Tag Archives: interior design

“Inside Modern Texas” Opens This Thursday!

A new exhibit, “Inside Modern Texas: The Case for Preserving Interiors,” opens April 10th at 6 pm at The University of Texas at Austin’s Architecture & Planning Library.

“Inside Modern Texas” offers insight on interior design during the period 1945 to 1975, touching upon the development of the profession and the issues faced today in historic preservation. Texas interiors from this period serve as case studies to illustrate emerging ideas in design and practice.

The exhibit includes photographs, original drawings and printed materials from the Alexander Architectural Archive and the Architecture and Planning Library. Featured architects and interior designers include George L. Dahl, Harwell Hamilton Harris, Karl Kamrath, Howard R. Meyer and John Astin Perkins.

Emily Ardoin, a graduate student in the School of Architecture’s Historic Preservation program, curated the exhibit through a new program developed with the School of Architecture.  Head Librarian Beth Dodd hopes that collaborations such as this will provide graduate students with more opportunities to use the archives to produce new scholarship.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the student experience, and curating an exhibit is an incredibly rigorous process that demands thorough research, careful selection and interpretation of materials, and exhibit design,” says Dodd.  “The endowment created by the late Professor Blake Alexander now enables us to offer our students this funded internship.”

Mid-twentieth-century buildings are gaining widespread acceptance as candidates for historic preservation, but few retain their original modern interiors. Because they are so closely connected to human activity, interiors can be especially important conveyors of historic significance, but they are highly vulnerable to changing tastes and functional requirements. The perceived impermanent nature of interior design components, and historic preservation legislation which often focuses on building exteriors, further complicates preservation efforts.

Repositories such as the Alexander Architectural Archive provide opportunities to study the history of design. “Because interiors are so vulnerable to change, teaching and research rely on libraries and archives for historic documentation,” notes Dodd.  “In this first exhibit, Emily had to dig deep to discover material in the collections of architects who were only starting to recognize interior design as a distinct profession.”

The exhibition will be on display in the Architecture and Planning Library reading room in Battle Hall through September, and is free and open to the public. The opening reception will be held April 10 at 6:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Society of Architectural Historians 2014 Annual Conference.

Inside Modern Texas: Behind the Scenes with Emily Ardoin

Last semester, Graduate Research Assistant Emily Ardoin, a Masters candidate in Historic Preservation within the School of Architecture, introduced us to her process behind developing a curated exhibit – from scratch! Very few have this incredibly unique and rewarding opportunity, and, needless to say, those of us in the library were beyond thrilled for her. As the Society of Architectural Historians Conference swiftly approaches, which coincides with the official opening reception of the exhibition, we decided to check in with Emily and get more details from the curator herself.

To recap, Emily was tasked with developing a display for the Reading Room in Battle Hall for the Spring 2014 semester. During her brainstorming phase, she sifted through myriad issues of Interiors magazine, Texas Architect, and more journals from the Architecture and Planning Library as not only a source for inspiration, but as a gauge for what materials were available to her within the walls of Battle Hall. As most of our library users can attest to, the Architecture and Planning Library is full of information (we’re lucky to say that!), so Emily utilized her Interior Design background, current Historic Preservation studies, and a time range from World War II to approximately 1975 to help narrow her foci and eventually land on a exhibition topic that was specific enough to pin down a clear focus, yet broad enough to encapsulate a spectrum of available archival materials.

Emily also noted that The Society of Architectural Historians Annual Conference, held this year in Austin from April 9th-13th, could also serve as a source of inspiration for unearthing an exhibition focus. While perusing the paper topics for the upcoming conference, Emily noticed one in particular: Placing the Profession: Early Contexts for Interior Design Practice in the US. This, in conjunction with her educational studies, helped Emily land on her topic of “Inside Modern Texas: The Case For Preserving Interiors.” Says Emily of the topic:

“The idea behind it is that, as much as modern architecture is gaining momentum in historic preservation [nowadays], interiors aren’t always considered. This is also true of buildings of other periods, but with modern interiors, significant characteristics like spatial relationships or lack of ornament can be especially difficult to recognize.  And commercial interiors are a challenge. There can be more pressure to update constantly when a forward-thinking image is considered important for the success of a business.”

