Term 6 Final Project: Historic Building Adaptive Reuse

I cannot believe that I am already done 6 out of 12 terms! Time is flying. A year and a half ago I began my interior design journey and now I'm half way to having my Bachelor of Interior Design Degree. This term, our big project was converting a four story historic building into a modern use space. This was our first group studio, and it was a great experience working with 2 other students (and friends) Kelsey and Aram, to complete the final project! We chose to turn ours into a nutrition facility which includes a healthy eating restaurant, fitness studio, cooking classes and nutrition consultation offices. It was a huge amount of work, but we did it! Here are our final presentation boards:

Glad it's over! I've been enjoying two weeks off but next week it's back to business!

Term 5 Final Project: Advanced Residential / Piano Mansion

Do you all remember me talking about my major studio project for the fall, and then basically disappearing off the face of the blogging earth? Well, let's just say that this project consumed and challenged me more than any project to date, but that the satisfaction of completing it (and getting a great mark) was well worth the long hours, piles of discarded ideas, and even tears.

If you recall, my original concept for the house was the piano (as the client is a family of musicians), but as I developed the project further, I moved away from such a literal shape and idea into a larger concept of the stage and performance, into a liveable concert hall idea. I kept some of my original concept, such as the pitched roof, but basically, I wanted the home to capture and reflect the feeling of grandeur associated with attending a night at the theatre, as well as creating a liveable environment that was simultaneously conducive to entertaining, parties and performance. Here is the final result (click on photos to see them in larger format):

I was basically architect, structural engineer, landscaper and interior designer for this project and I also had to consider barrier free elements as one family member is in a wheelchair...did I mention the plot of land we were given was on a cliff like hill? That's a lot of hats to wear in ten short weeks, but I am so happy I pulled it off and proud of myself for not giving up!

Here's to a new term! xo