The Elements and Principles of Design

Elements and Principles Applied

When looking at an interior space, it is obvious whether or not it looks appealing.  Many people do not know or understand the factors that make a room feel this way.  This is why interior designers have a knowledge of the elements and principles of design.  These elements and principles categorize the different factors that add to the feeling and appearance of a space.  This picture of an extravagant and beautiful living room shows many good examples of the elements and principles seen in good designs.

When looking at the back wall of the picture many horizontal lines are seen in the wood paneling.  This feature uses the element of line to make the room appear taller.  This leads to the grand and large feeling in the space. The back wall also puts and emphasis on the fireplace.  Emphasis is a principle of design that works to make a certain feature stand out.  The fact that all the lines in the photograph are pointing to the fire place, makes it obvious that it is the center of the room.  The bright white color of the fire place against the taupe walls also make it stand out by highlighting it with a different color.  The back wall alone has an appearance that is made beautiful by many of the elements and principles.

The furniture and its arrangement also use elements and principles of design.  The three couches are all white, which employs the use of color in bringing the principle of unity to the space.  These three main pieces of furniture create a “U” shape which employs the principle of balance. The couches are able to balance out the heavy weight of the massive fire place.  The use of the smaller wood side chairs allows for some variety in the room, another principle of design.  The use of two differently styled coffee tables also adds variety.  This same variety is also seen in the accent pieces used throughout the entire room.

The use of color on the furniture allows for it to stand out.   But, the main taupe color in the room allows for a sense of unity.  Because the furniture brings variety into the room and the taupe color brings a sense of unity, the room is able to achieve harmony.  Harmony is difficult to achieve in a room because it has to employ a mix of variety and unity, two opposite principles of design.  This room is able to achieve harmony, and therefore is very aesthetically appealing.

Unusual Materials

  

The Catacombs of Paris

The thought of bones made into wall designs sounds disgusting at first. But, once given the chance to explore the Catacombs in Paris, France many people begin to find it fascinating. Dating back to medieval times, the catacombs are a system of underground tunnels that run beneath the city of Paris. The bones of thousands of bodies line the walls to form interesting, yet morbid, decorations.

I was very lucky to have the opportunity a few years ago to visit these catacombs. Upon entering all visitors have to receive an introduction. During this introduction, I learned a lot about the history of the catacombs. I was also told not to steal any of the bones. Apparently they have had many situations in the past with missing bones. They had even caught people stealing the bones in their backpacks and purses to take home as a souvenir. Just being in the catacombs made me feel uncomfortable. I could not even imagine taking a piece home with me!

As my family and I entered into the underground tunnels at around two in the afternoon, the sunlight disappeared and artificial light lit the way down into the tunnel system. Thousands of leg and arm bones had been stacked upon one another to form the walls of the tunnel. As we got deeper into the system we came across many of the designs we had been told about during our introduction. Skulls were a decorative piece on many of the walls. Different types of bones had been laid in many directions to form patterns. It was the strangest form of decoration I had ever seen.

We were told that it was not uncommon in centuries past for people to get stuck or abandoned in the tunnels. About half of the way through the tour we came across a carving that had been made into the rock side of a tunnel. A man who had been trapped in the tunnels had carved a small castle model into the stone siding. This was also the place that he died after creating his masterpiece. This was only one of the creepy stories that we were told during the tour. Although I was extremely interested in the tunnels I could not stop thinking about how creepy the experience had become.

The wall designs and tunnel systems were very fascinating and beautiful. Although it took me a while to get used to looking at so many human bones, the tour became a good experience that I will never forget. It is interesting to see how unusual materials can be applied in different types of places.  This is the most interesting use of an unusual material that I have ever experienced.

Texas Tech Interior Design Expo 2011

Design Expo

In the real world, we interior designers will have to go to market and learn about new and trending products in order to keep up with the changing trends.  A design expo was held last week at Texas Tech in the Merket Alumni Center.  It was very just like the type of market the professionals must attend.  The experience was fun and gave my classmates and me a look into our future. 

We began the show by entering into large ball room at the Alumni Center where the expo was to take place.  At first glance I was overwhelmed by the amount of vendors that came to our show.  I am sure that talking to learning designers is a good marketing tool for these vendors.  Therefore, they were all very excited to talk with us about the different types of product they had to offer.  This helped me learn a lot about many different types of products that I have not had the opportunity to learn about yet.

