Spring break is just days away and we have completed our first design project in the Introduction to Interior Design class.   The goal of the project was to design a pool house made from a corrugated metal shipping container for a family in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.  Shipping containers are one of the hottest trends in up-cycling today, with thousands being transformed into housing in Europe, but they present some specific design challenges.  The interior space itself is long and narrow, the metal construction tends to hold heat and create a tinny echo.  We were encouraged by our instructor Emily Reynolds to creatively meet these and other challenges while adapting the container to the needs of a family of four.  The Smith family requested a pool house for entertaining, with seating for four or more people that also included a reading area for Mrs. Smith.  

     The first step was to create a floor plan.  I chose to cut a section from the container and weld it into an "L" shape to provide more floorspace and facilitate movement.  Sliding glass doors were selected to encompass the entire front facing walls.  Next, colors, fabrics and furniture were selected, keeping in mind that all finishes would have to be of an outdoor approved material.  I decided to keep to the theme of recycled materials by adding re-ground rubber flooring, which also reduces the echo effect of the metal container.  Artwork consisted of a tile collage made of recycled skateboards.  The container also featured a green roof to reduce heat.

     After the floor plan was approved, the next step was to color render the wall elevations and apply them to foam core board to create a 3D model.  The model was then cut out, assembled with straight pins, and photographed.  

The final step of the project was the development of a presentation board, which showed the furnishings and finishes selected for the container.  In all, this project was a great initiation to the world of interior design that allowed us to experience the full range of the designer's responsibilities.