when designing sofas, dimensions are central elements ; i saw a deep two-seated sofa with the dimensions
Depth 100cm, Width 130cm, Height 80cm.
it was confortable, you could say it was deeep too. the height wasn't important as the depth and the depth may have given it the design interest but height is important as well as width. this sofa had a neat floral fabric ; it was neat above all but it was deep!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
article- streamline moderne
this was an article on Streamline Moderne that i wrote;
Streamline Moderne is an architectural style that was apparent in a lot of Hollywood films in the 40s; The beginning of Streamline Moderne can be dated to Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair of 1933-34. It is an atmospheric type of design style. It is one of the architectural styles of the twentieth century which emphasized the value of space and atmosphere as well as color and theme. Lines were always important. The use of the curved line was taken to a new level in the Streamline Moderne style.Because of the 'look' of Streamline Moderne, you could say that it brought 'fashion' into architecture because it had a real look and feel as well as atmosphere. Streamline Moderne is a type of exterior design in the way that there is interior design. It was not just a development of Art Deco for it developed a new type of exterior and in this way Streamline Moderne did something new for design.Streamline Moderne was an exterior design style for the sea shore ; It was a style of architecture for the sea. Curves were important but control and shape was important in the curves. However Streamline Moderne was not governed by rules in the way Classicism and early Art Nouveau was. In some way Art Nouveau was a reaction to something else but you feel Streamline Moderne is pure in its atmospheric effect. In some way it is a style where the exterior design is to be matched with the interior. You feel an airiness, an atmosphere and a space inside.Even though Streamline Moderne was used for factories and city buildings, there was something nautical and atmospheric about it. It was a hugely popular style of design. It used new building materials and it was simple, pure and highly stylized. Streamline Moderne is not just a specific style of art deco. You can connect it to Art Deco because of its use of curves and new materials but ornamentation was not as important as it was in Art Deco. Art Deco may have developed new forms of ornamentation but it was not the aim of Streamline Moderne to do this.Streamline Moderne felt like a specific exterior design style suited to the sea ; It created stylized exterior effects for buildings. It has been described as nautical and in some way it is an 'atmospheric' type of exterior ; It created a whole design effect e.g. gardens, landscaping. For when you see residential houses in the Streamline Moderne style, the surroundings are important too e.g the garden landscaping.Streamline Moderne is a more functional design style than Art Deco. There is less accent on ornament than Art Deco and more on function. Function is key so all ornament is within the functional. There are thus controlled curve. There is the contrast between straight and curved..Overall shape is important. That is why people compare its buildings to ships. It has that shape. And Streamline Moderne may be so popular because now people could actually live and work in ships; they could live and work on the sea, beside the sea.
Streamline Moderne is an architectural style that was apparent in a lot of Hollywood films in the 40s; The beginning of Streamline Moderne can be dated to Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair of 1933-34. It is an atmospheric type of design style. It is one of the architectural styles of the twentieth century which emphasized the value of space and atmosphere as well as color and theme. Lines were always important. The use of the curved line was taken to a new level in the Streamline Moderne style.Because of the 'look' of Streamline Moderne, you could say that it brought 'fashion' into architecture because it had a real look and feel as well as atmosphere. Streamline Moderne is a type of exterior design in the way that there is interior design. It was not just a development of Art Deco for it developed a new type of exterior and in this way Streamline Moderne did something new for design.Streamline Moderne was an exterior design style for the sea shore ; It was a style of architecture for the sea. Curves were important but control and shape was important in the curves. However Streamline Moderne was not governed by rules in the way Classicism and early Art Nouveau was. In some way Art Nouveau was a reaction to something else but you feel Streamline Moderne is pure in its atmospheric effect. In some way it is a style where the exterior design is to be matched with the interior. You feel an airiness, an atmosphere and a space inside.Even though Streamline Moderne was used for factories and city buildings, there was something nautical and atmospheric about it. It was a hugely popular style of design. It used new building materials and it was simple, pure and highly stylized. Streamline Moderne is not just a specific style of art deco. You can connect it to Art Deco because of its use of curves and new materials but ornamentation was not as important as it was in Art Deco. Art Deco may have developed new forms of ornamentation but it was not the aim of Streamline Moderne to do this.Streamline Moderne felt like a specific exterior design style suited to the sea ; It created stylized exterior effects for buildings. It has been described as nautical and in some way it is an 'atmospheric' type of exterior ; It created a whole design effect e.g. gardens, landscaping. For when you see residential houses in the Streamline Moderne style, the surroundings are important too e.g the garden landscaping.Streamline Moderne is a more functional design style than Art Deco. There is less accent on ornament than Art Deco and more on function. Function is key so all ornament is within the functional. There are thus controlled curve. There is the contrast between straight and curved..Overall shape is important. That is why people compare its buildings to ships. It has that shape. And Streamline Moderne may be so popular because now people could actually live and work in ships; they could live and work on the sea, beside the sea.