To articulate her thought process visually, Emily divided her exhibition into three main parts, the first being a brief overview of modern interior design and its principles. As interior designers or architectural history buffs may know, interior design was still in the process of growing into its own profession during the mid twentieth century. Emily, in the first third of her exhibition, lays out the several factors that contributed to the profession of interior design in Texas, focusing on major influences, including the contributions of the Dallas Market Center. Harwell Hamilton Harris created the drawings for the Trade Mart within the Center, which the Alexander Archive possesses – a key example of the types of resources available!

The second part of the exhibition transitions to a chronological overview of interiors, sourced from the Archive and images from the library’s journals. These sections serve as an excellent primer for the final third of Emily’s exhibition: the challenges behind preserving modern historic interiors. To articulate her thought process, emily utilizes three case study examples in Texas: The Wilson House in Temple, former home and showroom of the founder of Wilsonart Laminate Company and current house museum for the same company; the famous Inwood Theatre in Dallas, which features a 1980’s bar addition to its 1947 lobby interior; and the Austin National Bank Building, now McGarrah Jessee Advertising on East 6th Street, a key feature in Austin’s adaptive reuse scene.

By doing exhaustive research and spending her working days fawning over the Archive’s incredible depth of modern architectural drawings, photographs, prints, and more (it was one of her favorite parts!), Emily has created a beautiful and thoughtful exhibition that draws attention to a highly relevant topic in preservation: the retention of historic interiors. Says Emily:

The interior of a building is what its users interact with directly, so it can serve as an especially informative historic record. That same direct interaction can be a challenge for continued use of the building. Adaptive reuse can be a very useful and practical preservation strategy, but it can result in quite a bit of change particularly to the interior. At the same time, not every historic building can be a house museum. You have to balance those priorities. It’s an interesting problem that historic preservation principles do address already, but whether the focus should be stronger is worth considering.

Emily, in the process of her curation, has uncovered so many provocative topics that could benefit researchers in the future. She has made sure to note when specific interior designers are referenced in projects she comes across, providing them to the archive staff to help with future collection. Interior design as it is today is a relatively young profession, so archival material can be more difficult to find. Though it may not seem like it for her now, Emily’s exhibition will go far beyond its display dates of late March to September 2014 – at least in terms of its research!

We are so excited for her work to be displayed concurrently with the Society of Architectural Historians Annual Conference. Please join us on April 10th for the opening reception!

Inside Modern Texas: Developing an Exhibit

I’ve been working all semester on a new GRA assignment in the Architecture and Planning Library/Alexander Architectural Archive, and I’m finally ready to let the word out. My task is to develop an exhibit for display in the Battle Hall Reading Room during the spring 2014 semester. See previous examples of Reading Room exhibits here and here. I’ve never worked in a museum or archive before, so the curating process was completely new to me. Here is how it’s happened so far.

After weeks of thinking about it, I chose to combine my interior design background and current focus in historic preservation and look at interiors of the modern movement as a consideration for preservation. First I set a few limits (modern nonresidential interiors, located in Texas only, between 1945 and around 1980). The next step was browsing hundreds of the Alexander Architectural Archive‘s holdings to find images that fit the theme. I also looked for background information on specific projects in the project files for various architects. This was my favorite part of the process. What could be more enjoyable than looking through beautiful drawings all day?

Browsing the Archive with Nancy Sparrow, Curatorial Assistant for Public Services
Browsing the archive with Nancy Sparrow, Curatorial Assistant for Public Services

Meanwhile, I completed preliminary research to inform the structure of the exhibit.  For this I discovered the reference collection located in the Reading Room. This area houses building code books and general reference volumes like encyclopedias, but it also includes great specific subject reference books related to architecture and design. Books such as A Century of Interior Design, 1900-2000 and Dallas Architecture, 1936-1986 helped me to establish a framework of development of the interior design industry and overall architectural development of Texas during the chosen time period.

