Who Knew FLW Saw Color Other Than Red?

I promised more exploration in my color theories.  Some may oppose my color choices, some may envy, some may be riddled by them.  Either way, they define my aesthetic.

Going through the years in our design program has made me think more and more about who I am as a designer.  It seems everyone else knows what is "me," and I know what is "me," but I can't quite put it into words.  One word I believe can fit the description of my aesthetic is whimsical.  That's all I've got so far.  Give it time.

This project was done as the final for my spring 2011 semester with Lisa Tucker.  Lisa is an advocate and expert when it comes to historic preservation and adaptive reuse of historic sites.  Our site was a Frank Lloyd Wright building situated in Wisconsin (I think).  More importantly, it was [going to be designed to be] Taliesin East.  Taliesin West is in Arizona, where the students would reside for most of the year in awesome, perfect weather. Shout out to the desert for having great weather.  Taliesin East is where they would retreat for a few months out of the year when Taliesin West was just too hot to deal with.

The building was a giant, concrete warehouse.  FLW touches, of course.  Four stories, one big rectangle.  VERY minimal apertures for light, seeing as it was a warehouse.  We started with Froebel blocks to build shapes for certain words, such as "beauty," and "symmetry."  What we built served as inspiration.

Among the space plan of my project, I used the Froebel blocks that I built.  Magically, it fit perfectly into the footprint of the building.  Must've been fate.  But, what I really wanted to concentrate on in this project was reinterpreting Frank Lloyd Wright as the architecture and design world knows him.

What most designers and architects think about FLW:  he loves concrete, he loves red, he loves wood, he loves nature.  Yes, all true.  What they don't typically know:  his drawings actually have amazing color.  I didn't know this, at all.  When I discovered these drawings, I was inspired.

What?!  Pastels!  Watercolor!  COLOR!

I was shocked.  While all of his black and white drawings are stunning as well, I had no idea he had a pretty, artsy way of interpreting his projects.  I knew from that point on that I would not take the "safe FLW red, wood, concrete" reinterpretation.  Yes, 90% of the final projects had that exact theme and yes, some of them were very successful.

My easter-egg-themed sheets seemed to stick out like a sore thumb from across the room amongst a sea of red and concrete.  Was I ashamed?  No.  This is who I am.

First Floor Froebel Cafe

Fourth Floor Student Lounge

Fourth Floor Dorm Room

Not only did I use zero red, I used pastels.  Alice in Wonderland colors again, if you will.  Our two special guests for this final pin-up were two women who, in the end, did not appreciate this.

Again, I did not get bothered.  I had done the research and found that Frank Lloyd Wright actually knew color existed.  What I did, in my opinion, is not putting FLW to shame.  My design honors what he had as a creative, intelligent person.  It honors the spring time in Wisconsin.  It honors the bright young minds that attend Taliesin.  It inspires.

When people see his sketches next to my perspectives, it all comes together; that is what makes me truly content with this project.

Sweet Springs Progress... Save me.

A week and a half to go until the deadline for Sweet Springs.  I have basically just started my actual renderings, fully modeling the site.  Today I made it a goal to figure out how I wanted to render and present these images, as well as finish one perspective.  I did both of these, almost.  After partially modeling the Spring House, I landed on a way to present the images that will also have a "collage" feeling that I achieved in my original concept collage.

Interesting, yes?  That's what I'm all about.  It's usually about keeping myself interested in the project, especially if it's a 4-5 week duration.  Staring at the same thing for hours upon days upon weeks can get very, very boring.  Any project that doesn't end with you hating everything about it is probably a success.

On another note, I made a website.  Thank you to Roseanne Santo Domingo for introducing me to the world of Wix.  Here it is:

http://www.wix.com/staffbens/staffordbensen

Coming soon:  a post about my conceptual approach, which I discovered yesterday.  I've never been one for super serious details when it comes to "telling a story" through my design, but this may be that one time I go all the way.

Sweet Springs: Sketches & Layout Beginnings

It seems my professor already knew how I go about getting initial sketches of my ideas.  Build basic lines and walls in SketchUp, take 2D images in sketchy line (or just hidden line for that matter... but I love sketchy) and sketch over top of them after you print them out.  Use them as templates.  Use trace.  Go wild.  She told my class to do this for the project, and I'm glad she did because I thought people would take her up on this idea and use it to its full advantage as I do.  Although I haven't actually seen anyone doing this yet, I can only hope it's happening.

Here's my version...

RESTAURANT/CAFE:  For this space I envision a place where guests can come downstairs from their restful slumber and have breakfast, have a cup of tea/coffee, and sit down for lunch, or even dinner.  It sits on the northwest side of the building and perhaps gets the most sunlight in the evening hours.  I think this is a perfect nook for this intended purpose.

