Homestyler

Target Threshold Room

       All items used are from the Target Threshold/by Emily Henderson section except for the couch.

Christmas Olioboard

Principles of design: Rhythm

This week in interior Design we are continuing with the different principles of design.  Our task was to find 2 different pictures showing repetition, radiation, and gradation types of Rhythm.

My first 2 pictures portray repetition.

Repetition establishes rhythm through the repetitive use of an element.  It could be a color repeated, a group of art work, or even a place setting.  As long as the eye can connect from one object to another instead of jump around.  I chose this photo to represent repetition because of the horizontal stripes on the floor, and the horizontal beams on the ceiling.  These stripes can connect from one area to the other without jumping, and also lead your eyes down the hallway.

I chose this photo because there are many rectangles on the wall as well as on the carpet, the pillows, and the objects on the table.  All of these rectangles in varying areas of the room really lead your eye from one point to another.

My next 2 pictures portray radiation.

Radiation can give a room a room a circular, sweeping, rhythmic movement.  I chose this photo because the rounded windows and ceiling show radiation.  Along with the way the couch curves, and how the decorations are set up.

This room also shows radiation with the way the beams are set up, and also the floor and furniture.
My last 2 pictures portray Gradation.


Gradation by Rhythm, is Rhythm created by a gradual change in size or color.  Both of my photos show a gradual change in color.

Emphasis

This week in Interior Design we were taking a look at the principles of design.  Our main focus today, was Emphasis.  We all drew from an envelope, and received a focal point.  Our assignment was design an Olioboard room around that focal point.  The focal point I drew was a window with curtains.

Asymmetrical balance

Symmetrical Balance

Great Gatsby Polyvore-2

For my second mood board, I was focusing a lot on the details from Get the Look: Great Gatsby style.  There were lots of ideas of different accessories, and furniture options to create my second board.  This website had 7 different piece of 1920's styled decor that I chose to put on my mood board.  I incorporated Mirrored Furniture which was not rare to see in high society homes.  They added a stylish and elegant look to the interior of the home.  Geometric shapes were also a cool factor I chose to put on my board (blue wall with chair.) Geometric shapes were very popular in this style era, and were usually added to a powder room, or accent wall.  Silky fabrics which give any room a touch of Hollywood glam.  Lacquered furniture was another, and the appearance of this high gloss furniture was very glamorous.  Polished metals create a look of masculine chic decor, and so do the glamorous lighting options.  Lastly the glass accessories, which are one of my personal favorites, also add elegance and glamour to the room, depending on the piece. 

Taking a look at Architectural Digest they touch on the look of Deco-inflected Furnishings, Contemporary art, and formal gardens.  I think the piece of art I chose (on the top left) really adds a pop of color, and a cool feel to the room. I think the deco inflected furnishings found in the two photos of different rooms I chose (top) are also very interesting. 

There were many different elegant, yet glamorous styles that were portrayed in the 1920's era.  Although those are basically opposites, when combined they can create a magnificent feel and appearance to any room.

Great Gatsby Inspired Polyvore

           This past week in Interior Design we watched the movie "The Great Gatsby."  Our task following the movie was to create 2 different Polyvore mood boards that reflect the style evoked in the movie for an interested client.
           The style in this movie was a journey through the 1920's great style and architecture.  The swinging twenties were defined by the Art Deco style - geometric shapes, streamlining and clean linens, and influenced greatly by the glitz and glamour of early Hollywood decor.
           For my mood board I put a few pictures of winding staircases, marquetry flooring, and ornate crystal chandeliers. According to Architectural Digest the grandest creation was Gatsby's vast ballroom, the site of his legendary parties.  The space features a gold-filigreed ceiling hung with ornate crystal chandeliers, a marquetry floor, towering columns between the windows, and a serpentine staircase-a flourish presumably installed by Gatsby.  I thought that these were all beautiful features that could be put into the home.

