A Semester in Review: Fall 2013

Since grad school is a huge part of my life, I thought I'd share what  a semester of an Interior Design Master's program entails. Interior Design is a field that is often shrugged off as something that involves "picking pillows" or a field that is just so "artsy" that it's not something you can study. I'll admit, sometimes it does involve picking pillows, but Interior Design is much more analytical than most might think and that's why I'm drawn to it. It is involves concept development, careful space planning, lighting considerations, and a whole host of furnishings and finishes that must function well in addition to supporting the design concept. Studying interior design at most university levels is similar to pursuing a degree in architecture, so much so that many undergrad programs throw architects, interior designers, and industrial designers in the same classes and studios during their first year of study, and many interior design professors are architects by training.

This semester I took four classes. That's one more than a typical full-time grad school load. I did this for one primary reason: One of the classes I took was at NOVA--an undergrad prereq that I was allowed to satisfy at the much cheaper community college in the area--and I needed 9 credits at Marymount in order to get health insurance through the university. So I had to take three classes at MU whether I was taking the class at NOVA or not. Oh, health insurance. It's fun being a grown up, isn't it?

My favorite class that I took this semester was my graduate level hospitality design studio (hotel design). The professor was wonderful. She was respectful of us as adults and let us develop a project and work on it throughout the entire semester, so we all got really invested in our hypothetical hotel designs and connected with our work.

I designed this entire floor plan within the constraints of the outer building walls and columns. We had requirements for minimum room square footage, number of fire stairs, certain distances from doors, and a number of other things.

The assignment was to design the first floor of a hotel. We picked the location of our hotel and then created a concept inspired by that location to carry through the space. I decided to place my hotel in Nome, Alaska. Nome is most notable for being the finish point to the Iditarod sled dog race, and my concept capitalized on the idea that virtually everyone staying at a hotel in Nome had traveled for a long time and weathered the elements to get there.  Whether they came by sled or by plane, this hotel would be a beacon guiding them to the end of their long journey. I also knew that a race like the Iditarod brings people of all ages and cultures together in this small town for a brief period in time, and I wanted to create spaces for people to develop relationships both in one-on-one settings and group settings. I called the hotel "Tribe"-- a nod to tradition of the native cultures of the region and the idea that the long journey to Nome and the experience there lays the foundation for people to create and nurture their own informal tribes.

We had to create a finishes board as part of our final presentation. I love the feel that this board gives off but it's a little too crowded and would be easier to understand with labels.

I supported my concept by creating pockets of warm and cool color contrast--the warm glow of a fireplace surrounded by soft navy and aqua upholstery, copper/rust-colored table tops surrounded by grey banquette seating--to draw attention to gathering points throughout the space. I also used directed light to draw people through a space--a dropped ceiling with lights peaking out from underneath it to light a path through the space and directed pendant lighting to call attention to stationary seating areas. Finally, I chose furniture and finishes that have a modern twist on traditional tribal motifs. Although some of those motifs are admittedly are more Native American-inspired than Inuit, the overall palette created the feel I wanted in the space.

This is a hand rendered elevation of my lobby space done with design markers and ink. The chairs you see are surrounding a low trough-style fireplace enclosed in glass and surrounded by granite with a metal arch drawing attention to the feature from across the room. The darker blue you see is actually a curved banquette on the other side of the fireplace and the walls are supposed to be leather.

Guys, my renderings (that's what we call pictures of our spaces in the design world) are TERRIBLE. I actually took an entire prerequisite undergrad level class in rendering this semester and they were still awful. While I plan to work on beefing up my hand rendering skills, I'm really hoping that we are able to learn more about digital rendering because there is no way I can have a portfolio of images that look like this. Also, it's 2014 people.  From what I've heard, hand rendering is fine for the ideation phase, but in the real world, unless you hire a watercolor artist to render a fancy hotel or residential interior, your renderings are almost always digital.

I was actually most happy with this rendered floorplan of my hotel lobby. The feature in the middle of the space is the one you see in the elevation above. The goal of rendering a floor plan or an elevation is to bring a third dimension, depth, to a style of ink drawing that is flat--only reflective of length and width. I was best able to achieve that goal in the floorplan above.