BATH HOUSE: The bath house is situated across the front lawn from the main building.  As the natural spring is sitting at a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit, I can foresee it being a great spot to relax.  To enhance this relaxation and natural aspect, I hope to bring in more foliage to the tunnel/arcade and keep the light coming in.  Patio furniture will allow guests to hang around the pool/spring in comfort on an amazing West Virginia summer day. (Motif will be between arches)

GUESTROOM:  Still up in the air.  I have no designated a floor plan.  I'm not sure I will, but I know that I probably should if I have any chance of winning this competition.  So far, I have only envisioned what the bed will look like--if you watched the first three seasons of Mad Men, you will know where I got this headboard.  I envision a band of the tile motif (see below) that will wrap from the window line up to the ceiling.  The window panes are to be a pattern, similar to the motif; rectangular window panes are not what I intend to pursue.  Ceiling fan to keep air circulation well-maintained and keep HVAC use down.

RECEPTION:  Custom reception desk which reflects the abstracted mountain motif I designed.  I think the desk could really turn out to be intriguing.  To the right of the reception desk is a three-sided partition made up of the motif tile at a smaller scale (6"x6") as opposed to the 1'x1' scale at the bath house and elsewhere.  White glossy finishes on the tiles will allow them to reflect light and draw attention.  Small seating area in this nook.  Stairs TBD. 

NATURAL SPRING:  There happens to be a natural spring in the bath house, to which I intend to use as a sort of private area of reflection.  Not as open as the rest of the bath house, but not entirely closed off.  Still a place where everyone can enter--more like that quiet place in the library where everyone knows you should be quiet, but it isn't a rule.  This is the third floor of Newman library.

SUNROOM:  Yes, a sunroom.  Obviously to have a building that is a long rectangle, sitting at an angle on a map is not the best way to achieve sunlight.  Thomas Jefferson must not have thought about this when he designed the building.  Maybe he was truly intending the front of the building to be shadow-ridden at all times, maybe not.  Either way, this building has no light, and I intend to optimize the one side of the building that perhaps does get sunlight and turn it into a sunroom.  This is situated on the Southeast side of the building.  One can only hope.

SIDE NOTE FOR JESSIE OLIVER: Yes, I know I used the silhouette again.

Drawing these was a simple method of trace paper sketches on top of SketchUp views (as stated in the beginning of this post) and then bringing them into Photoshop and adding some color.  The end product is a watercolor-y effect which literally finds its way into every single one of my projects, unintentionally.

It's scary how often I use Alice in Wonderland-y colored images in my projects.  I've been told I have a very unique look at color.  I cannot argue with this statement.  It all started with this perspective I made in second year, which I referred to as the Alice in Wonderland perspective from there on out.  The colors came out of nowhere, and they did not end up being the colors I used in the final iteration of my project, but they seemed to have influenced every project after them.

Would people in Helsinki have responded well to this?

All-in-all, I can make 843029 posts about my use of color in projects.  Trust me, they will come.

Concept Collages / Sweet Springs

If anyone ever reads my resume, portfolio, or even LinkedIn for that matter, they will see that I listed "collage" as a skill.  "And this is relevant... how?" is probably what you are thinking.  Allow me to explain.

One of my first "concept collages" came from an actual assignment in second year studio, where we had to put together photographs of the site in a way that conveyed the scene.  We had to do this for every project I believe.  It was a way to get our creative juices flowing.  It worked (for me).

Circa 2009.

The colors I ended up with in this collage/montage really stuck with me.  It perfectly showcases what a beautiful day in Blacksburg can look like, and captures the spirit of the School of Visual Arts.  This building is in the [kind of gross] part of downtown where there are some yummm restaurants (anybody want a gyro?).  It's called the armory and, as you could guess, use to be the actual armory building back when Virginia Tech was strictly a military academy.  It now houses the artistic minds of Virginia Tech's finest.

Sticking with this theme of montage and collage, I began most of my project with quick Photoshop renderings using material images and heavy use of the "distort" tool.  I swear ctrl+T is the best thing I ever learned to do in Photoshop.

This technique helps me easily envision a space in my head, along with sketching.  While I only sketch with gray-scale, this helps me envision the final feel of the space with materials, lighting, etc.  I tried it out extensively on projects...  Some more successful than others:

Camper store (SoHo, NYC) conceptual floor plan - first attempt.

Camper store collage perspective.

VCU Medical School Library atrium - glass walls.

