Niamh Conway

The following information has been taken from the book pictured above 'Interior Design Reference Manual'. In the design process an interior designer develops design concepts which are physical solutions to the client's problems and which reflect approaches to satisfying the programmatic concepts. The book 'Problem seeking' identifies 24 programmatic concepts that tend to recur in all types of buildings, although they generally do not all occur in the same building or interior space. I found the following 24 concepts to be very helpful; Priority - establishes the order of importance of things such as size, position or social values.  Environmental controls - includes air temperature, light, sound and humidity.  Phasing - determines if the project must be completed in stages to meet time and cost schedules.  Cost control - explores ways to establish a realistic preview of costs and a balanced budget to meet the client's available funds.  Hierarchy -...

As research for the St Munchin's military exhibition project I looked at Parque das Ruínas in Rio de Janeiro. This is an art gallery built around the ruins of a mansion. It was a good example to look at as it took into consideration the existing building and the exhibition complimented the design and this is what we must consider for St Munchin's Church. Below are some pictures of Parque das Ruínas.

Our final college project consists of proposing a design that will house a Military collection in St Munchins Church which will include the Carrol Collection and the newly acquired Armstrong Collection.  Our first site visit was last Wednesday and below are some pictures I took on the day. 

What is a mood board?  A mood board is a collection of colours, images, fonts, and textures that perfectly define what your project is all about. It is a simple way to get across the feeling/mood you are trying to create in a space which can sometimes be very difficult to explain to a client in words.   Interior designers will create a mood board in almost every project they work on. Below are a few examples of some mood boards I have created for various projects.  https://www.canva.com/learn/make-a-mood-board/ < Here is a link with more information on mood boards and tips on how to create one yourself, enjoy!

Below is an image of a research board I created for a recent college project. Research boards are a good idea to put together when working on a new design challenge, especially when there is a lot of new information involved.  This board was used for 'The Rendu Centre' project which involved redesigning a space for a particular group of 'service users'. The service users needs and requirements were something that involved a lot of research and I felt by putting all of the gathered information on a physical board rather than on a digital board it was easier to keep focused on the clients needs as I could have the board in front of me while working on every aspect of the project.  

During the Christmas break I went on a trip to Budapest for 5 days. Budapest has some amazing architecture and fascinating interiors. I would highly recommend visiting the area! Below are some pictures I took on the trip. Enjoy!  Interiors Architecture  Fisherman's bastion Shoes on the Danube The Hungarian parliament building The chain bridge Szechenyi thermal bath St Stephens Basilica  Vagdahunyad castle

Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy the few weeks off, make the most of your break!