The other two classes I took at Marymount were Revit and Sketching for Ideation. I briefly mentioned my sketching/rendering class already. Revit is a really cool type of computer program called "Building Information Modeling" software (BIM for short) that stores all kinds of information about building modeling, so when you go to build construction documents, all the specification information like wall types, door types, light fixtures, flooring, etc. can be easily generated into lists that are a critical portion of construction documents. It also creates pretty awesome 3-D models that I hope to get more experience with over my remaining semesters in the program. Oh, and you can also build your own furniture models in it.

This is a model of the Jett Chair by Bright Chair Company that I created as a family in Revit and placed in my floor plan so that I could generate 3-D images of the furniture in the space.

The class I took at NOVA was Materials and Sources, the focus of which was textiles. After learning about various textile construction and materials, I had to create a binder that inventoried all kinds of fabrics, and included samples of each type. I also had to do a report on two textile designers (I choose Lauren Liess and Caitlin Wilson), and I had to design four textile patterns and apply them to a piece of furniture. Here's one of my designs, which I called "antlers" (really creative) created using an antler silhouette flipped and arranged in a repeated pattern. I created the design in Photoshop Elements and applied to image to a piece of furniture from the 3-D warehouse in SketchUp. I might get a yard or two printed through Spoonflower but I'm kind of low on funds right now so that's a back pocket project.

The next semester starts in a weeks and I'm again taking four classes in an effort not to be a graduate student forever. I'm taking a commercial office design studio, a lighting class, a history of architecture and interior design class, and a research class to lay the foundation for my thesis project. It will be a lot of work, but I'm already excited about what I get to learn this spring!

Do Less, Accomplish More in 2014

Guys, it's that time of year again when I get all reflective and in touch with my inner-self and I think about what the last year has been like and what I want for the new year. It almost feels silly writing a post about this because I feel like I've been in this state of mind all freaking year and you have had to listen to me drone on about my life decisions and milestones and what not. But part of the reason I write this if for accountability, to hold my feet to the fire, and because at the end of 2014 I will enjoy looking back on this post to see where I was and how I've grown.

Speaking of looking back, I did just that a few moments ago and I am so very thankful that I took the time to write out my thoughts on 2012 and the coming 2013. So much has changed since then, things I never would have predicted, and that makes me so very excited (and perhaps a little terrified) for the coming year. When I think about what I am most thankful for in 2013, so much of it involves opportunities, and I kind of hope that every year, or at least those in the near future follow suit. I liked last year's exercise, so I think I'm going to do it again, but with one addition: a motto for 2014.

As has become obvious through a few of my more recent posts, I took on quite a bit of responsibility in 2013. I found myself occupied nearly every moment of every day, to the point where I felt guilty to sit down and watch TV and I perpetually felt I was failing at something even when I was getting other things done. I realized that all my activities were actually affecting my health, so I decided to let some things go. Letting go was difficult since I like to think that I can do absolutely everything and be an overachiever and everything will be perfect. That mindset works for some people but is terrible for me because 1) I am not even remotely type-A, 2) I need more sleep than the average person, and 3) I'm a total introvert and if left to my own devices I would probably see my friends like once a month. I knew I didn't want to let go of my ambition and desire to build something for myself, but I also knew that current operating conditions were not sustainable, nor were the making me happy. So my moto for 2014 is this: "Do less, accomplish more." I want to be more selective and deliberate with what I do with my time instead of filling it with activities to get done just for the sake of doing something.

So let's review 2013, shall we?

Things I'm Proud of in 2013
1) Making the difficult decision to transfer to Marymount's Interior Design Program and continuing to pursue my graduate education in interior design
2) Landing a paid interior design assistantship at a local residential design firm and taking the risk of leaving my better paying government consulting position
3) Selling my furniture out of a space in the Sweet Clover Vintage Market
4) My sister getting a full time job
5) My brother doing a great job working at the Christmas Attic (following in the footsteps of his older sisters)
6) The boy getting a promotion in his current office
7) Completing some pretty cool studio projects (at least I think so)
8) Learning a few new computer programs including Revit and Quickbooks

Things I'm Thankful for in 2013
1) The opportunity to learn how to run a small interior design business
2) The opportunity to work for a furniture picking and painting guru and learn more about that process
3) Two new roommates who have been very easy to live with
4) Having a great time at a number of weddings this year, especially my cousin's wedding with the rest of our family
5) My family recovering from a few major health issues and scares with flying colors
6) Being welcomed to spend a few holidays with the boy's family, including the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve (my family joined in the Christmas Eve festivities too)