And then... it became an actual art in itself.  For a hospitality project in which we were asked to design a sustainable resort, I took it upon myself to render from scratch, using only Photoshop and material images to create the perspective.  These were not even final views.  Just conceptual.  They each took multiple hours to complete, but in the end I was very focused and knew exactly where to go next with my project.

Restaurant Pool and Bar for Mauritius Resort & Spa

The above perspective turned into this:

Final Restaurant & Bar scene.

And now, these days... I still use this technique.  I still know that it is extremely time consuming.  So is this blog.  But they both do the same thing; they help me gather my thoughts.  I know you probably couldn't tell from all the rambling I do in this blog, but I have a lot of things running through my head at any given moment.  I need to get them out and onto paper, onto something tangible so that I can reflect and move forward.  Same goes for sketching.  But that is an entirely new blog post...

And finally, here it is, today's collage.

I'm content.  My concept of lightness and "heavenly" is coming across nicely.  I enjoy how the furniture is charismatic in its own way.  Of course, I ended up throwing in any lamp that resembles a "white chess piece" (as I have grown to call them) to add my graphic touch.  I am excited for this step.  It helps me move forward, and I think NEWH will appreciate the graphic thought that was put into this.

Time to focus on sustainability for awhile...

Diane Bergeron

Wow. Diane Bergeron.

Prints!  Colors!  There is nothing better.

Sweet Springs: Concept Images & Sketches

This is it.  The one page I spent many hours Pinteresting (new verb!) yesterday in studio.  By the way--it seems I broke the search tool of Pinterest, seeing as last night it started malfunctioning, and this morning I awoke to a Pinterest tweet saying they were fixing the search.  This makes my life difficult... good thing I did my concept image board yesterday!

I'm envisioning a light, airy space that optimizes every opportunity for natural light.  The building only has windows on the north side.  The sun doesn't directly come into these windows regularly, so taking every opportunity to ligthen the space is essential.  Light finishes:  white-washed, reclaimed woods, white paints, pastels, with a lot of texture to contradict the white space.  Fun, refreshing, and relaxing, a bright oasis in the middle of the rolling West Virginia hills.

Speaking of these West Virginia hills... I started sketching and playing around with the idea of a waved ceiling, which actually turned out to look as though it was mimicking the hills/mountains surrounding the campus.

This is what I actually love about this project--I am familiar with the climate.  I know how the scenery looks, I've lived in it for almost six years now.  I'm aware of the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere and wanting something beautiful of which to be a part.  It's almost like Dirty Dancing, when they're in the middle of nowhere (actually filmed not too far from our Blacksburg campus, but supposed to take place in the Catskills, NY) and at a lovely resort.  Yes, I just referenced Dirty Dancing in a design blog.

Jaime Hayon: My Imaginary Best Design Friend

Quick thought.  Do Jaime Hayon and Marcel Wanders know each other?  Are they best friends in real life?  They might be design twins.  I think Marcel learned a thing or two from Jaime.

Who is Jaime Hayon, you ask?

Jaime Hayon (you probably pronounced that as "Jay-mee Hay-on", but it's actually "Ha-may Hay-on"... true story) is a Spanish designer who is absolutely my #1 influence.  Without a doubt, he puts a smile on my face with whatever he creates, and I think he's exquisite.  Can we also please note how extremely friendly and cute he is?  I saw him in a Dezeen screen one time at the opening of his furniture line (this is how I know it's Ha-May Hay-on:  I was just as baffled).  He's so passionate, excited, and knowledgeable about his product.  He doesn't care to follow with traditions.  His sketches turn to reality just as quickly as Winnie turns to stone at the end of Hocus Pocus.

Here is a very quick summary of Jaime's work, in image form, as words just cannot describe how unique his vision is as a designer.

Jaime invented the term "whimsical."

Camper store: my first introduction to Jaime.

The use of color in this project is so good it hurts.

Graphics. Graphics. Graphics.

I have to admit.  I used to be an avid Karim Rashid fan in my earlier days as a student in our design school.  He was outlandish, and crazy, and graphic.  His work caught my eye.  He was my idol.  Until I found Jaime Hayon while researching Camper stores for a project in fall 2010.  Jaime knows how to use color and graphics in every single thing he produces, which by the way, is just about everything.  Ceramics, furniture, sculpture, interiors, lighting, you name it.

I meant "everything."

Favn for Fritz Hansen.

When the Favn sofa premiered, I was fortunate enough to see it (and sit on it!) in a Scandinavian furniture showroom in Georgetown, DC.  The salesperson, while very knowledgeable about Scandinavian design in general, actually did not know Jaime Hayon's work.  I educated her, and told her she should most definitely check out his projects.  She accepted.  Just trying to spread the word!

Keep doing what you do, Jaime.  I want to be you.