I also decided to do outside research on recent historic preservation projects in Texas that gave some consideration to the original interior design. Several of these projects will be featured in the exhibit.

The next step was to outline the structure of the exhibit and select final images to display. Then came the title. The title needed to convey the subject (interior design), design era (modernism), time period (post-WWII), place (Texas), and the intent (consideration for historic preservation) in a concise and catchy package. After brainstorming and rearranging words what must have been hundreds of times, Inside Modern Texas: The Case for Preserving Post-War Interiors rose to the top.

Lots of behind-the-scenes tasks are still ahead to get this exhibit up and on display. Look for Inside Modern Texas some time in March.  Meanwhile, don’t forget to go beyond the stacks to the reference collection, Alexander Architectural Archive, and even special collections for your own research needs.

Interior Design Research Tools: Research Design Connections Archive

For part three of our installment of interior design research tools, we’re highlighting the incredible ease of use of the Research Design Connections Archive (RDC), one of the many paid subscriptions that UT Libraries maintains on behalf of University of Texas students, faculty and staff. Containing over 1,800 archived articles and blog posts, RDC offers a wide array of search tools that you can utilize to craft even the most specific results possible.

Unique to this database is its attention to these combination options. A special emphasis is put on behavior and special populations, two factors that are seminal to the design experience, but are sometimes overlooked in favor of trends or stylistic features. A specific setting is also offered as an option to narrow your search, which presents monumental ease if you’re zooming into a specific category of design.

Perhaps my favorite trait about this database are the links under the search bar. Instead of simply stating the titles of articles as their headline, they pose the question they explored in order to facilitate a design conversation. I am continuously thinking in questions: what is the most suitable material for a bar countertop in a high-traffic restaurant? How much energy goes into maintaining a temperature-controlled art gallery? How much pattern is too much pattern? I truly appreciate RDC’s database organization, which grasps exactly how designers are thinking whilst performing research.

Though there are hundreds of electronic research tools available for designers, we hope that our assessment of three that we find especially helpful: IIDA Knowledge Center, InformeDesign, and Research Design Connections Archive – helps you in navigating the endless foray of knowledge that can sometimes complicate or hinder the research process.

Journal Feature: Interiors & Sources

In honor of Open Access Week, this week’s journal feature ties in our October-long celebration of interior design with the aspect of community. Our past journal features have largely focused on periodicals that highlight the holistic finished product of a design, including project summaries and architectural drawings. This week’s feature, however, zooms into the pieces that make a cohesive design happen: its materials.

Interiors & Sources, a monthly American publication, puts the spotlight on manufacturers and how their products are applied to interior projects. In the September 2013 issue, Interiors & Sources highlights pro-bono work around the country, nonprofit companies that are creating real change, and designs that have the ability to pull people away from their smartphone-ridden lives.

One of the September features is on Connie Duckworth’s Azru Studio Hope, a textile company that employs women in rural Afghanistan. Azru Studio Hope provides women with looms in their homes to create hand-woven rugs for both residential and commercial use, designed by notable figures such as Frank Gehry and Michael Graves. In a tumultuous country that struggles with gender equality, these women are now viewed as viable economic units to their families, and are reviving native craft techniques in the process. In addition to a stabilizing income, Azru Studio Hope’s social contract with its employees helps educate their children, gives pregnant mothers-to-be access to medical assistance, and, above all, creates a stable, centric community.

In addition to incredible nonprofit ventures in the design sector, Interiors & Sources highlights materials and their creative application to interiors. Flooring, unique ceramic tiles, wall coverings, technology, and more are explored, giving insight into new styles, trends, and case studies, including Harlem’s Hamilton Grange Teen Center. Each section finds unique ways to tie product and design goals back to the overarching theme: community.

Interiors & Sources journals are typically less than 100 pages and give a great month-by-month assessment of what’s happening in the world of design materials today. Though each spread was incredibly informative and full of sage advice for designers, perhaps our favorite quote came directly from the editor herself, Erika Templeton:

“…designers spend most of their time working through the chaos of day-to-day life, affecting real change and facing challenges that ultimately lead to a better way of living.”