Blinds
My notes on blinds:
Blinds are useful design idea for a recess. You can ask why are blinds really suitable for recesses. This is because the blind is suitable for a small area. this makes sense. The blind functions as something to be pulled down..I always try to think of a blind as something that can be pulled across...there is somethinbg missing from a blind; when you pull it up ; it bundles out on top.
That is why ideally a blind should have its batten a good distance above the window so that when the blind is pulled up and bundles up..the whole window 'can be seen' or you can have a full view from the window..maybe this makes sense as a design idea;
The whole neatness of the blind is important; it should roll in together..and the main design area is the actual design on the material...the material is important; it should be perhaps see-through but then it can be darkened;
The purpose of the blind is 'to blind' you ; so you can 'close' and then open this blind; You can have shelter and you can have light and then darkness..and then you can pull the blind up or pull it down..
Another window design is cafe curtains..cafe curtains follow the theme of having a curtain or a curtain covering for the lower part of the window...and then having the top part 'open' and curtainless..but you can have a variation of cafe curtains in interiors...where window design is important..
Blinds are useful design idea for a recess. You can ask why are blinds really suitable for recesses. This is because the blind is suitable for a small area. this makes sense. The blind functions as something to be pulled down..I always try to think of a blind as something that can be pulled across...there is somethinbg missing from a blind; when you pull it up ; it bundles out on top.
That is why ideally a blind should have its batten a good distance above the window so that when the blind is pulled up and bundles up..the whole window 'can be seen' or you can have a full view from the window..maybe this makes sense as a design idea;
The whole neatness of the blind is important; it should roll in together..and the main design area is the actual design on the material...the material is important; it should be perhaps see-through but then it can be darkened;
The purpose of the blind is 'to blind' you ; so you can 'close' and then open this blind; You can have shelter and you can have light and then darkness..and then you can pull the blind up or pull it down..
Another window design is cafe curtains..cafe curtains follow the theme of having a curtain or a curtain covering for the lower part of the window...and then having the top part 'open' and curtainless..but you can have a variation of cafe curtains in interiors...where window design is important..
Note on Hotel Interior Design
My notes: //this is just an opinion..
Re: hotel room interiors the hotel room is so functional and within a room, there are the creation of new objects and spaces- e.g. it is possible to have a 'sink area' in the hotel room; it is possible to have a curtain area with seat, curtains and then the bed area..and this could comprise the hotel room..and then a television space too with a table also..these are functional spaces or areas...
Can you create such functional areas for ordinary rooms. It is difficult because the rooms themselves are overall functional whereas the hotel room is functional in that it serves a composite purpose ; you live within that one room, wheras a room in a house is just 'a room within a house'.
The use of mirrors is important too.
This is a good guideline for designing the interior of the hotel room.. and then there is the question of designing the interior for the theatre..where functions are important but design interest is heightened re: seating and then space has to be controlled..in a suitable way..where the height of the theatre..depth,space and width are important; indeed there is more architectural interest..
