Hey all!

Since there is not much going on in my classes right now (the lull after midterms) I thought that I would share some cool pictures and other things that I have found/inspired me. I was internet surfing the other day and I came across this wallpaper collection by Amy Butler. I especially like the way that she puts color palettes together. Because I have had to take so much wallpaper down in my life, I have grown this undying hatred for it BUT it doesn’t mean that I won’t use it someday… maybe. Anyways, here are some of her designs!

‘Till Next Time

Kris

Hey all!

Today I decided to steer away from the typical blogs that I have been posting and decided to give you a little insight into what I am really like as a person. So, I came up with a list of 10 things that I can’t live without. They are in no particular order and of course I can’t live without my friends and family, but I left them out of it seeing as they are a given.

1. Design Magazines: I am constantly flipping through design magazines and books for inspiration. I go crazy in the art section of a book store and it usually takes every ounce of restraint for me not to buy every home and design magazine on on the shelf in most stores.
2. Romance Novels: I am a sucker for good love story. My favorite author is Nora Roberts. Yes, they can be trashy and you only need the reading level of a third grader to read them, but I could (and have) sat for hours on end and finished one book.
3. Special K: I seriously live off of his cereal. I eat it everyday for breakfast and come home and have a bowl every night. I don’t like all the berries and stuff in it, just plain ‘ol special k. Cant get enough…
4. Horses: anyone who really knows me knows that i have a serious love of horses. if i weren’t a designer i would have liked to be a veterinarian.

5. Fonz: Fonz is my car! He is a little black Chevy Cobalt. I bought him a little over a year ago and I LOVEEE HIMM!! (Yes I refer to my car as a human…)
6. Organizational Stuff: Everyone who knows me also knows that I have a mild case of O.C.D. Everything I own, especially my school stuff, is extremely organized. I spend way more money than necessary on my planners and I love sticky notes, highlighters, and colorful pens.
7. Nail Polish: I am not the girliest of girls but one thing that I love to do is paint my nails. I like to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure at least once a month… but I do it myself. It is a great feeling to have your nails lookin’ fresh! haha
8. Patch: I am not ashamed to admit that I am an obsessive dog lady. Patches (aka Patch) is my boyfriend and my dog. She is quite the terror at times and has basically destroyed our couch, numerous pairs of shoes, and finally just started to not use our kitchen floor as a personal bathroom, but i still can’t get enough of her. She is the little doggy love of my life <3.
9. Lipton Tea: I love Lipton tea! I have a mug of it every morning instead of coffee and sometimes I even have one at night.
10. Bargain Shopping: Don’t get me wrong, I do splurge and get myself something expensive now and then, but there is no better feeling like coming home from shopping and knowing that I spent my money well and got as much stuff with it as I could.

‘Till Next Time

Kris

Hey All!

For the past year or so you have all been listening to me talk about my classes and what I do in them. Well, I thought it was about time to show you a small glimpse at some things I have done.

This first layout is the Floor plan, Adjacency Diagram, and Axonometric view of the MASS CEC project I’ve been working on in Contract Design I. I thought I would include this to show the other work we do besides making pretty renderings. This page is set up in an InDesign file with a title block, logo, and project information.

The Next two perspectives are renderings I did from this past Spring in Residential Design. They are from my Tremont St Moroccan Inspired home. First is of the Kitchen and second is of the Bedroom. I created these perspectives from scratch in SketchUp then brought them into Photoshop to make them “come alive” with light and shadow!

The last project glimpse that I am going to show you is my Kravet Competition Design. This was also completed in Residential Design during this past Spring semester.

In this design, the focus was on using primarily KravetSmart products to build “Tradition in

Transition.” When looking at Kravet products, one sees a broad spectrum of design trends. It ranges from traditional elegance to contemporary beauty.  In this particular room, the architectural elements and wall covering of the space are traditionally inspired with a chair rail and crown molding. The Oberlin Chair is upholstered in fabric 30481.821 and the Elmhurst Chair is upholstered in Streetwise Licorice. The end tables are Mirror X End Tables and the coffee table is the Sanderson Cocktail Table. The lighting used is the Gracie Tear Drop-White. For the wall covering and the drapery, Nouveau and 9780.0 sheer are used. To integrate the Kravet logo and add a modern touch, a Kravet inspired art piece was created and framed over the mantle.  The modern logo over the traditional wallpaper also adds to the depth of the design.  For more atmospheric lighting, two wall sconces encircle the mantle. The hardwood floor is covered by the Vogue/C-Cola, hand knotted, Modern Smart area carpet. The flow of the monochromatic color palette is broken by the two cherry red accent pillows upholstered in the 25252.19 chenille Kravet Smart fabric. Thus, a timeless look is created by the combination of SmartClassic furniture and SmartModern fabrics in congruence with contemporary
furniture and lighting.  Not only is this room classic and stylish, it is affordable to the everyday consumer!

Don’t be too harsh, I am still learning!! Hope you enjoy and that this gives you more of an idea of what I do on a day-to-day basis!

‘Till Next Time,

Kris

Hey All!

So, today I was thinking a lot about what inspires me. Not just in design, but in life. These past couple weeks have been so stressful and really trying and I was wondering why I am putting myself through all of this work. I started to think about my family, my friends, and my boyfriend and then it dawned on me. I don’t just do all of this for me, I do it for them too. I wanted to make something of my life so I went to college and now that I am starting to see the finish line I have realized that they have all inspired me to do everything that I have accomplished. Without their love and support and sometimes annoying perseverance, I would never be who I am today. Ok, enough mushy stuff, it was just a very nice realization to have. I know people say it all the time, but it really just hit me. So, I’m going to challenge you today readers. I want you to look around. I mean really, take a good look and figure out what inspires you. Is it you friends and family? Your partner in crime? Your dog? Or even that cute boy from Starbucks that inspires you to get up super early in the morning just so you can stand behind him in line? Haha… just saying… inspiration comes from every teeny tiny little corner in your life. With midterms in full swing and finals just around the corner, I have come up with a list of ways to get inspired!

1. Blogs. This is one of my favorites, of course. Aside from this blog, there are dozens of great blogs on design and every topic under the sun. I like to read about what works for others — it inspires me to action!

2. Quotes. I don’t know why, but great quotes help inspire me. I like to go to various quote sites to find ideas to spark my interest. Try these for a start: Writing Quotes and Quotes for Writers.

3. Overheard dialog. If I’m anywhere public, whether it’s at a park or a mall or school sometimes I’ll eavesdrop on people. Not in a gross way or anything, but I’ll just keep quiet, and listen. I love hearing other people have conversations. Sometimes it doesn’t happen on purpose — you can’t help but overhear people sometimes. If you happen to overhear a snippet of interesting dialog it can serve as a model or inspiration for later designing.

4. Nature. Stuck for ideas? Go for a walk or a jog. Get away from sidewalks and into grass, trees and hills. Appreciate the beauty around you, and let the inspiration flow through you. Sunsets and sunrises, of course, are two of my favorite uplifting scenes of nature, and anything involving water is also awesome (oceans, rivers, lakes, rain, even puddles).

5. People watching. One of my all-time favorite things to do. This is an interesting activity for anyone. Go to a busy public place and just sit and watch people. Boston Common is awesome for this. They’ll amuse you, inspire you, and fascinate you. There’s nothing more inspiring than other people.

Hope that helps!!

‘Till Next Time,

Kris =)