Project Part 3: The Real World- Interior Design Students

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The Real World: Interior Design Students features insight into the countless hours poured into the planning process of our projects. The dedication, computer and hand-rendering skills, and commitment and passion are all seen in this video. The media does not often portray the intense planning and passion during the design process. This process is where the designer thrives and lives; the end result is brings satisfaction but would not be made possible without the countless scraps of trace paper.

Project Part 2: More than Pillow Pickers

During my interview with architect and interior designer Steve Ellinger, he mentioned that “Pillow Pickers” was a common term used on television to refer to interior designers not too long ago. I recently saw a new show on HGTV called “Holmes on Homes”. This show features a built, bald man with a tool built who goes into homes and evaluates structural, plumbing, and mechanical problems that are causing harm to its occupants. This struck me as the extreme opposite of the decorating “Pillow Pickers”. The role of the interior designer is actually to provide a bridge between these two ideas. The designer is knowledgeable of both building codes and color harmony.

I designed this pillow to represent the merging of these two ideas. This idea further relates to my research questions of the design process. The pillow, typically an accessory added to finish a space, is covered with building codes and standards that are the foundation behind the design. Knowledge of these aspects is crucial to any design project, but is not represented as knowledge that the typical interior design possesses.

Project Part 1: The process lays within the design.

This poster was created to advertise the design process. “The design process has a certain mystique. It is hard to describe moments of inspiration. But architecture is both art and a science. The architectural design process integrates analysis with intuition.” (Shoshkes 8)These sketches merged in between the letters of the word design. Moments of inspiration through design are carried out sketching, along with research. These sketches are from research and development of a structure that I designed for a home in Nova Scotia Canada. Transparent in the background lays model of the structure, another step in the design process. After these steps comes the technical construction drawings and eventually planning for more detailed interiors.

Shoshkes, Ellen. The Design Process. New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1989. Print.

Interview

I interviewed Steve Ellinger, certified architect and interior designer, and part-time professor at ACU. I chose to interview him because of his breadth of experience in the field and related fields.

1) What is the purpose of Interior Design?

The purpose of interior design is to first protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and second to properly design to the psychology of the space.

2) How do you think Interior Designers are portrayed in the media?

Although the media does portray designers in a positive light, they are not seen as having the primary purpose of promoting safety. The news media does a better job in this in cases such as the World Trade Centers investigations they talked about how the design of the building allowed for lives to be saved. But of course, there could always be more emphasis on the designer's responsibilities.

3)What is an average project length from the proposal to the finished project?

Projects vary in length according to size.

Typically 2 months is spent on the initial preliminary work in order to get the design bid. Another 2 months is spent on design and then another 2 months on the construction drawings. Overall usually around 5-6 months of meetings and design drawings

The construction process takes around 6-12 months.

4)What forms of the design process do you typically use?

You do whatever it takes to convey your idea to the client. The begins with research and knowledge of the project type. This con consist of meeting and traveling to the site. The client often cannot read or visualize a floor plan so building scale models can help them envision the project.

5) As the interior design or architect how much time to you spend on site at the project?

You should be at the job site at least once a month, but if it is local as much as 1-2 times per week to oversee the construction.

6) Do you often see a lack of appreciation for knowledge and preparation that is put behind the design, when it is viewed by the client?

Yes, often. You can create a design that wow's the viewers but when the door handles stops working they call and complain, when it is nothing that I can fix.

7) Do you feel that your career is misrepresented by the media?

"Pillow Pickers" Was a common term used on t.v. Talking about rated construction is less entertaining. Joining professional organizations is the most effective way for students and professionals to spread the word about what the professional industry is like.

Focus: The Design Process

How does what we do affect you?

Most of what we see through interior design in the media focuses on the end result, the product. Just like how in the first 20 images of googling "interior designer" resulted in images of completed rooms. The design process is where everything is worked out, the ups and the downs, but that is what creative people love. The trace paper that is in the trash, but that got you to the final product is just as important. Most shows on the media focus on the before and after, sending the family away and coming back to the final result. In our society we want the result, quickly and effectively. The interior design has to consider the aesthetics and how the environment is going to affect its occupants, when the occupants just get to enjoy the results.

Research Questions:

1. Does interior design have purpose beyond creating visual beauty?

2. How does the interior design arrive at the finished product?

3. Does the lack of showing the design process reflect the American desire to seek the end and not the journey?

My View based off of the Media

The list complied from my group members was a very accurate interpretation of what I view interior design to be. However, it is interesting that their impressions of my career choice varied greatly from what I have been finding in the media. Most of what they said reflected me as a person and what I am passionate to do with my life. The majority of the things that I put in the media category are there but are not blatantly obvious when watching HGTV. The ideas that they used to describe the this career were less tangible things than I would have expected them to put. This gives me hope that if the people of our generation can change this decorating stereotype, interior designers can have a new name.

Other's impressions

Media:

+ Likes to make things beautiful

+ Likes to organize things

+ Thinks nothing is too ordinary to be beautiful

+ Always wants to create

+ Feels that environment is important

+Thoughtful

+ Likes to know how things work together

+ Knowledge that your surroundings can have a greater effect on you than you realize

+ Sociable

+ A desire to impact surroundings

Not shown in the Media:

- Free Spirit

+ Wants to interact with all types of people

+ Takes risks, even with mistakes

+ Loves hands-on work

+ Self- Assured

+ Laid back but loves to work hard