Curtain design too is at the heart of hotels and the theatre...
And where an interior has a high function e.g. the theatre , a hotel lobby, the curtain design gains added importance ; there is also lighting ; If the interior of the theatre is given high importance, then so must the lighting..and so must the curtains...
There is also the wall treatments...maybe fabric wallpapers.... the carpeting and flooring is important.
Perhaps a contrast between carpet and floor is important//sometimes this is done on staircases..and a wooden flooring in the corner/Maybe there can be more interesting degrees of contrast..and maybe contrast is the wrong word.. you can aim for color correlation ; Maybe it is better if you use different materials for different areas of the floor area//
Imagine a lobby in a hotel room and consider its function ; it is to welcome ; Or it is another world..take a functionalist approach e.g. long mirrors at the side with tables- silver colors... functional.. use of sinks and taps...and then long seating area- daybeds-- or sofas. Maybe seating with no backs...long seats -wide and large seats but with the backs a large bit away but backs nicely and elegantly upholstered-
exterior/interior- interior nautical theme matching nautical outside..?
Re: hotel room interiors the hotel room is so functional and within a room, there are the creation of new objects and spaces- e.g. it is possible to have a 'sink area' in the hotel room; it is possible to have a curtain area with seat, curtains and then the bed area..and this could comprise the hotel room..and then a television space too with a table also..these are functional spaces or areas...
Can you create such functional areas for ordinary rooms. It is difficult because the rooms themselves are overall functional whereas the hotel room is functional in that it serves a composite purpose ; you live within that one room, wheras a room in a house is just 'a room within a house'.
The use of mirrors is important too.
This is a good guideline for designing the interior of the hotel room.. and then there is the question of designing the interior for the theatre..where functions are important but design interest is heightened re: seating and then space has to be controlled..in a suitable way..where the height of the theatre..depth,space and width are important; indeed there is more architectural interest..
Curtain design too is at the heart of hotels and the theatre...
And where an interior has a high function e.g. the theatre , a hotel lobby, the curtain design gains added importance ; there is also lighting ; If the interior of the theatre is given high importance, then so must the lighting..and so must the curtains...
There is also the wall treatments...maybe fabric wallpapers.... the carpeting and flooring is important.
Perhaps a contrast between carpet and floor is important//sometimes this is done on staircases..and a wooden flooring in the corner/Maybe there can be more interesting degrees of contrast..and maybe contrast is the wrong word.. you can aim for color correlation ; Maybe it is better if you use different materials for different areas of the floor area//
Imagine a lobby in a hotel room and consider its function ; it is to welcome ; Or it is another world..take a functionalist approach e.g. long mirrors at the side with tables- silver colors... functional.. use of sinks and taps...and then long seating area- daybeds-- or sofas. Maybe seating with no backs...long seats -wide and large seats but with the backs a large bit away but backs nicely and elegantly upholstered-
exterior/interior- interior nautical theme matching nautical outside..?
Monday, September 17, 2007
CARPETS/ PILE
I was hoping too to look briefly at carpets like Wilton and Axminster and that is why I was hoping to give some notes on carpets in general. Some carpets are important antiques and information on carpets in general is important for this.
So what is Cut Pile? It can be defined as a type of carpet fabric which is made up of cut ends of pile yarn. I hope to give more information on what is meant by this i.e. cut ends of pile yarn.
A simpler concept might help in understandinf Cut Pile and that is Density:
Density refers to the compactness of the tufts in the carpet and the amount of pile i.e. vertical yarns/strands. The pile, you can say, is really the carpet and it 'stands' above the backing. A denser pile denotes a better quality carpet.
So what is Cut Pile? It can be defined as a type of carpet fabric which is made up of cut ends of pile yarn. I hope to give more information on what is meant by this i.e. cut ends of pile yarn.
