Fall Semester in Commercial Design II kicked off with an exciting interior design competition sponsored by the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library.  Randolph Community College was the only community college to compete last year and was proud to have a fourth place winner.  This means that we have a lot to live up to this year!  A prize of $10,000 to the winners assures that the competition will be keen.
     This year's challenge is an activity center for a co-ed sleepover camp located on 1200 acres in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.  The camp specializes in activities for 30 traditional and special need children and must be barrier-free and fully accessible.  The second floor of the center will encompass a private residence for the camp director, an executive office, and an executive conference room.  The first floor will contain a nurses station, restrooms, storage area, a stage with a prop room, and an open activity area with removable tables and chairs.  In addition to designing the space, we must each form a concept statement, name the facility and design a logo.  This demanding project will take the entire semester and a wide range of skills to complete.
     The process has begun and we are brainstorming!  The class recently toured Victory Junction, a camp for critically ill children located in Randleman, NC, to observe firsthand what a camp for special needs children entails.  We all came away with inspiration to pour into our own projects and incredible respect for the staff and children of this remarkable place.    

The hot new movie "The Great Gatsby" has caused alot of buzz about the style of the 1920s and '30s.  Art Deco has been largely neglected since it was stamped out during the Great Depression, but many expertss predict a return of the sleek, streamlined design form thanks to the oplunent sets of "Gatsby".  My Residential I class has decided to embrace Art Deco by using it as an influence on our project house, which is based on the actual residence of instructor Holly Barker.


I have not been a personal fan of Art Deco until now, and it has become a case of judging without full knowledge.  My experience with the form had been limited to peeling veneer "waterfall" beds and chunky,rounded dressers.  Following an afternoon of research in High Point's Furniture Design Library, I realized that Art Deco was the catalist for the Mid-Century and Modern furniture that I love and its visual lineage decends from the classic Beidermeire designs of the 1820s.  Like any furniture style, when it is seen in its highest form, it hits with tremendus impact and stirs my imagination.  I think that I may even rescue an old club chair that has been languishing in my grandmother's basement!

Spring Semester is finished and one of my favorite projects from Introduction To Interiors is ready for presentation!  The project consisted of designing a gender-neutral cupcake shop for fictitious owner Matthew Dwyer.   The assignment really appealed to me since my husband Walter and I spent 20 years operating a donut and cake shop.

As you walk through the door of Dwyer’s SugarRush, you will experience a treat to both the eye and the sweet tooth.  Your attention is grabbed immediately by the stainless steel and bamboo veneer dropped ceiling arching over the cash wrap with its sleek, modern showcases filled with gourmet cupcakes.  To the right is seating for 26 guests, encompassing three arched, circular stainless steel and bamboo veneer booths, a modern table with matching chairs, and a lounge area featuring modern resin settees and tables beneath a breathtaking circular arch.  A short hallway leads to the bathrooms and back exit door.  Through the door behind the cash wrap is the 350 square foot kitchen, with walk-in refrigerator and freezer units connected to minimize the loss of cold air during use.  A convenient office space is tucked into the left hand corner. A side door allows discreet passage to the back door for trash removal.

     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.

"So, what are the hot trends for the Fall 2012 High Point Furniture Market?"

That's not a million dollar question; it's a multi-billion dollar question!  Designers and manufacturers the world over are hanging on those words and the answers can be hard to define.  The variety of furniture and accessories is so vast that it takes careful observation to spot a real trend instead of being swayed by merely the colorful and unique.  A genuine trend has to have the legs to carry it across many product lines and and last   long enough to justify a manufacturer's investment.  Because of this longevity factor, most predictions are based on observations from the previous market and seasoned with reports from other furniture shows worldwide.  It all adds up to some very important words.

