Interior Designs

BOOKS I TOOK OUT/ BOUGHT

I went to the NUCA library and got out these books:

Conran, Terence (1978) The Bed and Bath Book, Mitchell Beazley Publishers Limited

YPMA, Herbert (1996) Paris Objet Trouve

Thames and Hudson (2008) Fashion Designers At Home

Slensin, Suzanne (1987) Japanese Style

Innes, Miranda (1991) Ethnic Style

I also bought:

Gilliatt, Mary (2007) Bedrooms

INTERIOR DESIGN RESEARCH

Massey, Anne (1990) Interior design of the 20th century

The 20th century is very Victorian and middle-class, with furniture "to express comfort and wealth."

1894 - (2) The New York French period style has a bear rug, leather chairs and small detailed ornaments.

(Massey P9)

1897 - (17) Liberty's bedroom with soft floral patterns.

(Massey P25)

1897 - (24) Victor Horta Winter Garden has nice plants with the idea of people looking from one room into the other through this little winder garden. I like the open ceiling green house, and floral metal patterns making it all seem exotic.

(Massey P35)

1902 - (30) Charles Rennie Mackintosh drawing room. I like the mural fireplace wall, with fitted hooks for extra storage, which is important in a kids room for all their toys and brick-a-brack.

(Massey P45)

1904-6 - (32) Antoni Gaudi Dining room, is dream like because of the lighting in the room and the natural light coming through the windows.

(Massey P47)

1919 - (40) Japanese and organic inspiration, I like again the merge between the wall and ceiling, using the wall paper to lead it.

(Massey P54)

1920's - (13) Omega Workshop decoration have made this a very soft and comfy looking room. With the beautiful fireplace and big rug.

(Massey P22)

1920's - (105) The wall hangings and rug are very French inspired, which in turn was taken from Roman sources.

(Massey P129)

1924 - (52) Gerrit Rietveld living room. This room is a little like Mondrain's art, bright colours are a nice idea, being bold and simple I think is what children like.

(Massey P68-69)

1925 - (73) Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann grand Salon has a really big chandelier which I love. And the room layout I realised isn't square, which make me think about how I'd like my room to be laid out.

(Massey P70<)

1932 - (80) Art Deco, with Paul Ruaud redesigning the room with glass floors and white walls. Originally just a 1920 Eileen Gary's serpent pink chair and 1929 Bibendum chairs and tobacco coloured sofa. I do like the animal print a lot even if it's not very ethical.

(Massey P101)

1933 - (95) Donald Deskey private apartment for the manager of Radio City Music Hall. It's the lighting in this room that I think is amazing. It sets the mood and atmosphere making it seem warm and comforting.

(Massey P116 - 117)

1941 - (122) Harwell Hamilton Harris Havens House in California. I like the book shelf. it makes the room seem busier with out filling it with many detailed objects.

(Massey P149)

1946 - (114) Ros Cumming bedroom is a grand design with simmering fabric mixing period furniture with oriental and fantasy. I Particularly like the curtains over the bed.

(Massey P139)

1948 - (132) Eame's own living room has painting facing downwards for people to look at. I like this and wonder if it can be used for posters and thing alike.

(Massey P157)

1956 - (146) Richard Hamilton's inventory of America consumerism. I like the way this cut and stick style can be used to make a room idea and theme, which I also would like to try.

(Massey P172)

1960's - (156) Max Clendinning dining room, also has the wallpaper bleeding into the ceiling.

(Massey P182)

Late 1960's - (116) This division of bathroom and dressing room, looks a little like a hidden door. Children always want hidden places in their room, and is something I may try and include.

(Massey P141)

1967-70 - (153-4) These comfy bean bags are exactly what a child wants in their room, and these ones are a really nice design.

(Massey P180)

(Massey P180)

(Massey P180)

1972 - (178) Mario Bellini Kar-a-Sutra, is a hybrid car and seating area, which is cool as some beds are cars these days.

(Massey P204)

1986 - (180) Memphis Group and Abraxas room. There are Astoria Matteo Thun chairs and an Atlas Aldo Cibic table. This room look slightly childish and geeky which I like, with a strong running theme through out.

(Massey P206)

I have taken the elements I like in these rooms to create a room of my own:

I wanted to look specifically at Bedrooms so I got out 

The Bed and Bath Book - Terence Conran (1978)

The idea behind the book is that the Bedroom and Bathroom in a house are the most private of all rooms. Therefore can be considered and looked together, which is what we have here.

He goes into the history of these rooms, and I shall be looking at only bedrooms for my case.

The Ancients

(Conran P10-11)

1847 Roman orgy painted by a french artist. these bedrooms would have had to been big to fit the people.

The Dark Ages

(Conran P12)

"Medieval woodcut of soldiers relaxing on a remarkably sophisticated air bed"

Enlightenment

(Conran P14)

They used to congregate in bedrooms to show them off, this is a friends gathering.

Other Cultures

(Conran P20)

"A mongolian herdsman's Gher. the portable beds are curtained off around the edge of the hut."

The Artist's View

(Conran P23)

Berthe Morisot, "Le Berceau" 1872

The Camera's Eye

(Conran P25)

Carroll baker as jean Harlow, in a popular 30's screen bedroom.

This book is describing how it can help me create what it is i want. And so to work out what I want to create I shall look at the strong type of rooms that fit in certain catchment areas or suburbs.

