Susan Chambers, Interior Designer

This semester, in design school, I took a class called Materials and Resource I.

To give you an idea of what’s covered in the class, read this class description: Emphasizes the background knowledge necessary for selection of interior finishes for walls, floors (textile and non-textile), ceilings and other non-textile components needed in interior environments.  Topics include: selection criteria and resourcing for interiors, documentation, specification and code compliance for finish applications..

Our end-of-semester project was to write a report and create a photo collage (mine is shown above) of one featured material from a list provided to us (see list below).

This is the final project as assigned by the Instructor:

INDS 1130Materials and Resources

Final Project Instructions

Spring 2012

Step One

Choose one featured material.  This could be from any category we have studied throughout the semester.  Select one material that interests you or that you would like to spend more time learning about.  Spend focused time learning about the product, locating it from a manufacturer/dealer, even going by a local showroom.  Request samples, literature, or photos as appropriate.  Learn everything you can about the product:

• What it is made of
• How it is manufactured or fabricated
• What would be required for installation and how the material interfaces with surrounds or substrate
• Manufacturer, vendor, or distributor info where it can be purchased or specified.  Do they work with the general public or to the trade only?
• Quantity packaging/pricing
• Maintenance factors
• Environmental and code considerations

Material Categories:

• Concrete
• Brick
• Stone
• Metal
• Glass
• Wood
• Carpet
• Resilient Flooring
• Tile
• Terrazzo
• Composites
• Wallcoverings
• Paint
• Plastics and Laminates
• Cabinets
• Plumbing

Step Two

Decide on a location within the health club floor plan to use your selected material.  Write a complete specification for its installation.  The specification document outlines are provided, and will need to be altered based on your material.  Refer to your textbook CD specification checklists.   Attach drawings as necessary.

Step Three

For the room/space that you chose in the health club, select the other materials that you would use.  Fill out a finish schedule listing these materials and key the floor plan appropriately.  Create a photo or sample collage of these materials for presentation.  Key the collage to the finish schedule for reference.

For any given space, you will need to address a minimum of floors, walls, ceilings, trim, and hardware.

Step Four

Assemble your documentation.  You will need to submit:

• Featured material presentation (sample or photo with descriptive info)
• Featured material specification
• Finish schedule listing all materials in your chosen space
• Photos or samples of other materials selected
• Floor plan with keyed references to finish schedule

Prepare to share with the class.  Format should be professional, such as a design board, power point, or portfolio notebook.

Step Five

Present your project to the class on May 2, 11:00 am.

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This is the written portion of my final project:

Susan Chambers

Materials and Resources

INDS 1130

Final Project

May 2, 2012

Hickory Engineered Hardwood

Specifications

Manufacturer:  Armstrong

Wood Species:  Hickory

Collection:  Century Farm

Construction:  Engineered

Product Number:  GCH484MTLG

Finish System (protective surface coating):  Permion Urethane

Look

Color:  Mountain Smoke

Design/Texture (flooring surface appearance):  Hand-scraped

Gloss Level:  Low Gloss

Edge Type:  Pillowed Edge/Pillowed Ends

Measurement

Width:  5”

Length:  Varying Lengths: 9 – 48 in.

Thickness:  ½ “

Square Foot per Carton:  28

Installation

DIY Level:  Intermediate

Installation Location:  Below/On/Above Ground Level

Installation Method:  Glue or Staple or Floating

Product Classification

Board-to-Board Color Variation
Wood is a natural material that features changes in color and tone. The board-to-board color variation is more pronounced in some species, less in others. If you like the look of contrasting light and dark tones, select a species that offers most color variation. If you prefer consistent color from board to board, choose the least color variation.

Hardness Scale
The density/hardness of the wood species and its ability to withstand foot traffic, children and pets will impact its wear performance, and will vary from species to species. Strong, resilient Oak is used as the industry benchmark. The hardness scale shown to the left shows the relative hardness of this wood species.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered wood flooring is built up of layers of wood. It consists of three to ten layers, called plies that are glued together. This multi-ply structure gives engineered wood superior stability, greater than solid wood, which reduces concerns associated with shrinking and expanding when temperature and humidity change. Engineered wood can be installed below ground level making it a great choice for finished basements.

Installation

While it is not necessary to acclimate engineered flooring, it is best to store it in the environment in which is it expected to perform prior to installation.

Engineered flooring may be installed below-, on- or above- grade level.  Do not install in full bathrooms.

This flooring can be glued, stapled or installed as a floating floor.  For glued installation use Armstrong ProConnect Professional Hardwood Flooring Adhesive or Armstrong 57 Urethane Adhesive or Armstrong EverLAST Premium Urethane Adhesive.

