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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Interior Design Boards: Today and "Back in the Day"

As a member of the Corporation Board of my college sorority, I am involved in the current redesign of our house's living room. We are blessed with a beautiful, spacious, historic building that serves as a home-away-from-home to many vibrant young women.

The ceiling design in our foyer was painted by an artist who also painted the Nebraska State Capitol's rotunda. There are classic, wide mouldings, and the charm of a stately old house throughout. We "sisters" are very proud to have the chance to live in this home for an all-too-short period of our lives.

My vision for updating the living room honors the history, tradition, and function of the building,  while also breathing fresh life into the space. Working off of the muted colors from the foyer, I chose a scheme of teal, soft yellow/gold, and green with touches of muted orange. Transitional-style upholstered furniture pieces blend with modern accents (lamps, art, tables) to ease this space into the 21st Century.



Also, our sorority colors are dark blue, light blue, and gold, so this is a variation of the colors without being too literal.  I think the girls would love the fun ghost table, sunburst mirror, and playful designs of the patterned upholstery pieces.  It's important to retain the character and time period of the architecture with a few traditional, heavier pieces, also.  I think the balance works really well and adds a lot of interest.  We meet as a Board next week...we'll see what the other members think of my vision...

As I was working on this inspiration board, I thought about how much the design process has changed since I lived in that sorority house. I decided it might be fun to dig up some (very) old photos of projects I completed as an Interior Design student "back in the day." Please forgive the quality of the photos...they are extremely faded!


When I was in college, we weren't yet using computers...GASP!! So everything was done by hand. We gathered samples of fabrics, paint chips, floor coverings, photos of furniture, lighting, etc. and made drawings; then we set to work with our exacto knives and rulers. We also did all of our drafting the old-fashioned way (no AutoCAD back then!)  Both commercial and residential projects were a part of the curriculum, though I always preferred the residential ones.


We mounted everything on colored matte boards and labeled design elements with vinyl rub-on letters (or we hand-lettered in that "architect" style...there was even an entire class dedicated to learning how to print!)  We cut out "windows" for drawings, samples, etc. and added decorative lines with graphic tape. It took hours and hours and often involved many nights that crept into the wee hours.  Those deadlines came up quickly amid the fun and chaos of college life ;)


Thankfully, technology has made life much easier for designers and design students these days. And thankfully, too, styles have changed through the years. I mean, check out the Neoclassic furniture and colors I drew in the room below...apparently I was trying to be sophisticated or something?? Haha!


Thanks for looking back into the past with me today :)

Julie



Sharing with: Share Your Cup, A Delightsome Life, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Between Naps on the Porch, Cozy Little House, StoneGable





14 comments:

  1. Your choices are perfect, just the right amount of traditional to fit in with that historic home, while keeping it contemporary and fun for the college crowd. Your sisters will be very cozy here. I'd love to see that ceiling.

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    1. Hi Cyndi. I should take a photo of the ceiling and post it sometime. It really is a work of art!

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  2. Forgot to add that I actually miss hand drawing those floor plans - Sketch-up drives me crazy lol.

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    1. I can't say I miss those drawings, myself, haha. You are more of an artist than I am. But I did enjoy the whole process back when I was in college :)

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  3. I actually miss the old design boards. When I worked as a project manager one of my favorite moments was when the interior designer brought in the board with all the swatches and paint chips and such and shared her vision. So much fun. I love what you've put together for this new project, Julie. Best of luck with it! xo

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    1. I agree, Nancy. The old boards were tactile. Now you can't be sure if colors are true, etc. I didn't know you worked as a project manager. I guess we have more in common than I had realized :) Thanks for your comment!

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  4. What a fun project Julie! I love all of the color and pattern you put into your design. Your old boards have an artistic quality to them. You tease about the last one, but it's really well done!

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    1. You are too kind, Sally. I did enjoy the creativity of it back then, and am trying to work my way back to that designer I used to be before life got in the way ;). Hugs to you.

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  5. What a fun project Julie! I love all of the color and pattern you put into your design. Your old boards have an artistic quality to them. You tease about the last one, but it's really well done!

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  6. How fun to have the comparison.

    Thanks for sharing at SYC.

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  7. So fun! I remember helping two of my girls do design boards in High school. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. I'll bet it was fun to see your girls' projects in high school. Thanks for stopping by, Jann!

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  8. What a fun post. I'm loving your design board for the living room and all your selections. Seeing your ideas come to fruition will be so satisfying.
    Mary Alice

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    1. Thank you, Mary Alice. I appreciate your support. Unfortunately, the Board didn't like my vision as much as my readers have. But I sure enjoyed working on them ;)

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