Things I'm Looking forward to in 2014
1) NOT feeling the pressure of selling furniture in any venue
2) Starting my own interior design consulting business
3) Beginning work on my thesis!!! (I am super excited about this one for some reason)
4) Learning about commercial office design in my upcoming studio
5) Continuing to work on great residential design projects for Arlington Home Interiors
6) Carving out more time to spend with friends and family
7) Visiting my sister in Brooklyn (I haven't been to NYC in two years and that's ridiculous).
9) Nearly finishing my Master's degree

Last night I was making a calendar of classes for my upcoming semester and realized that because I won't be taking as many studio classes as I was last semester (studios meet twice a week and lecture-based classes meet once a week), I will actually be spending 5 fewer hours in class each week than I did last semester. Subtracting my work for Sweet Clover from this weekly time equation, I will have many more hours to dedicate to school work and "other"--friends, family, design work, etc. There is a lot of change on the horizon in the coming year, but I am pumped to live my life more deliberately in 2014. Bring on the growth.

All pictures were taken by me and featured on my Facebook page. Want more updates from Savvy Young Something? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

*Note that I did not coin, nor do I own the phrase "Do Less, Accomplish More". It appears to be widely used in other articles. This is my own interpretation of the phrase and does not represent the views of anyone else who has used it in their own articles. 

New School Year, New School

This time last year I was attending orientation and preparing for my plunge into Interior Design school at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The last year was challenging, but I am SO happy I decided to make the transition. A year later, I really feel like I'm on the path to do something that makes me totally happy and will continue to provide me opportunities to grow.

Even though the late nights working on projects and the many hours I still had to spend working my day job were stressful at times, no busy schedule can stress me out like money stresses me out. Deciding to go to the Corcoran, cut back my consulting job to 30 hours/week, and ultimately take a lower paying position as a design assistant weren't exactly putting me in the "financially secure" column.

When I decided to attend the Corcoran last summer, I did it mostly because I liked that the faculty was largely made up of adjunct professors who were out in the field running their own businesses or working for local design and architecture firms. If I was going to completely diverge from my career path, I wanted as many connections as possible so I could easily find a job when I graduated. And there was also the fact that going to the Corcoran and getting a fancy arts degree sounded really cool.

I enjoyed the Corcoran, I made good friends there, got involved in the student chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the U.S. Green Building Council, and had some great professors who do amazing work in DC. But when I got my job at Arlington Home Interiors, started working with Kelly at Stylish Patina, and took on my space in the Sweet Clover Barn, I realized that I had completely underestimated my own ability to connect with people in my field. I also realized that I have no real intention of going to work for the architecture or design equivalent of the company I previously worked for. I like working in small businesses and owning a business because I get so much satisfaction building something for myself or helping those that I know personally build something.

Starting a business is expensive, and owning one can be pretty risky. I started looking at how fast I was wracking up debt in student loans and realized that the very decision I made to give myself freedom to pursue a new profession might also be the decision that would prevent me from doing so in the way that would make me happiest. Being saddled with student loans isn't exactly freeing, and I knew I needed to re-evaluate my decision.

It crossed my mind once or twice to drop out of school altogether, since you don't need a degree to do residential decorating in Virginia. I don't want to do that because there are so many opportunities to use design in ways that I haven't been exposed to, and I want to continue my education so that I can learn more about things like healthcare design and aging in place. Instead, I made the difficult decision to transfer to Marymount University's graduate interior design program. Their program is great and I know a few people who graduated from their undergrad program and were very happy there. After running the numbers, I determined that it would save me over $20,000 (!!!), and that doesn't include the fact that it's closer to my house and that parking is about half the price. Since I had already been admitted to the program the year before, it was just a matter of filing some paperwork and meeting with the department chair.

I'm going to miss the Corcoran and the friends I made there a lot, but I'm also confident that I will make new friends at Marymount, and I might even be able to take some of what I learned from my student involvement at the Corcoran to Marymount's program. I feel a little sheepish because this is actually the second time I will be a transfer student (I transferred into UVA in undergrad), so that means I will have attended four schools to get two degrees. But it would also be quite silly of me to stay at the Corcoran just because I don't want to transfer again.  I'm already sleeping better knowing I'm saving that much money. Classes start next week--wish me luck!