           Colors of the Gatsby talks about the main colors throughout the mansion in the movie The Great Gatsby.  I have pictures on my mood board in the top right hand corner of some of the main colors, and also a picture of lavender flowers which was also a main color.  The floors in this movie were dark and glossy.  While the walls were creamy tones of stone or marble, and the warm woodwork color on the floor made the large space seemed much more inviting which I liked.  Bold colors were used in some homes, usually in halls and virtually always paired with black.  Green was the most used color, but needs to be very bright and full of life.
         Lastly I added a couple small touches like the white flowers, the art, feathered pillow, and the couch on the top left.  I did this because according to Designers go for the Gatsby Look It's all plumped cushions, muted yellows, plums, and warm cozy neutrals,  It;s not very bold, but it sure does look comfy.  There were also many floral designs, and big tapestries played a huge part in the movie, and in my room.  I have a picture of the heavier drapes I chose at the top of my board, next to the big window which I really liked the look of.
        There are many different things that contributed to this room, and I think the way everything fits together is so interesting and fun.

Elements Of Design: Space

This week in interior design we were talking about the element of design, space.  We defined space as the three dimensional area with which the designer works.  Our assignment was to create an NYC studio apartment layout.  With a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living area, and the point of this studio apartment was to have an open concept throughout the whole room.  Of course the bathroom was closed off, but other then that everything had to somewhat flow together in a sense.  Although,  still be able to somewhat "close off" each individual room with the way you design it.

Elements Of Design: Texture

Elements of Design: Texture

                Along with last weeks blog about Line, our next Element of design is texture.  Our task was to make an olioboard showing the three categories of texture: Visual, tactile, and Audible.  Visual meaning the appearance of a surface.  Tactile meaning the feel of a surface, and Audible meaning the sound a surface makes when rubbed.  For my Visual materials in my oliobard I used The mirror on the right hand side, the picture on the back wall, the light fixture, and the plants.  For my Tactile texture, I used my fur pillow on the bed, the rug in the center of the floor, the blanket beside the bed, and the chair on the right hand side.  All of them having a different kind of feel.  The Audible textures could be the sound the tree/plant makes when you rub against it.  The sound the floor makes compared to the sounds the rug would make as you walk across it.  The sounds you would hear as you run your hand across the fur pillow compared to the regular pillow.  Lastly the sound the chair would make as you sit down in it, or the sounds the books and vase would make as you set them down on the glass table.

Elements Of Design: Line

Elements Of Design: Line

        This week in Interior Design we are learning about the elements of design.  Our first element of design is Line.  There are four different types of "line" in design.  Horizontal line, Vertical line, Diagonal line, and curved line.  Your choice of emphasizing these types of lines show what mood you want to create in a room.  I will be showing pictures with each of these lines portrayed in them, and a small explanation of why I chose each picture for the designated line.

Horizontal Line:

Both of these pictures have a very Horizontal feel to me.  The lines run Horizontal all over the log cabin home, and on the hot tub and wall in the 2nd picture.  When I look at these two pictures it just seems long, and I look from side to side when I look at these photos.  Especially in the 2nd picture, these lines seem very informal instead of a strong, bold vertical line.

Vertical Line:

Both of these photos have a very crisp and vertical feel to them.  In the first room the windows are very tall, and they make you look up and down instead of across.  As soon as I looked at this first vertical photo I noticed that it seemed warm compared to the second picture, and the long stone structure on the wall struck me as vertical right away.  This second picture also stuck out to me because of the long stone structure.  This room has a much darker, cooler feel to it.

Diagonal Line:

As soon as I looked at these pictures I noticed the diagonal lines in the room.  I think the colors in these rooms bring a warm feel to both.  Even though the second picture is a wine cellar, and those rooms aren't thought to be very "warm."  The Diagonal Roof on the log cabin adds such a different yet cozy feel to the room.  The diagonal lines and colors in the wine cellar cause the room to look very vibrant, fresh, and stylish.

