Designing for my client - Interior details

Questions

The client I will be working for is Chiomah. She has requested a studio space for 8 freelance designers. It was really exciting to show my ideas to her because it was showing how my design process functioned. After having shown and explained my 50 images, I sort of left her dumbfounded as it was quite overwhelming for her and I don’t think she expected me to research where the earth was in relation to the sun during the vernal equinox. Therefore, I slowed down my explanations and pointed out the main themes for her. (this seemed to be much more simpler and understandable) I then asked her to choose themes that she disliked and I would work around that criteria.

A million questions were going through my mind for the design and I then asked many questions all at once. I believe this overwhelmed my client again. It was quite hard gaining information as the client may not have thought of what they wanted exactly immediately, so I learned that I needed to give the client time to think. From this setback, I then wrote a set of specific questions that allowed my client to circle yes or no answers. This seemed to work and the client felt more comfortable with this. I will continue to ask questions about what suits her as well has showing brief designs where she can critique the designs as I adjust them to her taste.

Atmospheres
I spent this week speaking with my client about the atmosphere she wants to create for her workspace. As this is an important element for workspaces, since you would not want to have a space where you couldn’t concentrate. My client wanted a room that showed motion. All elements would flow into each other. This was a challenge as she also wanted to have abstract furniture, which is something that you wouldn’t find to be harmonious with each other. Chiomah also liked the idea that I proposed of having a skylight and the 'cracks of light through the woods' during springtime. 

In order to achieve a good working atmosphere, I researched what would help one concentrate. I continuously found that light and smells can help achieve this. This led me to question my client about her preferred location, which was Liverpool Street. She liked the deception of having an office building hide away a creative vibrant art studio. I absolutely loved this concept. I initially started by exploring Liverpool St on google maps, but I found this wasn’t helpful because I couldn’t get the feel of the place. I then went to Liverpool St and found areas where buildings had plenty light all around the exterior, so I looked for a building on the corner of a street. The space would be located at the top, so my client could have a skylight. 

When using google maps, this appeared to be the best location

First location I found, no large open pathway

Final location, good because open path in between two buildings,
allowing much sunlight to reach all around the building.

I chose the top floor of the Woodin Shades
as it was a larger floor in comparison
to the building opposite. 

Subjects of the questions I asked: controlling temperature, types of lighting, shared tables, texture of floor, colours of walls, aromas, coffee machine, acoustics and what floor should the space be situated on.



I began with creating a kitchen with fitted in with the wall and opened and fitted like a flower bud, showing an element of spring. 

The way sunlight reached into the space was something I really researched into. I tracked the locations coordinates and tried to find the sun path for the location, using this information I was able to work out if the location was suitable enough for natural light. At this time I did get quite sidetracked because my client hadn't exactly stressed the aspect of natural light.

Trying to keep on track with Chiomah's requests, I revisited the notion of motion. What could be better than having the location right by a tube station! I wanted to possibly integrate the tube routes into the space somehow. I began this process by trying to narrow down the patterns I could use. I did this by finding a map that presented the most commuted stations in London, I then formed a route/pattern from this map. 

However, the end design became quite confusing, if I was to map the furniture around the space using this pattern. This technique did not work. 

Since I had been focusing on how the sunlight could reach the space in an motional way, I photoshopped all the most commuted tube lines into one image... this definitely became too crowded to use as a pattern.

 Overcoming this issue, I decided to use the tube lines that were at use in Liverpool St, which created a much simpler pattern that could be used as a skylight. 

I also trialled what the room would look like if I used the motion of roller coasters (garden roller coaster found in research) .. this too also became quite crowded. 



I came to the conclusion that the motion aspect could possibly just work through the furniture and walls, not through the overall space itself. This led me to experiment with fluid furniture and easy access to the equipment in the studio space.
At this point I created a base model to help me visualise my ideas.

Below I have designed tables that have computer sliders, which means that the computers are able to be situated wherever you want on the table through a remote control. This would mean you wouldn't have to continue to move your computer/laptop around manually on the table, when you have other work on the same table as well.

Interior details
After having a tutor session, I then realised I didn't have to individually create each piece of furniture for the interior space as this would take too long. In the end, I conducted research for fluid furniture, but I could not find much material. Staircases, I would say represent the most fluidity in a space. I researched into the staircases to aid me in the process of finding or designing the right furniture for Chiomah.

The main furniture I used for Chiomah was Zaha Hadid's Zephyr sofas as well as the Volna table by Nüvist. They are slightly ambiguous designs yet have a fluidity, which met Chiomah's requests of 'organised mess' and 'motion'.

The walls would be very vibrant and colourful that reflect Holi, a spring festival. Initially I was going to spread the colours of Holi very scattered but I then changed this because I felt this might be quite distracting in the workspace. This week I concentrated on the materials that would be used. I will be using varieties of woods with different textures, as this is what my client proposed. 

I revisited the skylight idea and have been experimenting with the shapes of shadows to create for my client. The shape I decided to use was the tube lines pattern at Liverpool street. I experimented with tracing paper and normal paper, to see the different effects of shadows.

Although, the end outcome didn't appear to be motional on the exterior. This meant I would use the initial skylight pattern in the windows of the space.

When looking for the correct light design, I researched into the designs of skylights and different window designs, as many of them produced many different shadows and light patterns. In the end I decided to go with natural light because that is what my client requested. 
Focusing on the details of the light source and the effect I want the daylight to have, I have discovered a recent breakthrough nano technology called CoeLux which provides the light leak and shadows, I have wanted from natural light, artificially. I was absolutely astounded to find technology creating an element which could only be found naturally, sunlight. 


Finding CoeLux meant I overcame the issues of deciding where the placement of lights would be located in the space. The issue was that if I had created a complex skylight, this meant the lighting system would have been quite scattered. With CoeLux I then created a flat ceiling with many shapes, yet simultaneously having built in ceiling lights.
CoeLux also gives the ability to still have natural light as well as artificial light.