Study Break aka Procrastination

I should be studying for my final exam that I have to take tomorrow afternoon, but I can't seem to focus.  I presented my Senior Seminar project today and I am SOOOO very excited that I can't get my brain to understand that I still have one more exam to take before college is truly over.

Did I just say over?   Weird.

I felt such a great sense of pride today as I walked out of the presentation room.  That is the last project I'll have to present here at HPU.  Today is the last time I have to walk into Norton Hall to do any type of work.  Today I finished my interior design degree.  Can you say crazy/the most exciting day ever?!?

I honestly didn't think this day would come.  But I made it, and I can officially say I survived design school!   And since I am so eagerly looking for another procrastination method, I'll post some pictures from my senior seminar project for you to enjoy!

This is the building I was asked to design for my Senior Seminar project.  It sits downtown in High Point, NC in the center of the furniture market area.  It is 8 stories high with a basement below.  I was asked to propose a design that would allow this building to become the New School of Art & Design for High Point University.

 This is a view looking into the space that I made into a gallery for the New School of Art & Design (see below).  It had floor to ceiling windows, lots of natural light, but very little display space to begin.

This is a view of one of the floors higher up in the building that was unfinished.

My proposed design for the 2nd floor of this building.  This floor houses security offices, gaming studios, and graphic design studios.  There are also multi-use classrooms as well as a large locker room for students.

 My proposed design for the 3rd floor.  This is where you'll find the student lounge (see below) and photography classrooms.  There is one large darkroom as well as 6 individual darkrooms for students to use independently.

 My proposed design for the 5th floor.  This is where the Interior Design studios will be located, as well as two large critique rooms and two material resource rooms for students.

 Above is a rendering of what I would propose the lobby to look like for the New School of Art & Design.  I designed a custom fountain that sits under a large and beautiful crystal chandelier.  On either side there are large glass doors leading you into the gallery and retail space.

 A rendering of what I would propose the gallery look like.  Those are curved moveable wall systems that will allow for various art displays to be in the space.  They are covered in bold beautiful fabrics by Knoll that I am absolutely in love with!

A rendering of the student lounge.  All of the seating is moveable to allow students to work collaboratively and have a space to come to relax.  There is a large kitchen area in the back equipped with snacks, coffee machines, and a refrigerator for all of the late nights! The furniture is also covered in the same fabrics as seen in my gallery space to add a pop of color.

 Perspective of what the retail store would look like.  I chose to put in a 24-hour access store for students to buy and have access to all of their daily project needs.  No more late night Hobby Lobby runs!

And then lastly, this is an axonometric view (aka looking down into the space) of the first floor.  This allows you to see how the lobby, retail area, and gallery are laid out in the space.

While I am very glad that this project is over, I also really enjoyed getting to work on this type of space.  What you see above is only a small portion of my project, but I think they give the best insight into my design.  I can't believe my last project here at HPU is done.  Hope you enjoyed it!

Life Update

It is 6:40pm on April 19,2012.  I am currently in Norton, doing nothing other than waiting for our Steakhouse reservation at 7.  I have completed, PDFed (yes I made that up), and submitted the last phase of my Senior Seminar project.  Aka I'm basically DONE!!!!!!!!!!! Ha!  And it's an entire day early (I think that's a first!)

While this day has been nothing short of chaotic, it has turned out to be a pretty great day.  I got some training in for Market, took a final exam, presented my portfolio, and submitted my project.  I'd call that a successful day!  Not only that but I also realized this morning that this is my last day of class.  Ever. 

Try to wrap your head around that for a moment......I know I can't either! It's absolutely insane! I never in a million years thought this day would come.  I still have a few minor things to do for my portfolio class, I have to present my Senior Seminar project, and take my sociology final exam, but basically I'm done with college.  Insane.

On another note, I have spent the last week working very busily in the Lazar Showroom helping set up for market. As you may know from past posts, I've worked in the Lazar showroom for the past three markets assisting the Florida sales rep with his clients.  This time, I contacted Debra Venti who is in charge of all of the fabric selections, applications, and setup for market, and asked to be a part of the premarket.  It has been an incredibly long week, but I have absolutely loved getting to see this side of market!! This is one of the first times I have actually gotten to have hands-on experience with design.  I was a bit hesitant and unsure of my abilities at first, but once we got into it I got really comfortable with things.  I learned floral arranging is not my strong suit, but I love to accessorize. Design is definitely not a glamorous job, but it is so rewarding! I learned a lot and took a lot of inspiration from Debra and how she set things up.  It's true, only 10% of design is taught in the classroom, the rest you learn in the field!