Curved Line:

These pictures are very different, but to me the curved feature of the light fixture in the first photo, and windows in the 2nd photo really stuck out.  The first photo seems very friendly, and inviting.  Right away my eyes locked on the interesting curved ceiling and lights.  Along with the table, it made the whole room appear to have somewhat of a curve to it.  The second photo on the other hand, seems much more classic, and sophisticated.  Everything is a lot lighter and more delicate.  The curved windows really stuck out to me, and the curved mirror above the fireplace.

These different types of lines can really affect the mood or appearance of a room when you walk in to it.  When you have a more simple room, to me, the lines of a room really pop.  When you have a room with lots of clutter, they're a little harder to depict.    

Summit Ave.

Summit Ave. Reflection

The first house we visited was the James J. Hill house, and that's also where we started the tour.  There was very intricate detail on this old home, and we learned lots of information about James J. Hill, and his family from our tour guide.  This picture is a side view of the house, pointing out the Gable Dormer on the roof.

Luckily on our tour, one of the guides let us into the Stuart-Driscoll House.  I got to snap some pictures of the living room, dining room, and staircase.  

There were also many other homes I snapped pictures of, that show features of what we've been learning about the past couple weeks in Interior Design.

This home was to the right of the James J. Hill house if you're standing on Summit Ave.  It shows a Gambrel roof towards the back.

I liked this house because it had beautiful columns surrounding the front door.

Lastly I chose this photo because of the turret, that sits on the top left corner of this Queen Anne style home.  There was a portico as the front of the homes entrance style with a pediment on top.  This house also has a dormer on the top left part of it, and bay windows under the turret.

The tour of Summit Avenue was a great way to learn about the owners and history of these historic homes.  it was fun to see how much of the features we discussed in class were actually incorporated in these homes.  Many people including myself, have gone up and down Summit Ave. countless times, but have never taken the time to stop and admire how detailed and beautiful the architecture of these homes are.  It was very nice that our Interior Design class got the chance to.      

Cass Gilbert vs. Clarence Johnston

Cass Gilbert vs. Clarence Johnston

Cass Gilbert:

Gilbert was one of the first celebrity architects in America, designing skyscrapers in New York City and Cincinnati, campus buildings at Oberlin College and the University of Texas at Austin, state capitols in Minnesota and West Virginia, the support towers of the George Washington Bridge, various railroad stations, and the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington D.C.  His reputation declined among some professionals during the age of modernism, but Gilbert was on the design committee that guided and eventually approved the modernist design of Manhattan's Rockefeller Center.  Gilbert's two buildings on the University of Texas at Austin campus, (Sutton Hall-1918 and Battle Hall-1911) are widely recognized by architectural historians as some of the finest works of architecture in the state.  Designed in a Spanish-Mediterranean revival style, the two buildings became the stylists for the later expansion of the campus.  It also helped popularize the style throughout the state.

Clarence Johnston:

Johnston designed scores of mansions and stately houses, mostly in St. Paul, as well as dozens of academic buildings, churches, schools, sports arenas, prisons, hospitals, and asylums. He is best known for his houses, but he specialized in another area also.  In his long tenure as state architect and in commissions for institutional clients, he designed for multitudes.  Even at the start of his career Johnston knew how to think big, just like Gilbert and his ideas of skyscrapers.  There was no such thing as the "Clarence Johnston style" he composed in great variety.  He designed many homes on and around Summit Ave. also, so I would say comparing Johnston to Gilbert, Gilbert designed a lot more of the larger scale buildings and Johnston designed a lot more homes and features out and around these homes.  In the end, Johnston's works have touched the full spectrum of Minnesotans and continue to do so in the twenty fifth century.

Cass Gilbert  

Clarence Johnston

A. G. Manson House

Summit Ave. St. Paul

A. G. Manson House 

               The first owner of the A. G. Manson House, was real-estate agent and investor Albert George Manson.  This home started out as a French Second Empire-style residence.  He wanted an imposing structure on a hill, and the architect of this house is unknown.  Which is unfortunate because he created an amazing fashionable house of creamy white brick, three dormers, corner tower, decorative brackets, and wrought-iron cresting at the roofline.
                   