For floating installation only, use a pad or underlayment.  Armstrong recommends a polyfoam underlayment, Armstrong Quiet Comfort or Armstrong Quite Comfort Premium underlayment.  The recommended wood glue for joint gluing of floating floor is Armstrong 99 Hardwood & Laminate Flooring Adhesive.

Purchase

This product can be purchased from many specialty retailers and home centers.  Specialty retailers in Marietta, Georgia which carry the product include Select Floors, Inc., Enhance Floor Trends, Hackney Carpet and Wallpaper, Amazon Floors, Hardwood Floors Unlimited, Restor-It Flooring Systems, and Carpets by Dennis.  Home centers in Marietta, Georgia which carry the product include Lowe’s and Home Depot.

Quantity Packaging/Pricing

The Armstrong website includes a Project Estimator tool which homeowners can use to get a sense of project budget, materials and installation needs.  This product is sold in cartons of 28 square feet.  The price ranges from $6.00 to $7.00 per square foot depending on where purchased.

When ordering flooring, 5% must be added to the actual square footage needed for cutting and grading allowance (10% for diagonal installations).

For floating installation only, a pad would also need to be purchased.  Armstrong sells a product they recommend called S-1836 Quiet Comfort Underlayment Premium, which according to their website provides a moisture barrier with superior noise reduction and greater underfoot comfort.  E-Floors.com sells this product for $69.99 for a 100 square foot roll.

Cleaning/Maintenance

Armstrong considers the term hardwood floors to include both engineered and solid hardwood floors.  To care for Armstrong hardwood floors, first, dry mop or vacuum, then clean with Armstrong Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner in the spray bottle. It comes in a ready-to-use, no-rinse formula, and it’s suitable for all gloss level finishes. For highly worn areas of your floor, try Bruce’s Fresh Finish to restore the shine.

Remember, dry mopping is fine for a quick dusting, but if all you do is dry mop, you will eventually grind the dirt into the surface of the floor. Use only cleaning products specifically designed for hardwood to remove soil.

Never use any cleaner that requires you to introduce water to hardwood floors – even sealed floors. Water will seep into and around the planks and cause serious damage to your floor.

This semester, in design school, I took a class called History of Interiors II.

To give you an idea of what’s covered in the class, read this class description:  Emphasis is on historical foundations of furniture and architecture from the Baroque to the present.  Topics include: historical architectural and furniture concepts, furniture and architectural terminology, furniture and architectural construction and materials and historic design development.

Our end-of-semester project was to create a design presentation board (shown above) based one one historical item from the permanent collection of Atlanta’s High Museum Decorative Arts and Design Collection: http://www.high.org/Art/Permanent-Collection/Decorative-Arts-and-Design.aspx (I selected the silver mustard pot crafted by Arthur Stone in 1909: you can see it in the top left corner of the design board above).  Since the item I selected was a Federal Design period prototype, my presentation board also needed to represent the Federal Design period (which you can read about below).

This is the final project as assigned by the Instructor:

Select one item from the permanent collection of Atlanta’s High Museum Decorative Arts and Design Collection.

Of course it would be fun to visit the museum, or you can select it from their online photos:  http://www.high.org/Art/Permanent-Collection/Decorative-Arts-and-Design.aspx

Research the piece and provide a write-up about it.  Include the following information:

• Details about the item you have selected, which may include:
  • Description
  • History
  • Artist/designer
  • Uses
  • Design period of which it is from and characteristics the item exhibits that are indicative of the style
  • Discussion of the design period, which may include:
    • Dates
    • Social and cultural description for the period
    • Important people
    • Design Characteristics
    • Effects and influences

Design a room around your selection!  You may choose items from the same period as well as mix in other styles to compliment the piece.

Create a design board to include:

• Design concept title, using fonts/graphics that help communicate the aesthetic principles and elements (such as line direction, rhythm, texture, etc.)
• Color chart:  in keeping with your design concept, show about 5 colors that you would use based on or in reaction to your inspiration piece.  If your room is in keeping with the period style, you would want to use colors from that design period.  If you room is a modern-day interpretation, perhaps your color palette will be updated from the original period.
• 5 Key furnishings, including your inspiration piece
  • Add finish samples for items that would require a selection (such as upholstery or wood finish)
  • Room finishes for flooring, walls/ceiling, hardware
  • Lighting concept photo (either a fixture or overall idea)

Present your project to the class.
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This is the written portion of my final project:

Susan Chambers

History of Interiors and Architecture II

INDS 1155

Final Project

April 30, 2012

Federal Style Mustard Pot and Spoon

Description

This mustard pot and spoon, currently on display as part of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, Decorative Arts and Design collection was designed by Arthur J. Stone in 1909.  Visible through the carved sides of the silver pot is the cobalt blue, glass liner.  The small mustard pot has a hinge and miniature spoon.