When we started the showroom basically looked like this, except it was completely empty minus a few tables and lamps:

As we worked and unwrapped all of the furniture that slowly came in, the showroom began to look a little more like this:

With a lot of this:

Sadly, that's only the wrappings from about 20 of the 240 pieces of furniture we unwrapped this week.  I told you, it's not glamorous!

For a while there, Debra was worried the showroom would not get done, but we did the entire space in 5 days! Kind of crazy, but so rewarding to see!  You'll have to wait to see the after pictures until later this week :)!

On a completely other random note, I figured I should update about my graduation challenge....or lack there of.  With the last phase of my project being due today, finals right around the corner, and market starting I have had very little time to workout.  Plus when there was time, I was so tired from running around High Point all day that I was just plain to tired and lazy to go workout. Does helping unwrap and move 200 pieces of furniture count at all?? I know, I know, those are just excuses.  I'm letting myself fall back into my lazy ways, but I'll get back on track after market!  I had hit the 10 pound mark, but unfortunately I'm back to more like 8 pounds lost now.  That's still progress, but not nearly where I wanted to be at this point. I just need to make the time to go workout and not let tiredness be an excuse anymore.  This summer Cassie and I will be workout buddies, so I'm hoping that will keep me motivated.  I can do this, I just have to put in the effort!

Speaking of tired, I think I will head to bed now.  Seeing as how I started this blog post at 6:40 and it is now after 11pm.  My first day of real market begins tomorrow!  Time to bring in the money!!

Goodnight!

I'm alive

Yes, I am alive!  Sorry the blog posting has been nonexistent here lately.  I've been getting back into the swing of things at school, trying to get organized, motivated, and on track for the semester.  While I'm not particularly loving my Sociology class, I'm trying to make the best of it.  This is the last general education class I will EVER have to take.  Let me just tell you, that is an AMAZING feeling!  The last class I'll have to write a paper for, the last non-major-related education...amazing I tell you!  Amazing!  Other than that the semester seems like it should be fairly smooth.  I would say easy, but well that would just not be wise.

Our big project this year is very organized and fairly straight forward.  We are designing a building downtown into a proposed new school of art and design for HPU.  I'm actually pretty excited about it because we get to design our dream learning environment.  There have been various things I would have liked to have or changed over the last four years, and the opportunity to propose those options is really fun!  While I don't think High Point will choose any of our designs or actually buy this building, we still get the opportunity to get our ideas out there and possibly have them incorporated into a future building.  Norton has simply outgrown the art majors and we need a bigger space.  Nido will most likely build a new building, but having the school of art and design located in the heart of Market would be invaluable to us design majors.  We'll see what comes of it, but I'm excited for the project and ready to dive in and get started.

For now, life is pretty much the same as last semester.  I'm helping Jessica Deen lead a bible study on campus, which I'm really excited about.  This Wednesday will be my first night teaching.  Fingers crossed it will go well (could use your prayers!).  I'm also job searching full force now.  If I can find something in the DC/Virginia area, Jessica and I are going to get an apartment together.  I had been looking in North Carolina, but so many designers have told me to go to D.C.  Honestly, living with Jessica sounds really fun and after visiting VA I got really excited about possibly living there. I don't know where God is going to take me, but I just keep trekking along and getting my resume out everywhere possible.

My goal for the semester is to enjoy every minute of my last semester and finish with a bang!  Graduation is like 95 days away! Crazzzy!

I promise I'll get back to my regular blogging very soon!

Senioritis

Well it's official...senioritis has definitely set in.  Thanksgiving break gave me just enough of a break to make me not want to be back at school.  It's hard to believe there is only a week and a half left of classes, and that my projects are all due next Tuesday.  Where has this semester gone?  And why can I not get my brain back in work mode?   I have a TON of stuff due this Thursday and I really need my brain to start functioning in design mode again.  I was talking with Jodi last night and we decided college would be perfect if we could live this life minus classes.  Then we decided every student in a major other than Interior Design does live that lifestyle.  We've all decided we are crazy for choosing this major.  No one warned us going in how hard, time consuming, and stressful it would be.  I've been at it for 3 1/2 years now and my brain is beginning to shut down.  Unfortunately for me however, I cannot give into these senioritis feelings.  I must get back to work and finish these projects.  (I just don't want to!).

Sigh.