And we couldn’t agree more! From one community to the next, designers – functioning as a tight-knit community themselves – are making real change in ways that resonate beyond material selection and a set of drawings.

What an incredible industry to be a part of!

Explore our selection of the most recent issues of Interiors & Sources in Battle Hall’s Reading Room.
Call Number: NK 1700 I64 September 2013 v. 29 no. 9

Interior Design Research Tools: InformeDesign

The 101 Years of Interior Design celebration at UTSOA is only a week away! To keep up with our October interior design focus here on our blog, we’ve selected InformeDesign as another research tool to showcase the importance of research in the design world.

Last week we featured IIDA’s Knowledge Center, a phenomenal tool to quickly access case studies, conference papers, theses, and more. InformeDesign is a similar format, and is also FREE!

InformeDesign, developed by the College of Design at the University of Minnesota, has a clear-stated mission statement to facilitate the integration of research and design practice through an easy-to-access, easy-to-read website. Here at the library, we think that’s an essentiality, which is why we’re so thrilled about this database!

Although the website is currently idle and unable to add new content, a wealth of previously uploaded scholarly journals are accessible. The search box is simple, and accommodates various terms and of levels of complexity. I started with a generic search in ‘sustainability’ and moved to ‘sustainable lighting’ – both with results that were both broad and specific, but all within relevancy.

When you click on a link of interest, InformeDesign offers a clear, organized, and concise page highlighting the essential elements of an article. Perhaps the most useful are the Design Criteria and Key Concepts categories, which outline the purpose of the study and the factual results. Though the results do not link you directly to an article, they give you all of the bibliographic information at the bottom if you choose to access the research in its entirety. For those that are seeking quick results with actual data and conclusive summaries, InformeDesign is perfect for you!

You can also create a free InformeDesign account to save articles and add commentary. All things considered, InformeDesign is a wonderful research tool for quick access to a staggering amount of useful design studies.

Happy researching, designers!

Journal Feature: Frame

This week’s journal feature highlights Frame, a European bi-monthly design periodical. The most recent September/October 2013 issue offers two-page quick-spreads of noteworthy designs from around the world, ranging from an illuminated night club in Portugal, a historic hotel in Malaysia, and the transformation of a power station to a cultural center in the Netherlands. In addition, Frame’s pages are studded with competitions and installations, often documenting the creative process behind unveiled designs with pictures, sketches, and models.

In the Features section, selected projects of specific architects and design firms are explored in depth, delving into the design process and project goals through interviews with the designers themselves, including two separate teams of brothers located in New York City. A portion of this issue’s Features section is dedicated to design in Brooklyn, showcasing projects that adhere to local roots and pay special attention to where their materials are sourced from. This spread brings forth the reclaim and reuse trend that has taken hold in recent years, and gives spectacular depth into the ethos of designers who value quality in modern craft.

Frame also showcases pioneers of eclectic design in their Portrait section, or those that don’t fit easily into one broad category of creative ingenuity. Paying tribute to the London-based designer Faye Toogood, the inspiration behind the “Get Raw” cover of this issue, Frame explores the diverse skill set and dynamic design ideas behind those who practice in a cross-discpline environment. Once again, through interviews, stunning photography, and vital artist quotes, Frame offers invaluable insight into the minds of those who have made design their livelihood.

The Reports section offers the same depth and insight as the designer interviews, but with product manufacturers and craftsmen that are so key to the realization of designs. Cotton, handcrafted wood, acoustic panelling, and more are brought to focus, their innovative design applications exposed. For designers, keeping up to speed with the most cutting-edge products available is essential, and Frame offers a behind-the-scenes insight into what drives the creativity of those in the manufacturing realm.

The 224-page issue of Frame is full of captivating curiosities and a wealth of design inspiration. Each page is inviting and educational; even the advertisements take you on a miniature design journey that often left me subconsciously envisioning the perfect space for a product to shine. Frame‘s unusual depth into the diverse world of design practitioners, transcending the realms of interior design and architecture into industrial design and installation art, is showcase of the beauty behind myriad creative individuals working towards a common goal: great design.