I learned about many new products that are currently trending.  This included things such as office chairs, Crypton fabric products, and wallpaper.  This kind of information taught me a lot about the types of things that designers need to continually research in order to stay updated.

My favorite product at the expo was the Crypton fabric products.  These are wonderful for commercial use, which is a field of study I am focusing on this semester.  When I think of commercial fabrics, I usually think of ugly geometric patterns, scratchy surfaces, and ugly stains.  These fabrics had surprisingly beautiful patterns, soft surfaces, and were stain resistant.  Some of these Crypton materials could even resist the permanency of a Sharpie pen.  Learning about these fabrics could really help me in my future career if I am in need of a stain resistant and durable material for a commercial space.

            The atmosphere of the expo was exciting and inspired me to want to learn with my classmates.  The vendors were very happy to be there and were doing their best to sell their product in the most intriguing way possible.  There were buffet tables set up in the middle of the room with food and drinks.   This added more to the social aspect of the event.  I have learned over the past few years that this fast paced and fun atmosphere is common at market and expos.  Being around this type of activity, I was able to even better understand the way things work in the interior design world.

            The expo inspired me to do even more trend researching on my own.  I know that using the internet I have access to all kinds of information.  It is up to me whether or not I actually put that information to use.  Seeing all of the different types of materials and designs at the expo gave me inspiration that I can put into my projects.  The expo further inspired me to do research for the classes that I am taking now.  For my last project, a tile project, I spent a good amount of time looking at tile designs online and in magazines before I started my work.  This gave me ideas that I would have never thought of before.  Because I have not been out in the workforce yet, I haven’t had the opportunity to see large amounts of designs and ideas.  Going to the expo reminded me that by doing a little research I can get inspiration that will only lead to better products on my part.

            I am very glad that Texas Tech hosts a design expo every year.  It gave me a great learning opportunity.  I am sure that it will also help me in the years to come.  It will only help me to be more prepared and confident in myself for my future career.

           

Fabric Applications

Fabric Application in the Alumni Center

Looking around the Texas Tech campus there are many different applications of fabric.  The other day I had the pleasure of taking a trip to the Merket Alumni Center on campus.  The center is fairly new and the inside is very aesthetically appealing.  Even though all of the fabric applications in the building are very nice to look at, it is obvious that the designer thought about the durability of all the fabrics used.  The main application that I noticed the most was the carpeting that runs throughout most of the building. 

Although I do not know the specific make-up of the carpet used in this particular building, it is obviously a nylon based commercial grade carpet.  This means that after many years of use the carpet should continue to look new.  It is very costly to replace carpet, especially in such a huge space.  Having the durability of commercial grade carpet can save on fees of replacing the carpet sooner rather than later.

The color of the carpeting is dark which will also help with the appearance after years of use.  Lighter colors usually show dirt faster than dark colors do and can often begin to look faded or splotchy.  Sometimes permanent stains are inevitable in busy locations.  When a darker carpet is used these stains will be a lot less noticeable, if not impossible, to see.

Another great thing about this carpet is that it has a continuous pattern.  This is aesthetically appealing because it makes such a large area of flooring not look as plain as it would have had the designer used a solid color.  Patterns can also aid in hiding stains and dirt that occur from everyday use.  Many times stains and dirt can be easily cleaned out of a carpet such as this one, but it is hard to keep floors constantly clean.  It would be awkward if someone came out to clean the carpets during the middle of an event that was taking place. In times like these it is good to have something to camouflage food, dirt, and other substances that may get on the floor.   This is where the use of a pattern comes in handy.

Many people pick out their curtains, chair upholstery, and rugs based on aesthetic appeal.  Although these applications of fabric may turn out beautiful, they may not look quite as good a few years down the road.  This is because the durability of a fabric is just as important as the way that it looks, especially when it comes to high traffic volume areas, such as the Merket Alumni Center.

