Everything I Have Learned

Here it is This Summer has been very beneficial for me. Everyday was an enjoyment and I always looked forward to coming in each morning and the days were over before I even had time to look at the clock. I have learned so much more in these past eight weeks then i thought possible.

• I have a better knowledge of how a business such as this one works and functions.
• I have gotten more familiar with using different computer programs and other computer software.
• Getting more familiar with different materials and their applications
• Getting to know the sales representatives
• One of the big things that i feel I have learned this summer is how to work as part of a team on projects and how working as a team gets things done more efficiently. 

I am walking away from this internship with the satisfying feeling of accomplishment and a lot of new aspects of this profession to think about during my last year of school. I love this profession and everything that comes with it even the "stressful" moments are fun because they have satisfying results in the end. 

The Shortened Tale of My Summer Internship

The end of the summer is here and I feel that I have learned more then I could have thought possible in 8 weeks. As the summer progressed I had a week by week page (EIGHT TO FIVE) that goes into detail about everything that I was able to be a part of this summer.

Here is an overview of everything that has happened since day 1:

One the first day I came in I was put to the task of getting the material boards and rendered elevations ready for a client meeting at the beginning of the following week. (It was slightly on the overwhelming side, but I had a lot of fun with it) This took a lot of time and involved ordering many samples. That part of the project alone took every available hour of the first week.

It never slowed after that. Once that step was finished the pace kept going into the second week were I got to help with another project. This project was a restaurant renovation as corrections came up on the documents of things that needed to be added or removed I was tasked with fixing those documents. I also did the same for the construction sheets for the project that I had made the material boards for. Both of these projects took up all the time at the beginning half of the summer.

As the restaurant renovation project came to an end other little projects started to pop up that I was able to help with. One was the floor plan and rendered perspective view for a project proposal. Another project was for a VCT floor pattern for the entrance lobby of a school. And another was adding notes to the progress set of a project that involved multiple buildings.

Other things would come up throughout the summer from researching information and making phone calls to just helping with other needs around the office such as printing, coping or bringing mail and packages to be shipped and keeping the materials library nice and organized.  And it seems like every week there was one or two different sales representatives that would come in with lots of information on all kinds of products. Through doing all of these different tasks I got to work with a group of really amazing people and the amount of work and different people that is all involved in the completion of these projects.



The Material Library that I spent a lot of time organizing, cleaning and searching through:

The containers on the top shelf are filled with fabrics that where once all in a pile. I spent an afternoon sorting through them and putting them together by colors. It made things so much easier to find when searching for fabrics to match a certain scheme.

We started the summer with one table in the middle, but things got so busy we had to put in a second one.



                 The material boards that I started the Summer off with:

The first day I walked in and this table was covered in materials, samples, pictures and sticky notes. (there was no table to be seen underneath the samples) By the end of the week all those samples where organized onto four boards to be sent shipped to a meeting with a client. These boards survived two airplane trips ( there and back again).

The Great Outdoors

It seems like people are now trying to spend more time outside of the home. Of course, though, it has to be in style (no longer just a barbecue pit surrounded by folding chairs)which has caused a trend of outdoor living spaces that are good for people of all ages with fireplaces, pools, kitchens, bars, soft seating areas under shaded canopies, and even technology can be brought outside with sound systems and televisions. These areas can be as simple or elaborate as you want. 

They range from a simple fire pit and comfortable furniture to lounge seating around a swimming pool. Or an outdoor barbecuing area or add an entire second kitchen to your home by making an outdoor cooking area. They can look anyway you want to they are made to fit your unique style and add a totally new unique feel to your home.

Here is the newest supplies of 2013 that can be added to an outdoor kitchen area:

1. Countertops that surprise. It looks just like wood or even high-end stone, but wait until you touch it -- it's actually concrete or ceramic that mimics the look of wood so closely that it fools even the most discerning eye. Now you can have the look of wood without the maintenance hassle.
2. Weatherproof cabinetry. All-weather cabinets have exceptional durability and the style and quality you'd expect indoors. Outdoor cabinetry can be made from materials like natural teak and All Element Polymer Board, as well as stainless steel.
3. Glass makes a splash. On the backsplash, that is. Or the countertop. Stronger than it looks and pretty enough to make a statement, glass is a hot trend for 2013.
4. New technology. For most homeowners, the bottom line of a kitchen must be ease of use. Just a few of the hot options: faucets that turn on with a touch; outside LED and new, brighter solar lighting; and hybrid grills.
5. The kitchen as a living space. By extending a roof over the kitchen area and bookending the room with an outdoor fireplace, not only is the outdoor kitchen now good for all seasons but looks and feels more like a room. You can even include a flat screen TV under a protected area.
6. Universal design. With more families living in multi-generational households, making certain the house is accessible to those with mobility issues has become important. Ramps can provide easier access than stairs and lowered countertops allow young and old alike to participate in the good times.
7. Color galore. Gone are the days of monotonic silver, black or all white. Color that pops is what makes today's outdoor kitchens feel even more like an extension of the home. In fact, the Weber Grill Watch Survey found that the top finish preferred by grill connoisseurs is now color -- any color.