The pot measures 2 ½ x 1 7/8 inches with a handle that is ¾ inches long.  The miniature spoon measures 3 ¼ x 7/8 inches.

History

The piece was designed by Stone in 1909 and was loaned to the High Museum as part of the Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection.  It is a prototype from the American Federal design period.

Artist/Designer

Stone (American, born England, 1847-1937) was a renowned silversmith who created new designs based on historical motifs and forms from earlier design periods.  Stone established his own silver shop in Massachusetts in 1901 and was active in the business until his retirement in 1937.  The shop closed in 1957.

Uses

The design of Stone’s mustard pot was a fairly common design at the time.  The pierced body of the pot with blue glass liner inside was a detail used in many types of condiment sets.  A matching spoon would always accompany the set.  This type of mustard pot was first introduced around 1720 when mustard began to be manufactured as a paste instead of a powder.  The spoon was used for serving the paste and the lid allowed the paste to be stored when not in use.  Since the glass liner could be removed, it was easily cleaned.

The small size of the pot allows it to be passed around the table during meals, while the thumb-piece allows one to lift the pot and lid with one hand and serve from the spoon with the other hand.  The pierced sides make the pot a little lighter in weight.

Federal Design Period

The Federal design period was a period of Classic Revival style in the United States from 1790 to 1830.  During the 1700s, American designs closely followed English designs as American colonies grew and prospered.  Georgian architecture and design, popular in England from 1720 to 1840, was named for the three English Kings who reigned during this period:  George I, Georgia II and George II.

Robert Adams was a popular English furniture designer who designed Georgian style furniture based on Greek and Roman examples.  Adams published engravings on his designs that helped to popularize them.  His furniture was graceful, refined, simple and elegant.  His furniture was accessible only to the very wealthy.

The Georgian style appealed to American tastes and was incorporated into the architecture and design of American colonies.  However, during the Revolutionary period in America, design stagnated due to the preoccupation with the war with England.  After the Revolutionary War, America’s founding fathers used Neoclassicism to represent their close empathy with the republican values of Rome and the ancient democracies of Greece.  After the war, the term Federal, in honor of a new American republic, was applied to the continued neoclassical influences in America.  Having just won their freedom, Americans were sympathetic to the Greek struggle against the occupying Ottoman Turks.  In America, the period following the Revolutionary war as a period of great expansion and this Greek influence resulted in numerous cities being named after Greek cities.  As expansion continued, many new buildings were built in the Greek temple style.

The Federal style added new simple motifs, often framed as panels or friezes, to the balanced and symmetrical Georgian style that had been practiced in the American colonies.  The Federal style was luxurious, yet understated, with graceful lines and spacious placement of furniture.  This style appealed to the tastes and ideals of the countries founding fathers.  The Federal style, a formal neoclassical style, unlike the previous American Colonial Style, was a style adapted by the affluent.

The most commonly used Federal motif is the American Bald Eagle with wings spread.  Greek and Roman style portraits were popular as well as busts of patriotic leaders like George Washington.  Urns and urn-shaped designs, as well as stars and stripes, were used frequently.  Natural themes consisted of Acanthus, tobacco leaves, shells, coral and birds.

Oval shapes were emphasized for windows, hardware, and decorative embellishments.  Oval sunbursts and reeded columns were elements included in almost everything from exterior decoration to fireplace mantels and furniture inlays.

Oval shapes were also included in architecture, including the White House’s oval office.  Curves were favored above rectangles and rooms often had simple curved plaster walls and rounded Palladian style arched doorways and windows.  Ceilings, doorways, and mantels were often adorned with simple plaster garlands and swags draped in curvilinear arcs.

Federal style furniture, like all neoclassical design, was light, graceful and featured simple, clean lines with understated elegance.  The legs of furniture pieces were tapered and the furniture made use of contrasting veneers and inlays of geometric designs.  Earlier, larger pieces of furniture used brass drawer pulls with round brass rings and featured brass feet.

Bibliography

Ireland, Jeannie. History of Interior Design. New York: Fairchild, 2009. Print.

Chazz, “American Federal Period Interior Design and Home Décor.”,  Squidoo, LLC

<http://www.squidoo.com/american-federal-period-interior-design-and-home-decor>

“Federal Architecture.”, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_architecture>

“Mustard Pot.”, Museums Sheffield

<http://www.museums-sheffield.org.uk/collections/objects-in-3d/food/mustard-pot>

“Arthur J. Stone Mustard Pot.”, Atlanta High Museum of Art

<http://www.high.org/Art/Permanent-Collection/CollectionDetails.aspx?deptName=Decorative Arts and Design&objNum=1989.140 A-B&pageNumber=3>