What can I learn from the GIDC – my take on series 4

(assuming that you have watched, there is not going to be a description of what happened)

After waiting for many months for the new season, it is hard to believe that it is over in three short weeks… so my first observation/question – why only nine participants? The schedule was such, that one of them had to be recycled actually, as a wild card, very sad. I am guessing there are as many candidates to participate, but fewer home owners who would jeopardize their home?

And yet, among the homeowners, there are positively winners. But we must admit that there is no level playing field – some people are handed a spare storage room, others get a well-loved space with ambitions for improvement. So, it is part of the game.

Anyway, back to the subject – 9 candidate designers and what I think I can learn from them, because this blog is all about (learning) interior design.

I will start from the end, and work my way towards quarter-finals.

So, Daniella is not my winner. I have things to learn from her – but her case casts some doubt as to whether the show is not um-hum – guided in a certain direction? Because let’s face it – her home is not impressing, and she was only able to satisfy her clients one out of two times ….and her mistakes are really instances of impracticality. She was advertised as a photographer, but after the show it turns out she worked in fashion – and so many things make sense – like a dress which is not a 100% comfortable, but if it is for an evening, one might bare to were it, so were some of Daniella’s solutions – lovely and impractical.

Also, I couldn't help to notice – up until the final she was paired against an easier competitor. For quarter-finals she was against James, the guy who was having a second chance in spite of not finishing in time. And, sorry Daniela, but he was better on that particular assignment. I am really sorry for him, Daniella should have waited as a wild card, not this guy.

So, what I'd like to learn from James? – I liked his mood boards, with the moving parts. I also like his attention to detail, albeit it wasn't as helpful in a competition. Incidentally – this episode is missing from YouTube at the time of writing, possibly because none of the two designs left any impressions (S04E04)…

Then, Daniella was paired against Richard – the wild card! For the semi-finals, I liked her work better, but Richard had the most impossible client. From his design I like to learn the unexpected. The photo here-under shows such an instance – the flamingo coloured dressing table! It is a shame that Richard didn't have more confidence.

Then Daniella made it to the final, and against my favorite Oliver – so no more "easy" competitors to her. I absolutely liked Oliver's style: so eclectic, confident, put together. Also attention to details. And how resourceful – he must write a book about all the mock-crock, trimmings, darker skirting. I think he has every trick in the trade – am looking forward to see his creations, which I am sure there'll be plenty of! Actually, at times, I wish I could give up on designing my apartment, and have someone like Oliver do it for me! On this show he never designed a bad, not even mediocre, room. Probably is the right person to spice my space, should I fail to do so myselfJ

As to Daniella – well – I liked her mood-boards very much – especially the way she recreates 3-dimensional space, and the way she plays with photographs. A few pictures of her creations to mark my point. I have to try those tricks with my work. I also admire her knowledge of different styles; probably she'd be better with a little bit more of colour – like in the semi-finals, and if she would use less fabric – not good for maintenance!

Now, one person who'd I would have loved to see competing against Daniela would have been Nicholas – just like hers, his designs were initially meant for another business, namely the stage. I absolutely liked the way he improved over the rounds. I think his final work was the best, albeit not as good as Oliver's. I liked very much his confidence, artistic touch and calm.

Last but not least – Shaida… I thought she would have been the wild card, because unlike the other too, she mastered the process. So, would have been a safe bet to show something carefully thought through and completed. But, I also agree with the judges, that she recycles the same theme. And yet, as with the others – there is something to learn from Shaida – I like her space planning.

In fact, her living cum dining room is one scheme I haven't tried for mine, so this is going to be the contribution to my project.

I checked the sharp against the pastel features, and went for pastel of course!

To make it quick, I use Sketchup for this one. Also, the furniture is what’s in the 3D store, but it may stand for improvement. For instance, the bookcases must have space for a TV, a smaller armchair may do the job better. Another option is no armchair – the place is really seriously small.

In my perfect room though, the armchair is set in a way to be lit by the afternoon sun.

I like to have the table next to the window too. The biggest problem, in my case, is that the bathroom door should not be the focal point, and it looks like just about the case. Do you agree?

So, Shaida’s space planning cannot be recycled 100% on this one, but I am glad to have tried. At this point in time, my interior design apprenticeship is trial and error, preferably on paper and not in the apartment self. Wish I had the courage to try Oliver’s colours!

Having said that – I will miss GIDC a lot, cross my fingers for more and better participants. Until then, can always watch old episodes, and cannot repeat it enough – there is something to learn from everyone!

Spatial planning – project 1 revisited in 3D by Sketchup

Happy New Year everyone!

So hard to go back to the good habits after the holidays! So hard to find meaning after spending time in Paradise (a Caribbean island in my case). I feel like a fallen angel and then I remember – the meaning of the interior design is to adapt our surroundings. It is to have our surroundings serve us better. And it is only I who can spice my space …

I do have an on-going small DIY project – trying to bury the cracks on the ceiling under cornices – brilliant idea. But the light is bad, and it was time consuming to find the right tools. As already mentioned, I am looking for lessons in the journey and not working towards a deadline. So, my ceiling, my cracks, material for another post.