Field Trip to Fabric Store

All About Looks Fabric Store

Often times, it is difficult for a designer to select appropriate fabrics that are fashionable.  This is when companies, such as All About Looks, come into play.  Today I had the opportunity to visit All About Looks during a class fieldtrip.  The store is a full service interior fabric retail business located in Lubbock, Texas.  Although the shop is not large, it houses a wide variety of types and colors of fabrics.  After a visit to the shop, I was impressed with the selection and the extent to which the owner and her two daughters go to in order to create customized looks and to achieve every customers’ full satisfaction.

When I first walked into the store I noticed that the interior was cozy, a characteristic that would be comforting to any client that the store may have or that an interior designer or decorator could possibly bring.  We received a presentation over many of the types of fabrics that the store carries, including some that cost up to 700 dollars per yard.  It became obvious very fast that we were in a true custom and quality fabric store.  Some of the fabrics included bamboo, juke, leather, and polyester.  But this was not all they had available to customers.  The walls were lined with hundreds of fabric samples and examples of some custom works that had previously been done, such as headboards, chairs, and window treatments.

When thinking about a fabric store, I do not necessarily think of beautiful and trendy patterns. In our presentation we were told that this store constantly keeps up with what is in style and what is considered to be old news by attending conferences and going to market often.  This became very obvious when we were shown an example of a remote control window covering that the store was using.  This is a new technology that will supposedly be a staple item in interior design in the future.  The fact that they carry theses new shades was just one of the reasons that convinced me that I was standing in a fabric store that was current to the latest trends.  I was amazed when looking through the store’s samples to see how many creative, beautiful, and unique patters and textures I found.  From these samples, to the current home magazines sitting at the front of the store it became obvious that the store is a place that can be trusted to carry materials that are up to date.

Another neat feature about All About Looks was that they also carried untraditional materials to be used in interiors.  A main item that the store had recently started carrying was wallpaper.  Although the wallpaper trend has been out for a while, it has been slowly coming back over the past few years, and All About Looks is already carrying it.  Another interesting item they have available is cork.  They had examples of it being used as pillow upholstery, wall covering, and floor covering. These are new ideas that I had never even heard of.  I was very impressed with these and other unique things that the store had to offer.

            The thing that impressed me the most in the store was that fact that they could reupholster almost anything.  We had a discussion on the fact that older furniture is often times a lot sturdier than newer furniture is due to the way it has been built.  Because of their firm belief in this fact, the store encourages and firmly believes that reupholstering older furniture is always a good option when renovating an interior.  We were able to go in the back of the store where their professional upholsterer was working.  Able to see some of his work, I was impressed with the quality.  I learned that there are many techniques that can be put into place to revive an older piece of furniture, and that this store will get creative to make things work for a customer. 

From the presentation that my class received on the different fabrics and materials that were available, it was quite obvious that the store had a lot of experience and expertise in the field.  I learned a lot about fabrics and the many different materials that are available for interiors.  I know that I could bring a client of mine into All About Looks and be confident that they would receive the best service available.  The diverse collection of fabrics and the obvious quality in customer service made the store a complete package and made my trip a great learning experience.

Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute

Trip to Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute

In my trip to the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, I learned a lot about the testing processes that fabrics go through before they are able to be made into things such as clothing, blankets, draperies, and upholstery.  There were three main processes that provided information that someone would need to know before buying fabric to use on any of item.

            The first testing machine was called the “Martindale Abrasion Tester,” which finds the abrasion resistance of fabrics, or how much wear and tear a piece of fabric can handle.  Plain weave, crossbred, or worsted wool fabric is used to abrade the test fabric.  The fabrics are rubbed together until one of three options happens.  One option is to stop when a hole to appears on a knitted fabric or when one or two strings break on a woven fabric.  The second option is to stop when a noticeable change in appearance is reached that would dissatisfy a customer who might buy a fabric.  The third option is to determine the overall loss in mass of a fabric by using a percentage.  All three of these options provide necessary information for a manufacturer or customer, especially when the fabric will be used for something that will receive a lot of wear and tear.