                After a succession of owners, funeral directors John Kessler and Thomas Maguire acquired the house in 1919, and built a circular driveway to accommodate the funeral home they planned to open there.  The neighbors were not big fans of this idea, and they took their case all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court.  The court agreed that the Summit Ave A. G. Manson home and surrounding area should stay for just the living.  Following those owners, former U.S. Senator David Durenburger and his wife, Susan Foote, a retired university professor, bought the property in 1999.  Susan states, "Already growing up in San Francisco, I had a weakness for Victorian houses."  Although, they did hire architects Stuart MacDonald (MacDonald and Mack Architects) to build a side entrance and small terrace overlooking the large, new, side garden they installed.
                 
               After enjoying the home for five years, they sold it in 2004 to another professional couple, Jessica Stoltenberg, a corporate communications consultant, and her husband, physician Phillip Stoltenberg.  The best part is that this is the only surviving French Second Empire-style house on Summit Ave.
                                                                 

James J. Hill House

James J. Hill House

                In 1864, young shipping clerk James J. Hill met a waitress working at the Merchants Hotel in St. Paul, where he often took his meals.  This woman's name was Mary Theresa Mehegan, and she was born in New York City.  She was the child of Irish Immigrants who settled in the frontier town of St. Paul in 1850.  Mary attended finishing school in Milwaukee, and then married Hill in 1867.  The James J. Hill House architect was Peabody and Stearns, and the architectural style was Richardsonian Romanesque.  Over the next eighteen years they had 10 children.  Children grew up in the house, and four daughters had their weddings in the large drawing room.  Newlyweds often stayed in the house until their own homes were finished, many of which were close by on Summit Ave.  It's also said that the grandchildren come back and visit the house often. The Minnesota Historical Society states that "James J. Hill built a house that symbolized success, but one that also suited him and his family."  

Housing Styles

Housing Styles

Taylor Boraas hr-6

There are many different types of roofs that many people don't really notice when looking at a house.  The roof can contribute lots to your home, and can also add value when buying or selling the home.

Roof Styles:

1. Gable Roof- A Gable Roof is a roof with two sloping sides, forming a triangle at one or both ends.

2. Gambrel Roof- A roof with two angles of slope on each of two sides, the lower slope steeper than the upper slope.

3. Hip Roof- A Hipped Roof has all four sides sloping inward to meet at a peak, as here, or a ridge.

4. Saltbox Roof-A variation of the gable roof, originally created when a low lean-to addition was built onto the back wall of a house.

5. Mansard Roof- All four sides of this roof have two slopes, the lower four steeper than the upper four.

6. Shed roof- A simple, one-slope roof; also called a lean-to roof.

Housing Characteristics:

1. Bay Window- A set of two or more windows that protrude our from a wall.  The window is moved away from the wall to provide more light and wider views.

2. Casement Window- A window that opens by swinging inward or outward much like a door.  Casement windows are usually vertical in shape but are often grouped in bands.

3. Clapboard- Also known as weatherboard or siding.  Long, narrow boards overlapped to cover outer walls.  Used in Colonial style frame houses.

4. Dormer- The setting for a vertical window in the roof.  Called a gable dormer if it has its own gable or a shed dormer if a flat roof.  Most often found in upstairs bedrooms.

5. Eaves- That portion of the roof that projects beyond the wall.

6. Fanlight- A semicircular or arched window above a door.

7. Palladian Window- A three part window featuring a large arched center and flanking rectangular sidelights. 

8. Pediment- A triangular crown used over doors, windows, or porches.  A classical style.

9. Portico- A large porch usually with a pedimented roof supported by classical columns or pillars.

10. Rafter- A roof beam sloping from the ridge to the wall.  In most houses, rafters are visible only from the attic.  In styles such as craftsman bungalows and some "rustic" contemporaries, they are exposed.

11. Sidelights- Windows on either side of a door.

12. Turret- A small tower, often at the corner of a building.  Common in Queen Anne styles among others.  A turret is a small structure while a tower begins at ground level.

There are so many different features that can add a little history, or style to your home, and these are just a few!