A simpler concept might help in understandinf Cut Pile and that is Density:
Density refers to the compactness of the tufts in the carpet and the amount of pile i.e. vertical yarns/strands. The pile, you can say, is really the carpet and it 'stands' above the backing. A denser pile denotes a better quality carpet.
NOTE ON MIRRORS
A few months ago, I was thinking of the Triptych as a type of template for a mirror:
The triptych, as a design, is an interesting template for dressing mirrors- And it seems to have created the template- The hinges are important-
Yes the triptych as a template is useful for mirrors; It could be used in other areas- mirrors for rooms- long mirrrors in the corner to replace ..or in addition to other types of mirrors- Cheval Mirrors too are an interesting type of mirror.
Here is a link to an article I wrote:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Mirror-as-Decoration-and-Function&id=620184
It is also copied here:
Mirror as Decoration and Function
The Mirror in Interior Design
In this article, I am proposing some interior design ideas. I am also analysing the function of the mirror in interior design. In this article, the mirror is seen as something functional. There is also obviously a decorative purpose to the mirror. However sometimes these points can be forgotten.
The mirror is function:
Suppose there is a small room e.g. a small-sized bathroom. In this bathroom, the mirror is obviously functional. It is used by the man for shaving for example, to wash teeth. However, when a piece is so obviously functional as the mirror, there are ways to make the mirror more decorative. I am saying here that in some way, it is easier to make something so functional as the mirror in this bathroom setting into something decorative. You can aim to have a mirror with some element of ornamentation or you can choose to have a certain type of glass for the mirror. You can choose to have a certain color scheme in the bathroom and to use the mirror as the central element in this scheme.
However, when a mirror is so obviously functional, you can add mirrors that are more decorative in aim. You can have for example, mirrors at the foot level. You can have mirrors which just show the abdomen level.
The mirror is decoration:
In the living room, a lot of times the mirror is put above the fireplace and when you think about this, there seems to be something decorative about this. It is decorative in the sense that the mirror seems to be the main ornament. It is a central piece of decorative furniture and even though its function is obvious, decoration seems to be the main purpose. If the main reason is decorative, then you can add to the interior by using other mirrors in a more functional setting and showing up the decorative purpose of the central mirror above the fireplace. Again in this living room setting, you can show up the functionality and decorativeness of the mirror object by adding mirrors at foot level along one of the walls.
Another interior design idea is to put a folding mirror in the corner.. a kind of triptych of mirrors which fold inwards... Another idea is to have a mirror on one wall continuing into the other walls; Various effects can be used- e.g. two long rectangular mirrors of equal size at the corners of each wall...or else the mirrors do not have to be the same size at all. The mirror then is decoration and function. What about the mirror as space as something which creates space.
The mirror is space:
This is a well-known purpose of a mirror. When you have a large space e.g. a hall you can use mirrors in different ways to create more space and you can aim for this effect in small spaces such as an ordinary living room. However since you already have a large space in a gathering hall or a large retail area for example, how should mirrors be used? Then the mirror can be used in such a way as to create the interior. This can be done when there are mirrors along a whole wall. There can be continuous mirrors along a wall or just long vertical or horizontal rectangles of mirrors. You can have a mirror, then wallpaper then a mirror again. If the room is rectangular, the corners of the space should have some design element. The corners of the rooms are where the walls 'overlap' and interior design effects can be used to emphasize this area. The mirrors emphasize in some way the central space but the side corners can also be emphasized through objects e.g. lampshades...
The mirror then is space...and it is function.. and a good interior design idea is to look at the mirror in a living room. If the mirror is above the fireplace, ask why it is there. Is it for function or decoration or another reason or probably a mix of all three. In a living room, you may be unwittingly using the mirror as a central decorative object but you are not bringing out the full effect. This may be because of the mirror itself or general bad interior design planning for your room. In interior design, the purpose of the room is an important concept. The question of having a definite purpose for your room arises when you are looking at your room and its space. The mirror must have a specific purpose and this purpose can be brought out through the way the mirror or mirrors merges with the color tones in the room as well as the overall space and other furniture of the room.