            The second machine that I viewed was the “Dimensional Changes of Fabrics Accelerated.”  This machine simulated what a home or commercial washing machine would do to a fabric if it were to be washed.   This machine takes a sample of a fabric and marks it in five different places.  The fabric samples are then washed and allowed to dry.  The markers are then measured again to see how much a fabric has shrunk.  Each time the markers are measured, both before and after washing, the humidity and temperature of the air in the room stays the same so that neither of these factors can altar the results of the test.  Often times a favorite shirt or pair of pants shrink during washing and cannot be worn again by a customer.  This process provides us with information that can give manufacturers the knowledge to prevent this sad occurrence from happening.

            A third testing machine, the “Tearing Strength and Elmendorf Method,” measures how much tearing force a piece of fabric can handle before it breaks.  The fabric to be tested is cut into 5 testing 2 ½ inch X 4 inch strips and placed into two clamps that will pull the strip into two different directions when a pendulum with a weight attached is dropped.  After the pendulum drops the fabric is observed for any ripping or tearing.  If the weight used on the pendulum didn’t break the fabric, then a heavier weight will be used until the highest weight possible is used.  This helps a manufacturer to know how much pressure can be put on a fabric once it is manufactured, so that it will not rip once it is in the hands of a customer.

            The fourth machine that I looked at was the “Breaking Force and Elongation of Textile Fabrics.”  This machine measures how far a fabric will stretch before it tears.  This machine also puts two ends of a strip of fabric into two clamps that will stretch the fabric.  Instead of a pendulum dropping, this time the two ends of fabric are pulled apart at a steady rate.  This again, will help a manufacturer know what fabrics can be used for high-pressure areas in finished products.  The amount of stretch is also important for comfort of a fabric in both clothing and upholstery. 

            The trip to the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute was very informative and allowed me to see many of the processes that are used to test fabrics before they are sold to customers.  It also helped me to understand and think about what kind of qualities are looked for in fabrics for different purposes, which help an interior designer like me understand the best fabrics to use for different projects.

Fibers

Cotton

            Written on the tag inside of the clothes in almost every closet in the world is the word “cotton.”  As we all know, cotton is used in man of the products that we use today.  This plant has been grown from the ground for hundreds of years.  It continues to be a main staple in both clothing and upholstery fabrics today. 

            There are many reasons that people love cotton.  First, it is very resistant to abrasion and tearing, and therefore is good for everyday use.  Cotton also holds color well through light exposure, which makes it a good fiber to be used in things such as window treatments due to its resiliency.  Another well liked quality of cotton is that is blends easily with other fibers.  Today many fabrics are made with synthetic fibers, which are again used in both clothing and upholstery.  Cotton can be blended with many of these synthetic fibers, such as polyester and spandex.  This makes it possible to have fabrics that contain multiple substances, and therefore can have the positive qualities of many different types of fibers.  Cotton is also absorbent, and is therefore used for things other than just clothes and on furniture; it is also used items such as towels, rags, cotton balls, and q-tips.  Even though some may not realize it, cotton is a part of most people’s daily lives due to these qualities as well as many others.

            Before fibers of cotton can be used for any type of fabric, there are multiple processes through which it must go.  It is grown in staple form, or short lengths, and therefore cannot be immediately woven into fabric straight after being pulled from the ground.  The original short fibers are spun and twisted together until a ply of yarn is created.  These plies can be spun together to make bigger pieces of yarn.  After this, the yarn can then be woven into fabric.  Although the cotton starts as just small brittle pieces, it amazingly can be turned into a very strong textile.

            Another important part of the procedure through which cotton goes while being processed into fabric is some sort of dyeing process.   One process is called stock dyeing, during which the single stock fibers of cotton are dyed before being made into yarn.  A separate process is yarn dyeing, during which the fibers are dyed after they have been spun into yarn and are then woven into fabric.  Stock dyed and yarn dyed cotton are the dying processes through which a solid sheet of colored fabric will be made from.  Another method of dyeing is called piece dyeing.  This method is applied after the yarn has already been woven into fabric, and is often used to produce prints and patterns on top of a solid sheet.  The versatility that is seen in cotton products is often due to the different dyeing processes, because each one causes the fibers to take color in a different way.

            The uses of cotton are as varied as the ways that there are to produce it.  Many different processes can be used to make the original staple fiber into varying textures, thicknesses, and colors so that it can have a wide variety of uses, especially when being made into fabric.  When looking at things from bed sheets to curtains it becomes obvious that the ways in which cotton can be produced varies greatly.