 With that being said, top interior design publication Elle Decor has issued its trend alert for this fall's market.  Based on the optimism that they experienced at the Spring 2012 High Point Furniture Market, Elle Decor has identified the following:

GLAMOUR - People pay attention to details during times of economic hardship, so expect to see lots of high quality materials, sophisticated colors, and luscious curves.

METALLIC LEATHER - Adding glimmering detail to classic styles.

PLEATS - Lots of detailing in upholstered goods.

DINNING ROOM TABLES - Very large but still practical.

SMALL SPACE SOLUTIONS - For those of us who don't have a mega mansion.

GREEN PRODUCTS - Green materials are innovative and creative.   


With a somewhat different view on 2012 furniture trends is Li Edelkoort of Paris-based Trend Union, a company which forecasts trends for some of the world's foremost manufacturers of fashion, beauty, automobiles, and interior design.  Edelkoort has selected these as furniture's new direction:

LIGHTER AND MORE MOBILE - Rooms will have less furniture and the pieces will be both modular and portable.

DAYBEDS - They're back.

UPHOLSTERY - Beautiful pebble-inspired colors.  Tactility is key. 

PAPER AND CARDBOARD - Transformed into durable materials, also involving green construction.

WOOD - More rough and uncut.  Pieces will look more outdoorsy.

METAL - The industrial look is still in, with light weight mesh and colors of black and rust. 


These forecasts come from equally reputable sources, but there is little in common.  One report focuses more on a European audience,but the High Point Furniture Market is fully global in its reach and must be responsive to all potential buyers. This truly illustrates how elusive the definition of a trend really is.  In the long run, only time will tell which predictions are accurate and which miss the mark.   

 

QUESTION: When is a chair like a paraglider?

ANSWER:  When they share the same fabric and design!

Advanced fabrics have been the norm in outdoor sports for years.  Speciality materials that breathe, wick moisture, 

and protect skin from abrasions and the elements have revolutionized the world of sports equipment and clothing, but these high-tech fabrics have seldom crossed over into other products.  The Waver Chair, designed by Munich based Konstantin Grcic for Swiss manufacturer Vitra, boldly combines the best of sports technology to create a cutting edge chair that is as much a style statement as an innovation.   Grcic states that he intended to design a chair that was truly unique and looked to several different sports for inspiration, including windsurfing and paragliding.  The paraglider had the greatest impact, with the cantilevered frame and suspended, form-fitting seat taking cues from the seating harness.  The durable polypropylene fabric  is stretchy and waterproof, allowing the chair to be used outdoors as well as indoors and the aluminum frame swivels, allowing the seat to swing slightly.  The sports influence is seen again in the brilliant color choices available on the Waver Chair.  Not surprisingly, Grcic's breakout chair has generated critical acclaim and has been named 2012 Best Furniture Design by Azure Magazine

Summer usually means a few months of taking it easy, but to interior design students, it means classes in residential and commercial lighting.  Lighting is a fascinating and often underutilized tool of design and now that class is over, I want to share some of my favorite trends in the world of illumination.

Who says that light bulbs have to be ugly?  Certainly not london based Hulgar.  Their interpretation is appropriately called the Plumen, which means plume.  The Plumen is graceful enough to need no shade while saving 80% in energy verses a standard light bulb and maintaining a life expectancy of eight years.

Pendants get wilder and more beautiful every year.  From delicate cascades of Swaroski crystals to dramatic mouth-blown globes, there is something for even taste in LBL Lighting's collection.

                                              

The Mademoiselle 2 is a sparkling piece of jewelry disguised as a low voltage halogen fixture, but not all of LBL's crystal designs are dainty.

Crystals become glistening spears on this suspended fixture called the Roxie, which features interlocking metal rings and aircraft cables.

Mid-Century continues to stand the test of time with a fresh generation of drum shades available in fabric and metal for suspended fixtures.

Last but not least is Molo Design's aptly named Cloud Softlight.  The gently corrugated forms appear to hover weightlessly, as much a freeform sculpture as a light fixture.