The triptych, as a design, is an interesting template for dressing mirrors- And it seems to have created the template- The hinges are important-
Yes the triptych as a template is useful for mirrors; It could be used in other areas- mirrors for rooms- long mirrrors in the corner to replace ..or in addition to other types of mirrors- Cheval Mirrors too are an interesting type of mirror.
Here is a link to an article I wrote:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Mirror-as-Decoration-and-Function&id=620184
It is also copied here:
Mirror as Decoration and Function
The Mirror in Interior Design
In this article, I am proposing some interior design ideas. I am also analysing the function of the mirror in interior design. In this article, the mirror is seen as something functional. There is also obviously a decorative purpose to the mirror. However sometimes these points can be forgotten.
The mirror is function:
Suppose there is a small room e.g. a small-sized bathroom. In this bathroom, the mirror is obviously functional. It is used by the man for shaving for example, to wash teeth. However, when a piece is so obviously functional as the mirror, there are ways to make the mirror more decorative. I am saying here that in some way, it is easier to make something so functional as the mirror in this bathroom setting into something decorative. You can aim to have a mirror with some element of ornamentation or you can choose to have a certain type of glass for the mirror. You can choose to have a certain color scheme in the bathroom and to use the mirror as the central element in this scheme.
However, when a mirror is so obviously functional, you can add mirrors that are more decorative in aim. You can have for example, mirrors at the foot level. You can have mirrors which just show the abdomen level.
The mirror is decoration:
In the living room, a lot of times the mirror is put above the fireplace and when you think about this, there seems to be something decorative about this. It is decorative in the sense that the mirror seems to be the main ornament. It is a central piece of decorative furniture and even though its function is obvious, decoration seems to be the main purpose. If the main reason is decorative, then you can add to the interior by using other mirrors in a more functional setting and showing up the decorative purpose of the central mirror above the fireplace. Again in this living room setting, you can show up the functionality and decorativeness of the mirror object by adding mirrors at foot level along one of the walls.
Another interior design idea is to put a folding mirror in the corner.. a kind of triptych of mirrors which fold inwards... Another idea is to have a mirror on one wall continuing into the other walls; Various effects can be used- e.g. two long rectangular mirrors of equal size at the corners of each wall...or else the mirrors do not have to be the same size at all. The mirror then is decoration and function. What about the mirror as space as something which creates space.
The mirror is space:
This is a well-known purpose of a mirror. When you have a large space e.g. a hall you can use mirrors in different ways to create more space and you can aim for this effect in small spaces such as an ordinary living room. However since you already have a large space in a gathering hall or a large retail area for example, how should mirrors be used? Then the mirror can be used in such a way as to create the interior. This can be done when there are mirrors along a whole wall. There can be continuous mirrors along a wall or just long vertical or horizontal rectangles of mirrors. You can have a mirror, then wallpaper then a mirror again. If the room is rectangular, the corners of the space should have some design element. The corners of the rooms are where the walls 'overlap' and interior design effects can be used to emphasize this area. The mirrors emphasize in some way the central space but the side corners can also be emphasized through objects e.g. lampshades...
The mirror then is space...and it is function.. and a good interior design idea is to look at the mirror in a living room. If the mirror is above the fireplace, ask why it is there. Is it for function or decoration or another reason or probably a mix of all three. In a living room, you may be unwittingly using the mirror as a central decorative object but you are not bringing out the full effect. This may be because of the mirror itself or general bad interior design planning for your room. In interior design, the purpose of the room is an important concept. The question of having a definite purpose for your room arises when you are looking at your room and its space. The mirror must have a specific purpose and this purpose can be brought out through the way the mirror or mirrors merges with the color tones in the room as well as the overall space and other furniture of the room.
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