The September/October issue of Frame, along with four more of the most recent bi-monthly issues, are available for use in our Reading Room. There’s a good chance you might find me sitting at a nearby table, still flipping through each page… if that’s the case, just ask me to share – I promise I will!

Call Number: NK 1700 F73 no. 94

For more of everything Frame, keep up with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Interior Design Research Tools: IIDA Knowledge Center

When sifting through the myriad resources available to designers, it’s easy to experience a legitimate information overload. Periodicals, drawings, essays, reports – encompassing style, technology, safety, products – there’s so much to uncover! However, we’ve accumulated some exceptional electronic research tools to help, and the IIDA Knowledge Center is one of them.

The International Interior Design Association‘s database does a fantastic job of concentrating a wealth of resources into one succinct and easy-to-use interface. A typical search results in access to relevant research papers, master’s theses, conference reports, specification guides, and more. Just getting started in your research? No problem – the Knowledge Center lets you filter your search by resource type, client type, or topic, which can put you on a fast track to finding the information that’s most relevant to you.

A test topic search for ‘hospitality’ results in a staggering amount of diverse resources, presented in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you’re falling into the electronic abyss of irrelevant hyperlinks. My favorite part about this database: the option to organize your search results by either relevance or topic. Choosing ‘topic’ creates clusters of links based on subcategories such as branding, space planning, color, and more – it’s so simple and time saving!

Regardless of how deep you are into your research for a design project, we hope the IIDA Knowledge Center can be an indispensable addition to your toolbox. Did we mention that it’s FREE?

Keep a look out – we’ll touch on some more electronic resources for designers in the upcoming weeks in honor of the 101 Years of Interior Design celebration!

Journal Feature: Architectural Record

To continue our interior design focus throughout October, we’ve selected Architectural Record as this week’s journal feature. Though likely more widely recognized in the American design world versus those we highlighted in last week’s post, we felt Architectural Record was a great periodical to feature this week because of their most recent issue: Record Interiors 2013.

This issue embraces all things interior, ranging from studies on 2013 restaurants, offices, and residences to product briefs on kitchen and bath tiles. Regardless of the issue, Architectural Record always does a fantastic job of integrating drawings, costs, product specifications, and exceptional photography into the summary of each space they feature.

We highly recommend looking through September’s issue, as well as keeping up with the subscription we receive in the Reading Room for detailed articles on beautiful spaces, design trends, and building technology. We’re always happy to continuously offer our journal subscriptions to our students as resources – free of cost!

Call Number: NA 1 A6 v.201 No.9

Happy reading!

Journal Feature: AMC Le moniteur architecture

In honor of the upcoming 101 Years of Interior Design Celebration in late October, our journal feature this week showcases some of 2013’s best interior projects. AMC Le moniteur architecture is a French language periodical that the Architecture & Planning Library receives monthly, and the delivery of their special annual publication came at an apt time!

If you’re not versed in French, no worries – AMC is full of large-scale drawings and beautiful photographs, which is universal for any language. This special issue features office, tourism, retail, and restaurant projects with innovative and striking interiors. My first thought while flipping through the pages: if I had consistently looked through journals during my studios as an undergraduate, my designs would have been so much more influenced by modern worldly trends! It’s hard to not feel inspired by each and every project.

Our Reading Room’s east wall is lined with periodicals from across the globe focusing on interior design, architecture, planning, sustainable design, historic preservation, construction technology, and beyond. We encourage you to flip through one (or two… or twelve) to get an in-depth look at what’s happening in the design world today!

If you’re interested in more great interior design periodicals, we also highly recommend Project Russia, a journal from Russia (no kidding). This month’s issue revolves around the possibility that design may be entering another age of exciting change. The articles are in English, too!

AMC Le moniter architecture Call Number: NA 1048.6A673
Project Russia Call Number: NA 1188 P764