confetti and color palettes

Posts

Ergonomics

Source The job of a well-designed interior is to promote the connection between a space’s design and the functionality of it. That functionality is called ergonomics. Ergonomics is around to simply create a user friendly space. We need to design spaces that keep ergonomics in mind or we will have beautiful spaces with no prospects of being used. Thinking of all the spaces I inhabit, one of the most important spaces to incorporate ergonomics is the kitchen. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I have been thinking a lot about cooking and how it is so important that the kitchen allows for us to be able to move quickly and store a lot. The kitchen in my apartment has served as well over the past year and a half, but does have some design flaws of its own that are just not user friendly. The Dishwasher photo by me One thing I do thoroughly enjoy about our kitchen is the dishwasher. Freshman year, I lived on campus and had to ha

Anthropometrics

Source I can distinctly remember the time between fourth and fifth grade when I grew an unfortunate foot seemingly overnight. Both the desks and the boys in my classrooms were just too short for me and I had accepted the fact that I was bound to be a starter on my middle school’s basketball team. Well, I was wrong and today at 5’3” I am pretty average to the rest of my female peers. But thinking back to the time when my legs scraped the desk tops, I wonder why a greater set of anthropometrics wasn’t taken into consideration in the design of my elementary school classroom. Anthropometrics is “the study of human body measurements on a comparative basis… its applicability to the design process is seen in the physical fit, or interface, between the human body and the various components of interior space” (Panero, Zelnik). Anthropometrics is a part of the design of everything we use in a room. It is evident in spaces that we frequent, especially public spaces,

Prospect and Refuge

Prospect and refuge is found within the spaces we frequent every day. In stores, on campus, and even in our own homes. Prospect and refuge itself is the “theory that seeks to describe why certain environments feel secure and thereby meet basic human psychological needs (Dosen & Ostwald). It’s how we look for spaces to make us feel safe when we are in large, open areas. Once you begin to pay attention to the spaces around you, you will notice how each space provides a prospect and a refuge. Source For me, the first place I think of when I think prospect and refuge is the boutique I work at. The front of the store has large glass windows that allow both the customers and employees to see in and out. There is no privacy created with these windows therefore providing full prospect for whoever wants to see in or out of the store. In contrast, the refuge is created with the employee office in the back. It is a safe place that only employee

Proxemics

Proxemics I will admit it; I am a space violator. I often find myself choosing to sit in the chair closest to my friends or standing closely to another person in line. I am extremely comfortable being close to others and sometimes I forget that not everyone is as comfortable as I am being close in proximity to one another. To explain why we feel this way, we describe our comfortability as proxemics- the study of space and how we use it, how it makes us feel more or less comfortable, and how we arrange objects and ourselves in relation to space (What is Proxemics?). The difference in the way we feel in different settings is explained by the four zones of proxemics, the intimate zone, personal zone, social zone, and public zone (Moody). The intimate zone goes from 0” inches to 18” in proximity from you to another, the personal zone is up to 48” away from another, the social zone is 48” to 12’, and the public zone is 12’ to 25’. These zones are represented throughout many different

Control Theory

sketch by me The spaces around us define how we feel, move, and interact with others. While the way a person moves and interacts in a space is often determined by the design of the area, the way one feels is left entirely up to the person’s individual feelings towards control theory. Control theory is the sense of control that one has over the spaces the occupy. Control theory consists of three parts 1. Behavioral control 2. Cognitive control 3. Decisional control. Together, these three parts control how we feel about the spaces we live and interact in. Behavioral Control Source By definition, behavioral control is the ability for one to “change [their] behavior to the desired behavior” (Nugent). This means a person can change the environment that they are in. I see this in myself as a child, as I went through many different phases of toys that I loved, and would change up my bedroom to match whatever toy I wanted to play with then. When it was my Play-Do

Design Philosophy

Source Thinking back on the remarks and compliments I’ve treasured the most in my life- whether they be from a teacher I had a lot respect for or even my best friend, they all praise my work ethic. Being a people pleaser, I have always strived to work the hardest and get everything done to help others out. This has followed me everywhere, from my professional life to my personal life and has helped me be the person I am today. Contrastingly, being the daughter of the two most carefree and laid-back people in the world, I know how to step back and let myself relax, when the time is right. My favorite relaxing spot I try to live by “Work Hard, Play Hard.” I have always had a strong work ethic and find myself surrounded by commitments and things that I need to get done, and since coming to college, that has only increased immensely. I am attracted to spaces that promote work- the downstairs snack bar at my parents’ house, the makeshift desk in my dorm, and even now,