Schematic Counseling Center Design

The Counseling Center is an organization devoted to helping others.  They offer a supportive environment where clients can discover a broad range of life concerns including emotional, interpersonal, or psychological.  Services are provided for adolescents and adults seeking individual, group, or family therapy.  The main objectives of the facility are to build one's strengths, help one reach their potential, and develop healthy relationships and support systems that best fits the client.  The design of the facility allows these objectives to be carried out by providing a safe and comforting atmosphere for its clients.  The bright and natural colors chosen in each design were selected to stimulate positive emotions and provide a calming effect on individuals who enter the space.  In addition, circulation throughout the building is simple allowing quick and easy access to each therapy room to ensure privacy.  Therefore, by putting the client mentally at ease when first accessing the building is an important step to recovery. 

greenwall

The greenwall is a modern idea that is already making the world greener.  It is a vertical garden that grows on a building.  The greenwall is a soil-less garden that naturally imitates the growing conditions where green walls occur naturally.  This innovative product adds an interesting feature to a space while at the same time valuable to have around.

I like the greenwall because it brings and contemporary style to a space.  In addition, it has many environmental and commercial benefits.

Environmental Benefits:
Increased thermal insulation to buildings
Noise dampening 
Polishes grey and/or black water
Can run on recycled or harvested water
Can run on recycled or harvested water
Cleaner air, (removal of V.O.C.)
Healthier buildings and people

Commercial Benefits:
Green branding of building and company
Green star rating points
Increase in building value
Investing in an original piece of art
Space saving
Raising employee productivity 

Sara&Bendrix

Recently, I discovered this creative and fun website called Sara&Bendrix.  A woman named Veronika created this design studio in London that specializes in handmade pictures.  The products are based on heart pieces that are unique, modern, vintage, simple, beautiful, and give off a sculptural appeal to a living space.

What first drew me to these fun creations was that they were completely original.  Handmade pieces of art always appealing to me because it makes it one of a kind.  Sara&Bendrix allows you to customize your product with a favorite song, poem, message from a loved one, names of your children, favorite place, special date, or it can just be kept simple.  These pieces can become a great present for a loved one or an addition to your home.

WHITE HEARTS

LOVE HEARTS

LITTLE HEARTS

VINTAGE HEARTS

PAPER HEARTS 

 

CUSTOM AND BESPOKE PICTURES

CUSTOM AND BESPOKE PICTURES

Indoor Swing

Paul Mitarchi designed a house equipped with an indoor swing.  When I first saw this I instantly loved the idea.  The indoor swing brings a playful element to a practical open space.  The high ceilings make it possible to install the swing inside.  I love the suggestion of bringing a spirited, energetic, and exterior childhood pastime into the home.

Hospitality Design

This week in my Professional Practice class I had to present information about hospitality design.  This assignment helped provide information in field of design that I was unfamiliar with.  The three design firms that gave me perspective in this area are Hirsch Bedner Associates, Bilkey Llinas Associates, and Gensler.

 Hospitality design focuses on producing hotels, resorts, restaurants, conference centers, and recreational facilities.  This field of interior design combines the resilience of commercial but also the sense of home that residence establishes.  What I like about hospitality design is that you can create drama, fantasy, and comfort that is not as restricted as other areas of interior design.

Closets!

I'm not sure why I love closets.  It is partly because I can fill them with clothes, shoes, or jewelry.  Still, closets are usually the last thing I think about when I design a space. When designing, I tend to think of closets as a tiny space that must be attached to a bedroom.  Yet, closets are an essential part of living with a female, and should be an important step in designing a residence.

 

Eco-Friendly Home

Entrance Photo by Mariko Reed

This stylish custom home is a certified LEED platinum design.  It is located in northern San Fransisco, and was designed by Scott A. Lee.  The best thing about this home is that it is eco-friendly.  It contains LED lighting, natural insulation, solar-power supplied electricity and hot water, radiant floor heating, and a recirculation system.  The products used to construct this residence were selected for their eco-friendly qualities such as Kohler low-flow plumbing fixtures, Mythic zero-VOC paints, stone veneers that are made sustainably, and high-recycled content interior concrete.

Open Concept Kitchen Photo by Mariko Reed

What I like most about this house that the kitchen contains chalkboard paint.  Most kitchens have painted walls or a backsplash which need fossil fuels to produce and ship.  Therefore, using chalkboard paint is an eco-friendly decision is fun and creative.  Another interesting aspect is the designer did not limit the color scheme to a nature's palette.  In addition to the typical shades of blue, green, white, and brown, he also incorporated a punch of color.

Contemporary Fireplace and Cozy Space Photo by Mariko Reed

Photo by Mariko Reed

Wooden Waves

Banq Restaurant, located in Boston, has a striking interior space.  Its walls, ceilings, and columns are all in the form of waves using three-quarter-inch birch plywood.  In-fact it seems like waves are everywhere.  This feature provides a sense movement throughout the restaurant that is quite unique.  The furnishing were even designed to match the wooden waves creating a feeling of lightness and relaxation.  I think it would be incredible to dine here and experience this amazing design.

Modern New Home in Old Stone Church

On the outside of this old residence, it appears to be an old stone church, but on the inside it is a modern family home.  This church was renovated into a large and extraordinary living space in Utrecht.  I like how the exterior contrasts greatly with the interior.  The architecture of this home still captures the remarkable sensation of a church, and allows its occupants to experience its classical features, such as the vaulted ceilings.  Yet, its interior space is transformed into a modern style, causing the two designs to come together.

Luna

I like the Luna Light fixture because it captures the glow, shape, and appearance of the moon.  I always considered the moon to be a magical element in the middle of the night.  The way it is illuminated in the dark night sky brings the imagination to life.

I feel like this orb-shaped light would bring a sense of mystery, romance, and magic to a space.  The Luna Light is a completely versatile design.  Depending on where you place it, it can be modern, contemporary, or traditional.  Wherever you place it, the Luna Light's soft glow will add a touch of enchantment to any space.

Villa Vals

The Villa Vals is one of the most amazing and unique designs I've come upon.  It is a vacation home located in the Swiss Alps, and designed by SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects.  What makes this home unique is that it does not look like a residence.  It is buried into the hillside.  The only part visible is the slanted structure of the facade.  I like that this villa seems hidden, discreet, and does not disturb the landscape around it.  It takes advantage of the fantastic mountain scenery across the valley so that the occupant can enjoy the unspoiled nature.

Another cool feature of this villa is that you have to access the home by entering a wooden barn by using an underground passageway that runs through the mountainside.  The passageway then leads to the main residence that has a circular cut made in the mountain slope.