Pinterest

My new obsession for browsing hundreds of interiors is Pinterest. Researching previous assignments I have spent several hours looking at images on the internet only to forget to make a note of which website they were from! When producing your assignments every last bit of secondary information you use must be carefully referenced, so keeping track of all the sources you have used is critical. Pinterest is proving to be a great way to do this. I can pin images to a 'board' and the source of the image is shown below the pinned image so I can refer back to it later when I am compiling my reference list. Here is a screenshot of the boards I am beginning to compile.

It is important to ensure that your assignments also contain sufficient Primary sources, e.g. your own photographs, sketches and site surveys.

Adding my Pinterest link to this blog however was not so easy and I resorted to a search on google of 'how do I add Pinterest to my blog?' Top search option was the following link http://www.bloggersentral.com/2012/02/how-to-add-pinterest-follow-button.html which gave a very simple explanation and it worked first time! Click on the link top right and take a look.

Module 4 - Creative Lighting and Technology

The course notes cover both natural and artificial lighting, the design principles, lighting features and effects. It finishes with examples of lighting in different building types and looks at manufacturers and designers.

For the assignments I am to use my completed floor plans from Module 2 - Space Planning and design a lighting and Audio Visual scheme. To recap here is a screenshot of my final floor plan layout from Module 2.

Time to get on with reading the course notes...........

Module 3

Thought I should post a bit about module 3 'Design in Historical Context' before I start on the next module. Whilst the mere mention of History at school used to immediately switch off my interest (this was the time before Horrible Histories, all dates and no fun) this module had completely the opposite effect. The study material guides you through the changes in architecture and interiors from early cave paintings through to present day. Key designers and architects through time are discussed with links to websites for further research. Changes in Architecture and Interiors tend to reflect advancing technology, the wealth and ideals of society of that time. A useful 'Timeline' is downloadable as part of the course content which summarizes the changes in Architecture in parallel with historical events. Also included within the reading material is a glossary of architectural terms to aid you with the completion of assignment D.

There are four assignments  for this module each of which require considerable research.

Assignment A - produce a report placing elements of a chosen period within a social and political context
Assignment B - demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a chosen building and its influence in the local area
Assignment C - produce a presentation board and specification sheet to select and source appropriate furnishings for your chosen building
Assignment D - produce a presentation board or report showing 4 key stylistic features of your chosen building

I am fortunate to live close to several buildings of architectural interest and settled upon The Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Built in 1875 this building has seen many changes in the fortunes of Blackpool. The introduction of leisure time and the influx of visitors with the development of the railways lead to the development of Theatres and Amusements in the town and the rather unpredictable weather required undercover venues. The Winter Gardens was designed to incorporate all of this. To ensure I had sufficient primary sources I booked on to a guided tour of the complex with camera and voice recorder in hand. The online library also proved to be a great source for newspaper articles from the time discussing the plans for the building with letters to the editor giving locals views on the Winter Gardens. I purchased an old OS map for a small sum online to include within the report showing the location of the building within the town plan at the time of completion. A much different Blackpool to the one seen today!

For Assignment C I settled upon Art Deco as, apart from the Theatre set design style seen throughout, this is a key interior style of the Winter Gardens. Sourcing furnishings online I found that antique dealers were the main supplier for this era. Here is the Mood Board I produced for this assignment.

Sticking with the Art Deco features I then produced this presentation board.

You can access all of the completed assignments using the tab above.

Decorating frenzy

Flush with the success of revamping middle daughter's bedroom I have finally tackled our bedroom. It has been on the to do list for quite a while ever since the new bedside reading spotlights were fitted which made a mess of the wall. Felt it was time to change from the dramatic purple we had chosen a few years back also and choose something a little more calming. Scanning the paints at B&Q I came across Crown's chocolate suede effect paint ideal for covering up uneven walls. A couple of coats later and the walls were transformed. The paint effect has to be put on with a brush so it was a little slower than a roller but it really does look like suede when finished although to touch it is quite rough.

The downside is that I had promised youngest daughter I would decorate her room when ours was finally decorated. She wants to change her room from girlie pink to a striking red. Quite sad really as it reminds me how quickly my girls are growing up! So it is time to cover over the fairy castle I painstakingly stenciled above her bed .....

Module 4 Creative Lighting and Technology

This module looks at lighting and Audio Visual design for the office. Whilst I have experience of lighting design, AV is usually left to a specialist supplier so this will need more research. I am intending to use Dialux for the first time to produce some visuals for the lighting. The first step however will be a product search. Key to a good lighting design is a variety of sources to enable changes in the lighting effects. An important factor in offices is also ensure correct lighting levels are evenly distributed at working height.

Module 3 Passed

Huge relief that I somehow (with the help of an assignment extension) managed to get through and pass module 3 despite illness and changes in family life. Comments were pretty fair as always. Best marks went to my study of the Winter Gardens in Blackpool which reflects the fact that I gave most effort to this part of the assignment. Everything seems to be back on track now. Hubbie has started his new job and I am busy with my day job. Currently we are designing the services to exclusive flats in Mayfair in two Georgian Terraces. This has given me plenty of ideas for room layouts and the type of finishes on high end interiors design. Large bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes, bedroom 'snugs', libraries and cinema rooms are all included here.

Managed to decorate middle daughter's bedroom too just in time for her birthday sleepover. Rather let down by Next though as the delivery of the day-bed we ordered is delayed by 9-weeks. So she is sleeping on a spare put-me-up for now but this is the before and after shots so far.

BEFORE....

.....AND AFTER

The bookcase, chair, medal hooks, picture line, shelf and bedside cabinet are all from Ikea. The desk is from Next and the lampshade is from http://www.loopy-lu.com. The sticker is from http://www.iconwallstickers.co.uk/sports-and-hobbies/swimming-diving/swimming-butterfly-stroke-wall-art-stickers#. The quilt and cushion cover were made with love by Grandma. One very happy daughter!

Scrapbook

I had forgotten the simple pleasure of creating a scrapbook. In my childhood I would spend hours carefully cutting out Peanuts and Fred Basset cartoons, postcards and drawings, pasting them into colourful pads of paper. A need to do something with my ever growing collection of interiors magazines has returned me to the joy of scrap booking. This time however I have ditched the coloured pads for a beautiful A3 moleskine. My eldest on seeing it immediately asked for one for her next birthday, although fashion rather than interiors will be her theme.