(The above list came from http://www.improvementcenter.com/advice/cool-outdoor-kitchens-6-hot-trends.html and is not my own)

             

    

References:
http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_oven.html
http://lifehacker.com/5286115/build-a-backyard-wood+fired-pompeii-oven/
http://home.howstuffworks.com/5-ideas-for-outdoor-living-space.htm

The Job Outlook

“Employment of interior designers is expected to grow by 19 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Designers will be needed to respond to consumer expectations that the interiors of homes and offices meet certain conditions, such as being environmentally friendly or more easily accessible.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Like most jobs things come and go no profession really truly promises that there will be an abundance of jobs available. But in resent years the world of interior design has been looked to more and more for remodeling jobs, design ideas in green design and in  making the home and office more relaxing, friendly environments that are safe for everyone. 

References:

http://www.allthingspolitical.org/careers/interior_designer_job_outlook.htm

http://www.interiordesign.net/article/557472-Industry_Outlook_for_2013_Design_Graduates.php

http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/proft111.shtml

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Interior Designers,
on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/interior-designers.htm (visited July 08, 2013).

A Growing Education

Design education today has a good focus on getting the students ready for life beyond the walls of a classroom. Design Students cannot possibly learn everything before they graduate, but they can definitely get as much as possible to make them valuable to employers who are looking for people who can supply them with as much information as possible. There are many ways of doing this through many forms of technology, collaborative learning environments and work experience.

With all the different programs that are coming that allow for designers to put their design together so show prospective clients what their product will look like; with walk-through videos, rendered images and multiple views. Students are learning to use multiple programs collaboratively to be able to accomplish this task. With the amount of information that can be found on the internet today students are also learning good researching skills that are helping them to put more detail and care into their projects, find solutions to design problems and more.

When in the classrooms it is really easy for a student to get lost in the focus that they alone have a project to do and it is going to be done in a way that they see fit. The job world is not like that instead it is relaying your ideas to others for help in a solution or working with others designs to make the best functional designs. Teachers are helping students to be able to work with design teams by having them work collaboratively in a project setting,

"Any time you give students an opportunity to work collaboratively ultimately readies them for project management in the real world. Doing this effectively, Silverman says, involves “working in a more interdisciplinary approach within their curricula—not only interior design and architecture, but also construction management and partnering with other disciplines.”( http://www.interiorsandsources.com/article-details/articleid/15792/title/head%20of%20the%20class/viewall/true.aspx)

Most design programs are aware that the only way to get even more experience that will help students find jobs and get them the knowledge to do their jobs the best is to have an internship. This is included  as part of the curriculum and students are able to actually gain on the job experience that is one of the best learning environments a student can have.  

Refrences:

http://www.interiorsandsources.com/article-details/articleid/15792/title/head%20of%20the%20class/viewall/true.aspx

Design Trends of 2013

Trends come and go the change yearly, monthly, and weekly at times. Some people love to follow the trends and others shy away from them and do their own thing. Trends come in as people start exploring more ideas to build off of what they already have, because they want to make them even better. At the moment the design trends of 2013 are as follows:

Nowadays people are getting more and more into the trend of going green not just with their designs, but in their ways of living. It is just something that starts with the design of an individual’s home and businesses. People are more and more trying to incorporate solar panels and energy star appliances in to their spaces. They are also trying to use recycled and more durable materials such as bamboo and cork. This is something that has been around for a while, but people are trying to use it more and more as time goes on.

A design trend in color is to mostly use neutrals such as beige or creme and then add some hints of accent colors. Pantone was named emerald as the color of the year. There is also a trend in embellishing walls to give a texture to the room.

"For 2013, we are working towards capturing a happy and meaningful life at home," says Sue Kim, Valspar Color Strategist, who considers the newest influences in clothes, food, and interiors when creating color palettes. "People want to mold their home into a space that reflects ingenious ways to face the realities of the moment." (http://www.interiordesign.net)

        

Refrences: 

http://www.interiordesign.net/article/559345-Trend_Forecast_2013_Color.php

http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/2013-design-trends#slide-2

http://www.adesignerspot.com/decorating-styles/2011-2012-trends-in-interior-design.html

Innovation Just Keeps On Coming

Kitchen appliances:

Electrolux:

• Refrigerators-
• have drawers with temperature controls to preserve certain items
• air filtration system to prevent odors
• slide out freezer drawers
• LED lighting
• Alarms that tell you if the door has been left ajar and if the temperature in the refrigerator has risen too high for too long.
• Induction Cook tops
• Generates heat for rapid boil
• Settings to make a controlled lockout
• Heat is transferred to the cookware so that the cook top stays cooler
• Range of heat adjusts to the size of the pot

Smart Home Technology and Security Systems: 

Technology nowadays has become very advanced especially when it comes to safety and comfort in the home. People can now install entire systems that control almost every aspect of the home by one device ( their phones, tablets, ect.). These systems can be wireless, which offers the flexibility of installing them into any home. With the push of a button home owners can: 

• turn of lights and set them to whatever they choose
• monitor whoever walks up to their front door 
• turn on or off their alarm system
• control the air temperature
• control the blinds to close or open at a certain time
• listen to a playlist or turn on a movie in a different room

This is a system that can be used for both residential and commercial applications. Follow this link to the control 4 website to find out more about how this system works (and check out some of the really cool projects it has already been used for):
                                                 http://www.control4.com/

References: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdF58iulSqw

            http://www.electroluxappliances.com/

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip9RWOVyg_I

            http://www.control4.com/basics#know-about-automation