I can do this.  I will make it.  I can do this.  Right?  Oh I hope so.
This is what my to do list looks like for the next 4 days:

• Draw 3 perspectives
• Render those perspectives
• Finalize 4 elevations
• Render those elevations
• Draw an axonometric
• Render that axonometric
• Draw my ceiling plan for the Wrenn Room
• Choose lighting and other accessories for Wrenn
• Put all my programming and budge information into a spec book
• Finalize my kitchen elevations
• Draw a perspective of my Kitchen
• Put together 3 boards for my store project
• Present my store project
• Draw my sections and details for the kitchen project

I'm officially stressed out.  Funny thing is, I'm on top of all my checkpoints and deadlines for each project and I still have all of that left to do.  I can do this?????   I can do this.

On the bright side, after I turn all of that craziness in, I will get to spend a relaxing weekend with Cassie, Todd, and Kevin. Along with Meredith's boyfriend Jack, and Jodi's guy Ryan.  Hotel Motel 409 is officially booked with 5 guests, we are no longer taking reservations! Ha!  It's going to be a CRAZY fun weekend in room 409!  (I just have to make it to Thursday!)

Norton here I come!

A View Through My Eyes Part 2

I think it's official.  Yep, I've officially gone cross-eyed.

On the bright side....my electrical plans are now done! 

Quick Update

I've still got a lot of work to do, so I'm going to have to make this post a quick one.

Last night I finished:

• My reflected ceiling plans
• The Wrenn Room elevations (I just need to key them now)

Today my goal is to finish:

• Electrical/Switching plans for Wrenn
• Kitchen Elevations
• Cabinet plans for the kitchen project

Haiti update:  I got another $300 in this week, so I'm only $200 away from my final goal!  I'm hoping to get a little extra in to give to Dorothy for a Christmas present to support her ministry and any after that will go to help Cassie finish raising her money.  It's getting SO close I can taste it!  Thank you to everyone who has supported this trip so far!!! And thank you for all of your prayers.  They are greatly appreciated and still very much needed.  Thank you everyone!  Your support has been incredible!

Dorothy and a couple of her kids in front of her house.  This is where we'll be staying.

A couple of the babies Dorothy takes care of.

A glimpse of Haiti.  Dorothy rescues her children from these conditions.

A View Through My Eyes

I'm trying very hard to be productive in Norton today.  We've got a LOT of stuff due on Tuesday and I've only got part of it done.  Megan and I came over here this afternoon around 1pm only to find that the power was out on main campus and they couldn't let us into the building.  We lost 3 hours of productivity time, but I'll be honest I enjoyed having a few hours to relax.  We finally got into the building at 4pm and have been working non-stop since.  A dinner break will happen soon, but we'll be in here all night weekend.  Here, take a look at what I'm seeing for the next 8 hours:

My work area.  Orderly chaos as always.

An overview of all the plans drawn on my CAD file at this moment.

Make you dizzy?  Yeah I think I'm going cross-eyed or will be by the time I do this to the other 3 floors.

Oh Norton.  We have a love-hate relationship.  I will love it again when I turn this project in and have the satisfaction of finishing another project.  Until then, we are not on great terms. 

This is my to do list for Tuesday:

• Wrenn Room Elevations
• Key elevations to my floor plan
• Reflected Ceiling plan of all 4 floors in Wrenn (that'd be the dizzying picture above)
• Electrical/Switching plan for all 4 floors in Wrenn
• Finish cabinet plan for kitchen project
• Draw the rest of my elevations for the kitchen

Sounds like I've gotten nothing done but the other parts due for Tuesday that I've finished are:

• Finalize my Wrenn budget and key all furniture to my floor plan
• Finalize fabric choices for Wrenn
• Finished my new construction plan for the kitchen project
• Part of my kitchen elevations are done
• Part of my reflected ceiling plans are done

Whew! I should get back to work now.

The Rise of the Nutcrackers

It's that time of year again folks.  Time for HPU to shine their holiday spirit with the rise of the Nutcrakcers. Yep, every year our promenade gets lined with Nutcrackers.  They put one on almost every light pole down the promenade with strings of Christmas lights up the pole to make it shine. They are beautiful, and always a hot topic of discussion around here.  Last year we had the fall of the Nutcrackers, which made top news around High Point. The wind knocked them right down.  See ----v

This year they are standing strong so far. 

I also got a good laugh today when I pulled up to Norton to see two new friends guarding the building.

From what I could tell, we are the only building with Nutcrackers.  I guess HPU thought this building needed a little extra protection since we're in here at all hours.  Ha! Aren't they cute?

Another Happy Early Christmas from HPU!