For the current post though, I wanted mostly to summarise where I stand with my future living and dining room.

1. It is a converted bedroom, because a) access to the bathroom should be there for both future bedrooms, b) is the room at view when entering the flat, and c) communicates better with the kitchen, and also has the potential to ventilate better.

2. The room is quite small – on top of that there are two doors and windows – a floor plan is available with an earlier post.

3. The challenge was explored at length in the previous post. The classic theory of interior design recommends zoning, and indeed two zones are possible one for dining, the other for sitting… and the previous post tried to see how many combinations are possible with those…if the furniture is small – plenty of combinations indeed.

4. A crucial choice is at hand – sitting or dining group next to the window? If dining – then less space for storage, and sofa away from the window. Now, the sofa better be close to the window – the home-owner (I) is a maniac reader. So daylight is so important when it is there…

5. Right, daylight – but if you’d go back to the suggestion for the future master bedroom – there you’ll see identical arm-chair setting next to the window – so it would be a duplication in a really small flat. Nevertheless, I would like to explore one variant where the sofa is next to the window.

And now, on to SketchUp!

It is the most intuitive 3D modelling programme, so I was able to create the room model swiftly. For the sake of presentation, I start with a floor view, which will subsequently be presented form different angles (mostly impossible as is the case with 3D – just compare digital models to actual photographs of rooms).

Now, one thing to know about SketchUp rooms – they are boxes, like shoe boxes, and we just turn them round in space in order to get the view that illustrates a point. So, the floor plan, for example, is looking through the ceiling. The ceiling itself, like any other side of the shoe box, has two surfaces. In order to be able to see through it, the outer surface has to be “transparent” …

Next thing, obviously, are the objects I filled my room with. Coming mostly from IKEA, they are all available in the 3D Storehouse. In my future real room, I may or may not use those, I may as well re-upholster. One shortcoming that is immediately visible – the colours do not render as nicely. In fact, the contrast between surfaces under direct light, or in the shadows, is so stark, that one fails to notice that the colour is meant to be the same. So, the following exercise shall test mostly the view of volumes, and only in second place the actual application of colour, texture and light.

It was a happy discovery, that in SketchUp there are so many artistic ways to render an object. In order to kill the glitter, the contrast and sleekness of the first image, I opt for a mild almost chalk representation.

And on to the views.

Firs view is what we should see, when entering – I think it is a very good presentation of a room if the first sight is a nice luxurious sofa. It is cosy, inviting and in the same time decorative. It can be a focal point in itself.

Now, what is painfully obvious in the floor plans is the lack of symmetry. And we know symmetry makes things logical, proportional, good! It is natural. If we want to call for attention, then we brake the symmetry. But this room doesn’t have it all there to explore… and therefore the floor lights on both sides of the asymmetrical sofa.

Another issue is the bathroom door – I want it to be invisible. So, I am wandering if the sofa is in a way in front of it, passage provided, won’t it blend in with the walls?

Last on this view – I think it is a cat height view. Again, back to the trickery of computer generated images. A lot of angles are impossible, best views are from outside of the shoe box through transparent walls, all in all things that don’t happen in the real life.

I love the next view – it is from behind the bathroom wall, and it aims at the intended focal point. Actually the TV in this interior is mostly for my boyfriend, I personally do not watch. I am only saying this because a sight of a screen has become more natural in our lives, than it is natural. If you wander about the vertical lines – they belong to the door I am seeing through. These are some of the peculiarities of SketchUp we have to bear in mind.

 

Following view is toward the entry door, and literally through the window but from the outside. The said window is already adorned with some floor length curtains. Another peculiarity of SketchUp – I am not skilled enough to show them, so they are invisible. It is a bit of an issue with the sofa, as in reality we wouldn’t want for it to hide the curtains. Also, we shall not be able to push it towards the wall as much as needed… Mental notes for the differences between real life and electronic model.

Before moving on a final note on the dining group – it needs to be not as simple. I may have to play with just this one and see where imagination and resources take me.

And the final one – back to the sofa – this time not as a cat, but may be a parrot perched on the ceiling light. I still like it very much. I am still unable to see if sofa is not an obstacle to getting to the bathroom… but it is a way to go.

The conclusion on colours is plain – beige and grey and orange work. In reality, I want them to be taupe like, but matching the oak door, some cream/champagne/light beige. Grey as a staple. And notes of bronze, not orange, because it is so fashionable. That much is sadly not conveyed by the SketchUp.

Naturally, so much more to learn and practice. I’d be so happy to read some comments. Any comments. About the space planning, presentation, colour scheme. How logical is my logic?

As a preview for a future post, and what I believe needs to be done over and over for the said room – handmade sketches of elevations and perspectives. Somehow, I never get round to starting. Saw a tempting book in the shop today, and did not succumb to temptation, because it seems to me I mostly buy but seldom practice.

So, will be happy to share some of the above.