Furniture Designs IV

Bed, Desk, and Chair. Designed by Alexander O. Epstein.

Furniture Designs III

Bookcase design by Hannah Lawler, Rendering by Alexander O. Epstein

Furniture Designs II

Handle design by Katherine Ross, Dresser design by Hannah Lawler, Renderings by Alexander O. Epstein

Furniture Designs

LIGHTING

When designing the lighting, an important distinction was made by including a more organic feel to the strict structural divisions. These light covers provide a solution to the harsh lighting of fluorescence, allowing the user to either cover the raw light for a more soft look or open the shade to provide a brighter light.

HEAD BOARD

When designing the head board, the use of repetition acted as a key aspect. This repetition was broken up by the angle changes the various crevices and projections provided. This repetition was also broken up by the various materials used, such as metal and wood, alternating in a pattern that was both repetitive but unexpected.



Designs by Katherine Ross, Images by Alexander O. Epstein

Materials and Color Palatte for Dorm Room

(Eucalyptus Wood Sample)


(Cork Sample)


(Bamboo Wood Sample)


(Color Swatches)


For our materials, we wanted to put an emphasis on sustainability. Unlike the oak used in the current dorm room furnishings, all the woods above are fast-growing species that are considered sustainable resources. Eucalyptus wood is a hard wood, like oak, but grows much faster. To offset the blond wood in the furniture, we would make the floor out of cork. Cork is more aesthetically pleasing than linoleum, and also more environmentally friendly.

Our color palette would be mostly neutral, as a dorm room that is designed for diverse occupancy should be. The walls wouldn't be painted stark white, however, but instead, a light warm gray, which adds some visual interest without overpowering the color taste of the occupant.

Written by Katherine Ross and Hannah Lawler

An Informational Blog

This blog contains information about Fin de Siècle Vienna and the Wiener Werkstätte. In addition, it also contains student work inspired by the aesthetics and production methods of the Werkstätte. This blog was created for Michelle Duncan's class, "Art and Design in Turn of the Century Vienna" given at the Rhode Island School of Design, Spring 2010.

Rationale for Student Project:

We wanted to expand upon the philosophy of the "Gesamtkunstwerk" which characterized the Wiener Werkstätte's production methods. We applied this philosophy in order to collaboratively re-design the freshman dorm rooms here at the Rhode Island School of Design. We decided to work within a set materials list and a set color palette, as well as within a contained vocabulary of shapes. For this project, we took the perpendicular and decreasing patterns found in the ratio of Nautilus shells--the golden ratio. We used this motif, sometimes adhering to its original proportions, other times abstracting it, in order to create a unified space. This unity is appropriate for the standardization of dorm rooms. Additionally, the unity provides visual cohesion, which helps to create a space in which students desire to both live and work.


The contributors of this blog are:

Alexander Epstein, Industrial Design 2012

Andy Romer, Photography 2012


Katherine Ross, Painting 2012



Hannah Lawler, Illustration 2012