One thing I admire about the New York Institute Of Art & Design: Interior Design Course is the fact that it is self-paced. You can decide to go as fast or as slow as you like. Sometimes life hits you like a ton of bricks and the timeline or due date you have set for yourself goes out the window. It feels good to know you can start back where you left off, without any interruptions. Needless to say, getting back into the groove of things after taking a very long break was not an easy task. Apart from finding ways to fit studying into my schedule and remaining motivated, I had to play catch up when completing the Unit 2 project. With the material being clearly labeled and easy to follow, I was back in business in no time.
Taking this course is in an effort to learn the design fundamentals, as a foundation to become a better designer. As I complete each unit I will give an overview of each section for those interested in taking the course and as a method of documenting my process.
What you'll Learn
Creating a Floorplan
Proportion and Scale
Value and Intensity
Furniture Styles: Early Farmhouse
How Decorators Charge
Declutter, Organization and Storage
Unit 2 Project
The Unit 2 project was a continuation of Unit 1. This section dug deeper into creating a more refined floorplan for the living room, in conjunction with the rough sketch, lifestyle questionnaire, and room checklist that was previously submitted. I actually, had to start at ground zero in this unit because the space I used previously was no longer available to me. So in addition to the finished floor plan for my new space, I also had to resubmit my documents from unit 1. I didn’t sweat it, I just used this as extra practice to work on my drafting skills. Also, having a new space to work with made the project more interesting.
Part two of Unit 2 involved completing a refined floor plan, rough sketch, lifestyle questionnaire, and room checklist for a bedroom. At this point, I am starting to get the hang of drafting and breezed through this rather quickly. After submitting my documents online, I received a grade a couple of days later. There were only a few mistakes that I needed to correct. Along with each grade, the teacher sends an audio file of her critique. This feature provides the classroom experience from the comfort of your own home.
The first critique my instructor provided was to fix the kitchen counter in my final floor plan. Because my living/dining space opens to the kitchen, my kitchen counter/bar jets out into that space. On my floor plan, I placed the interior wall right behind that counter ( located on the south wall approx. 10 squares in length). This is incorrect because there is no wall directly behind the counter/bar. Another critique was to indicate where doors lead and place full dimensions for windows on the rough sketch.
In all, this project was awesome. As things start to become second nature, I am beginning to lose the awkwardness of starting something new. Stay tuned, In unit 3 we will be creating a furniture plan.
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