Sibling Bonding 101

I've mentioned my brother in passing from time to time, and he's popped up on my Instagram lately, but I've never really told you much about him.

I am the oldest of three. My sister, Claire (the one on the left), is 22 and graduated from NYU's Tisch school with a degree in acting last May. She lives in New York and is currently pursuing a career as an actress while trying to make ends meet in that oh-so expensive city. She is very talented and beautiful. Please hire her.

My brother, Brennan, is 19 and goes to NOVA, the local community college. He lives with my parents about 30 minutes away from my house.

Brennan was born when I was 6, so by the time he came along, he really was my little brother. Especially now that we're in our 20s, I don't think of Claire as my little sister, I just think of her as my sister. But the age difference with Brennan made the older-younger sibling relationship much more pronounced. He was in 5th grade when I graduated from high school, and I was well out of college by the time he graduated. We've always been in completely different places in our lives.

Probably in part because of the age difference, we've always gotten along pretty well. There were a few trying times when we were still sharing a bathroom the year after I graduated from college, but for the most part, we have a good time together. He was always a good little brother and let Claire and I watch Runaway Bride whenever we wanted to, and to this day he loves Friends as much as we do. He and I have some similar interests, and I've always felt like I relate to him in ways that the rest of the family doesn't. Plus, he's always very helpful when it comes to moving furniture around and picking stuff up from Craigslist sellers. And he accepts payment in the form of donuts.

This semester, Brennan and I are taking a class together at NOVA. Because I didn't take an art history class in undergrad, I need to take one for my Interior Design degree. The Corcoran allows us to take an art history class through NOVA to satisfy the requirement, and given the cost savings, I couldn't pass up that opportunity. Since bro Brennan already goes to NOVA and takes lots of art classes there, I suggested we take the class together. He wasn't so keen on the idea at first, but after a little convincing from my mom, he came around.

The class is online, but since we're both taking it, we are treating it more like a regular class and watching lectures together at my parents' house. I am hoping that in exchange for having access to my older sister, college degree-holding brain he will compensate me with a plate of nachos. As you can tell, compensation in the form of food is a recurring theme in our relationship.

Never did I ever expect that Brennan and I would be enrolled in a college level course together. Given our age difference, there have been so few opportunities for us to participate in official activities together (and he didn't last long on the summer swim team). I think it's pretty cool, and I'm happy that it gives us a good reason to hang out together on a more regular basis.  It's one of those things that makes me appreciate adulthood and look forward to other things we might get to do together.

The class started last week, so we've only met once to watch a couple lectures and complete our first assignment. So far, it's going well. And despite my 4+ years of college, his notes ended up being more useful than mine...so that was interesting. Maybe this will be a complete disaster and he will hate me and I will despise him by the end of this 8-week course. But hopefully we will still lovingly give each other our favorite foods and both have an A at the end. Fingers crossed!

Have you ever taken a class with your sibling? Or participated in an activity with a younger sibling that was out of the ordinary for both of you?

Happy Friday!

I can't believe the last time I talked to you guys was almost a month ago. I was overwhelmed by the positive encouragement I received through the blog and through facebook comments. It's so nice to know y'all are rooting for me! I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.

School has been going well. I'm in three classes: Intro to Interior Design, AutoCAD 1, and Color Theory (all of which anyone in the DC area can take through the Corcoran continuing education program, b-t-dubs). Intro to ID and AutoCAD haven't been tough so far, since my degree in urban planning gave me a little experience in drafting and learning different computer programs. Color Theory is on a whole different level, and I'm loving every minute of it. It's challenging me to think in ways I've never thought before and verbalize thought processes I've had but never really paid much attention to.

This was my homework. How cool is that?

Over the course of the semester I'm going to try and give you some tidbits that I've learned. Of course I have to be careful not to divulge the whole course to you, but I think it will help me grasp concepts better when I force myself to explain some of them to you.

Hmmm....what else is there to tell you?

Oh yes, I am continuing to work while I'm in school, but I'm only doing 30 hours instead of 40. It's a bit of a financial strain, but it's also a huge relief to have my Fridays off to get school work done and run errands, since I am working and in class from 9 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday.

I'm hoping that having an entire day off in combination with fall setting in (which is the best painting weather) will also allow me to crank out some more furniture projects, so look for those in my shop soon.

