorems. This could include what they think is the reason behind certain features working in a space versus their opposites. One of the main theories we learned about was by Stewart Brand, and his theory was about how he believes that each layer of a building ages at separate rates.
The closest example of this theme that I could accomplish is the Hunt-Morgan House that we had to visit for an assignment last semester. While it's already an older building, I'm sure it still can apply to the theory that Brand came up with. He said that there are six "S's": site (eternal), structure (hundreds of years), skin (about twenty years), services (about seven to fifteen years), space (three years), and stuff (changes monthly). Going off of his theory, the building itself has lasted the amount of time that was expected; especially since it's most prominent material is brick. Brand had a generalization that brick was "eternal" and could withstand after time passed--which makes sense since brick is one of the most sustainable materials we've ever had.