Residential Design Process Boards

 I've been sharing with you the process of my residential design project for school.  With adjacency matrices and bubble diagrams I nailed down the floor plan; then refined the furniture in the space plan and tweaked other architectural details, sketching along the way to get a better idea of how the space would feel.

A few weeks ago we had to pull together our work thus far on two "process boards."  Not only did these boards show the, you guessed it, process of how the design has come about, but they also give an idea of where we are headed with the design.  It was just fascinating to see all the different designs coming about from modern and mid-century to colorful transitional and art-deco-inspired to traditional (like mine). There are so many talented students in my class! It's really a pleasure learning from them as well as the teachers.

Anyway... here's how mine turned out...

My fictional clients are music mogul and successful business owner Jack Sanborne (the lead character in the movie Something's Gotta Give), his wife Karen, a food writer (the character in the play "Dinner with Friends," their 16-year old daughter Taylor (Swift), and Malcolm the dog.  In order to meet the families needs and desires, I've chosen to go for a classic, refined, and elegant traditional look. Articulated architectural details like wall paneling, archways and parquet floors will set the stage for a collection of french antiques and newer furniture pieces as well as art and accessories from the family's travels.

As you enter, I've created a formal foyer and living room with 20 foot ceilings to add an impressive sense of luxury, since Karen likes to keep up appearances, but an inviting color palette of mostly creams, pale blue, and green will keep the space feeling comfortable and understated.  The living room flows nicely into the dining room, where I plan on doing a lovely muted scenic wallpaper with a pop of red on dining room chairs, which will coordinate with art and some pillows in the living room, to liven up the home.  This space will also be great for the dinner parties the family will host with direct access from the dining to kitchen for ease of use.

Jack was given an office down stairs because he does work from home often. The space will also serve as his "man-cave" with his own TV and masculine stained wood walls, and color palette of brown and deeper blue, his favorite color.  I've also included a murphy-bed in the office to accommodate any overnight guests they might have and provided a shower in the powder bath downstairs for those guests.

As you move to the back of the first floor you enter a more casual space with informal family room adjacent to the open kitchen where the family can relax and watch TV, Karen can cook or do some writing on her laptop in the cozy breakfast nook, and Malcolm can hang out on his dog bed.  And that space opens up to a highly functional patio with a lovely fountain, comfortable seating, a bbq and table for dining outdoors on a lovely summer night.

Next you have the second floor...

The colors upstairs will be an edited version of the palette downstairs with only the soothing light blues and greens and warm wood furniture and floors for a very relaxing environment.

The stairs come up to a landing with a peek-a-boo opening to the living room below and an ample storage closet.  To the left there is a laundry room and to the right, Taylor's room with canopy bed, chaise lounge and a desk for her to do her school work.  She has her own bath and walk-in closet and a lovely view out the floor-to-ceiling windows.  Straight ahead, through the grand double doors is the luxurious master bedroom with TV above a fireplace and a cozy seating area with ottoman. The chairs will be on casters so that Karen can flip around and use the tucked-away desk to do her writing.  I've also given them a large his and hers closet, and lovely master bath with floating mirrors above the sinks, a freestanding tub, bidet and toilet in a private room, and a vanity area for Karen.

Now I'm well on my way to picking materials, furnishings and accessories.  We have to fully design three rooms in the home for our presentation boards so I'm doing the living room, dining room, and master bedroom. But of course, I cant help wanting to do it all and have already picked out fabric for the other rooms as well. But I'll share that with you next time.