So there's a little update for you. I'm working on two little projects today, which I hope to write about this evening and hopefully post over the weekend or sometime next week. What's new with you guys? Any other savvy young somethings taking the plunge into a different field? Starting school? Making major life changes?

And totally unrelated, have you seen the amazing tumblr #myfriendsaremarried? It's AWESOME. And so accurate. Don't worry, even if you're in a long term relationship/engaged/married, you will find plenty to relate to. It will make your Friday. This one is one of my favorites.

Reorienting

Friends, it's finally time for the big announcement that I promised you all a few weeks ago.

   Source: chibijeebs.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Three years ago in May, I graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's degree in urban planning. In the three years since I graduated, I've learned quite a bit about myself.

During college, I did an internship with the local housing department and became very interested in affordable housing and community development. As an urban planning major, housing fit my interests in both social responsibility and spatial planning. I continued down that path, writing papers about things like affordable housing located near public transportation and using my study abroad opportunity to study health in low income communities.

When I graduated from college, I did a few internships, got my first job, and six months later got my second job, where I've been ever since. My work right now primarily focuses on homelessness. While I remain interested in affordable housing and homelessness and love the people I work with, I have come to the realization that the work I do day-in and day-out is not the best fit for me.

As a kid, I was always interested in interior design. My parents literally had to hide packing materials from me because I would try to make something out of them. In elementary and middle school I drew pictures of the way I wanted my room to look and told my mom that I wished my furniture was light wood instead of dark (my-oh-my, how my tastes have changed). As a teenager I took on many DIY projects for my room, and happily went antiquing and furniture shopping with my mom. At thirteen I ordered college brochures from Parsons and RISD (nerd alert).

Then it came time to apply to college. I never took an art class in high school, and my knowledge of design only extended as far as my yearbook editor role. I had grown up pegged as one of the smart kids, and at the time it seemed silly for me to pursue a degree that would allow me to decorate someone's house. A few additional voices encouraged me to pursue more "serious" business than interior design, and I listened, deciding to pursue urban planning instead--still design related, but with deep roots in public policy.

                                                                     Source: milkandhoneyhome.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Fast forward to last February when I decided to start selling my refinished and refreshed furniture, using the Lucketts Spring Market as a jumping off point. Participating in the Lucketts market was a really good thing for me because I gained confidence, and suddenly a career in design or something related seemed not only possible but well within my reach.

In the past, multiple friends made comments about needing design help. "I'm not a designer," I always insisted, thinking back to the countless times I put something on the wall and hated the way it looked there, or the even more frequent times that I would paint or refinish a piece for a specific spot in my house only to realize it was totally out of proportion when I put it there. Hell, I still feel like our living room looks ridiculous. But at the same time, I would continue conversations with those friends, rattling off sources to look for coffee tables or ideas for inexpensive artwork, giving my opinions on color, and swooning over magazine and catalog photos. 

                                                                         Source: creativationspace.com via Sarah on Pinterest

It was around the time of the Lucketts Market that I started to be a lot more honest with myself in terms of what I really wanted, and what I pursued because I thought it was what people with degrees from prestigious universities who were "smarts kids" all their lives were supposed to be doing at age 25. I knew I wouldn't be happy staying on my current path, but the idea of getting a new job in the same field didn't really appeal to me either. It was kind of like this:



OK, maybe not quite that dramatic.

Finally, I decided to stop fighting my urge to look at design blogs all the time and the giddiness I feel when I see a beautiful piece of furniture, and I applied to interior design school. Tomorrow I will attend orientation as a student in the Corcoran College of Art and Design's Master of Arts in Interior Design Program. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Yes, I'm a little terrified. OK, I'm really terrified. Not only is this an expensive endeavor, I can't seem to stop second guessing my own abilities. What if it turns out that I'm really not very good at this? What if I can't find a job or I suck at owning my own business? What if all the other girls are cooler and prettier than me? I won't be able to afford the coolest clothes!

That terror is countered by thoughts like this: What if I get to shop for gorgeous furniture and get PAID to do it?!

And slightly more serious thoughts like this: Wouldn't it be cool if I could help people in need take some kind of ownership over their spaces? Wouldn't it be neat to create spaces that make people happier and healthier?

                                                                      Source: helloyouhellome.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I'm simultaneously terrified and thrilled. This is the biggest risk I've ever taken, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Let this adventure begin!