Friday, April 23, 2010

Given the original Glendale floor plan and the option of adding 400 square feet, was a challenge to come up with a floor plan that would meet the clients needs. The clients are an older couple in their 50’s who loved to entertain and cook. While creating a new floor plan, they wanted to keep sustainability in mind, incorporate the craftsman style, improved storage and try keep a few existing walls to keep costs to a minimum.


Looking at the original floor plan (right bottom corner) a few walls were taken out to open up the space. In the kitchen area and entry square feet was added to better meet the needs of the client.


Increasing the size of their kitchen was mandatory. They are both experienced cooks and needed high end appliances and a lot of storage and counter space to work with. Keeping with sustainability, included in the kitchen are energy star appliances and ice stone countertops (concrete and recycled glass).


By enlarging the dining room, it gives the clients a bit more room to entertain. Since everyone always seems to gravitate towards the kitchen while at a party, the floor plan is laid out to accommodate a lot of people in this area.



Looking at the original floor plan (right bottom corner) not many walls were taken out when designing the second floor. The master bedroom was the biggest change to the second floor, square footage was added here to create a better layout. There is now a place large enough for a queen size bed, storage for hanging clothes, and a master bath that is attached. Another great feature about the second floor is the walk-out deck from the bedroom and office. This is a great place for the couple to come and relax after their busy day.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Retail Project

Given a blank floor plan and the product to sell, was the first step in the retail design project. Choosing house wares, Crystal Grape emerged. Crystal Grape was a wine glass shop that sold wine, glasses, and accessories. This project focused on how the product would be displayed and creating an interesting place to shop for customers. Some other points this retail project touched on were signage, logo, layout, and placement of cash wrap.


Created an open floor plan, with different options of display space. The cash wrap is centrally located because the farther you come into the store, the more items the customer has to pass by.

These are a few preliminary sketches describing how to display the wine glasses and accessories.


These two perspectives show the rear of the store. The top view shows the sitting area where a customer can sit and relax while sipping on some wine. This section also has red wines, cook books and smaller accessories the customer may purchase.

The bottom perspective shows the wine tasting bar. Keeping in mind that the store was made for selling wine glasses and accessories, keeping the bar small was appropriate. The total seating for this space is for eight, plus the lounge area. Some fun features in this space include the recycled wine glass light fixtures and ice stone countertop, made from concrete and crushed bottles.


The top perspective shows the custom built wine glass display. This piece is a great feature to the space because it shows off their product the best and has storage below.

The bottom view is of the walk in wine cooler and cash wrap. The walk in wine cooler was chosen because customers could stop in after a busy day and purchase a bottle of wine that was already at the perfect temperature. A great feature to the cash wrap is the packaging station behind it. This area is used for wrapping glasses or fragile accessories to make sure they do not break while transporting.




Commercial Project

This was a large scale office project completed by 5 teammates. Two types of systems furniture were used throughout; Resolve and Cleo. 6 weeks to complete the project with the help of reps from Resolve and Cleo. The clients, National Geographic Travel Magazine headquarters, had outgrown their space and were in need of space to expand their thriving business. Focusing on bold graphics, travel and sustainability made this well designed layout come together.

This floor plan shows where the resolve systems furniture that will be used throughout the floor plan according to the color used.

The two perspectives on the right are from the Cleo collection. Cleo was used in the kitchen area, meeting rooms, and collaborative areas around the office.

This is the final floor plan designed to best meet the clients’ wants and needs. When entering the space, a receptionist is located right off the elevators to guide clients in the right direction. Behind the receptionist are the Administration offices, which have the best view of the city. Moving clock-wise is the photography department, environmental research, travel and culture, green guide, public relations, advertising, marketing, promotions, and accounting. Centrally located are the bathrooms, café, exercise area, and elevators.


Top left view shows a view of the workplace with the resolve and cleo systems furniture.

Top right shows the café area and the bottom right shows the entry area. In the entry area there are interactive screens on either side of the receptionist, making this space a very interesting space work in.