Country Cottage

This type of home I feel is like a short weekend getaway deco. With pretty rooms, walls, bed covers and no personal personality injected into it. It would match the surround areas, being woodland and fields and flowers and whole place is light, fresh and open. This is not the area I wish my room to be in, however the floral can work for a girls bedroom.

(Conran P29)

Apparently prints should be small, large bed and small furniture.

Farmhouse 

It has more of a rustic working feel to it. With tools and useful things in the room rather than pretty patterns. I like the hanging dried herbs.

(Conran P30)

Country House

Not as quaint as the cottage, the house is more open and more sophisticated. It reminds me of my parents old bedroom, the larger room. The one below is so simple I don't understand it.

(Conran P32-33)

Town House

This is  too 90's and out dated, but is still interesting. With an easy to get to bed, and furniture clearly chosen by various people mixing different patterns and fabrics. This also looks like a home from my childhood, and I like the bird.

(Conran P35)

International

This is for the jet-set entrepreneur type with reflective panels and sculptures. With executive, sophisticated objects. This room is aimed at the older person, more than my kids room will be.

(Conran P36)

Eclectic

They "were the class of philosophers who selected such doctrines as pleased them in every school" - designers select random objects and furniture and patterns from different eras, and recycle them and that is this style.

(Conran P38-39)

Hollywood Glamour

Gold, grand and glamour deco, with big mirrors.

(Conran P43 - 42)

A Period Piece

This has lots and lots of lace, embroidery, knitting and sewing into fabrics. A Victorian room was often "gloomy and dark" and this room has a modern telephone.

(Conran P45)

Oriental Simplicity

Wooden floors and a low bed is the general look for thees rooms. They have a wilderness feel about them with minimal western objects like clocks, ornaments and clutter.

(Conran P46)

Seduction Den

Basically what any adult bedroom would want to include. I like the spot lights and movie on the ceiling, though maybe designing the theme differently for my child, and definitely only show "pg." films. I also like the large beds, making them seem comfier with the amount of pillows. I like all these rooms, however inapplicable they are for children, I just have to know what makes a seductive room, and not go for it.

(Conran P50 - 51)

Essentially Masculine and Feminine

Both very different rooms, showing the different tastes in gender deco. Should I consider going down one gender rather than the other?

(Conran P52 - 55)

After looking at all these styles, it is clear to me how each one is achieved. My style shall be a modern midtown child's room, with a strong running theme.

According to this book, to plan my room I shall have to consider these things:

• Location - As "Parents tend to automatically occupy the main room, often found above the living room because its 'structurally stronger'. So my kids room shall be smaller.
• Allocating Space - To match the furniture and the room space is important, though luckily for me, I can adjust the size of room if needed. Consider storage space for toys and clothes.
• Layout - The book suggests a blue print drawing plan, which I intend to do, so I can allocate space and measurements for the right furniture and objects.
• Awkwardly Shaped Rooms - This allows more creativity in furniture usage and space. Again my room shall be adjusted when needed so an awkward space wont be an issue, but is something to keep an eye out for.
• Calculating Storage needs - It very rightly points out what the individual would need, not just bunging in a wardrobe, but really thinking about their space usage. So I need to consider "how far you can reach and how low you can bend before building a storage system" So a child, being quite small, I'd have to make sure they can reach everything. And what kinds of space they would need depending on what they owned to be efficient about it.

(Conran P68 - 71)

• Storage design - Consider if it's built-in, free standing or fitted. And also check out what door I feel I'd need, whether its a curtain, wooden and sliding storage doors.
• Draws and Bedside Tables - These are used for storage and holding clocks and things for the night etc.

(Conran P76 - 77)

• Heirlooms and hand-me-downs - Now this is interesting as I've never thought about it, but I guess in a kids bedroom there is going to be some sort of hand-me-down from the parents childhood. My friend used to always sleep with her grandmothers  knitted blanket for example.
• Heating and Ventilating - Although this isn't a real room, there are still these realistic things I should consider to create my realistic rooms. Therefore including a radiator/ fireplace and windows. My windows shall also have to be considered to match the room theme, with curtains, blinds or shutters. 

 (Conran P88 - 89) (Picture window is cool)

• Lighting - Now even in an interior design book it says how important lighting is. For mine I shall want some spot lights, but generally quite a bright room.
• Walls - Colour and theme schemes should be thought about with the effects of what colour, red being warm blue cold. "bright and strong colours ten to look as if they are advancing towards the observer, while the cool neutrals recede."Page: 90 I also should think about texture of my walls, wood, stone, or cork. 
• Floors - The same thing needs to be considered. What would a child like, wooden, carpet rugged floors? Or tiles. I think a warm room is better and therefore most shall be covered in rugs or carpet.
• Changes of Level - Some steps going up a bed maybe? these things allows more variety and excitement in a room which I think a child would enjoy.

From this I have established what I wish my room to include, I do wish to focus on detail, so I'm unsure what to include but am still researching.

Conran, Terence (1978) The Bed and Bath Book

CHANGE IN PLAN

As my plan has changed, I shall now be looking at a dressing table including small objects to model for a game engine.

It's a shame I took out so many interior designing books however instead I shall be looking for assets, objects, deco, superficial things rather than furniture and architect. Which means these books I have bought and taken out won't go to waste.