Exterior lounge concept

I like the concept of bringing the inside out. In this concept I created an outdoor living room for a rooftop deck, using comfortable seating, large planters for privacy and natural wood side tables.

Observing

One of the many reasons I decided join the world of interior designers and decorators is the opportunity to draw on a regular basis. During my studies in interior design, one of our teachers brought us to various public places to do quick observational sketches, as shown here. It was a lot of fun and it's a great way to better understand perspective drawing and notice various design details in a space.

Restaurant design concept

I was going through some old files of mine and stumbled across an old project that I figured I'd share with you. The goal was to create a concept for a restaurant located in a trendy area of the city. I came up with a minimalist concept using simple natural materials (wood, glass, concrete). Above is the bar located in the back. The bottles were to be placed behind the glass wall and lit from the back to be the focal point of the restaurant. The bar top made out of glass could also be lit. You would be able to see it from the street at night. I was quite happy the round booth echoing the shape of the bar and the custom table to go with it.

I was really into cantilevered chairs and designed stools to match. The wall behind the booth along both wall were "bare" using zebra wood veneer. I was more interested in texture than doing anything graphic. I thought it was a nice back drop to the beautiful kou chandeliers.

Warm tropical bedroom

Your environment influences your well being and your mood. So it's important to make sure that the space you live in is as comfortable and organized as possible. It should reflect who you are, what you like and what inspires you. As a designer I help clients become more comfortable and happier in their own space on virtually any budget.

In this case, I was asked to come up with design solutions for a small bedroom in a shared apartment. Most of the time, in a shared apartment, your room is your only personal space so it should be your sanctuary. This client wanted a space with warm colors, natural materials and space to do work, relax and store various items. My color inspiration for this space came, in part, from the following picture, as well as various items she owned.




I proposed placing her existing bed in the corner of the room in order to maximize the available space. There was then enough space to add a desk on the other side, a wardrobe and a lounge chair. With pillows placed on both walls, the bed would also serve as a large sofa. Although she liked the color orange, I proposed to use it as an accent rather on the walls.


Design is all about function. In a small room, using furniture for more than one purpose is key. On one wall I proposed to put a desk and install a mirror on the wall above it. That way the desk could be used to do homework and as a dressing table. A dresser and a wardrobe next to it provides much needed storage. I also proposed to add a floating shelf above the mirror and install lights under it to save space on the work surface.


The area under the bed is a very good place to add large floor baskets and increase the amount of storage in the room. A bamboo ladder would be used as a magazine rack. A series of custom boxes (almost like shadow boxes) would hold various jewelry. This way she would have a space to store her jewelry but also use it as art on the wall.


I reserved a space for her to be able to read next to the window with a little side table to put various things on it.


On the angled wall, the idea was to reuse an existing bookcase and use modified baskets as wall sconces.