Fri. 6/25 - Week6

I continued to look for fabrics and furniture for the new project, Miller. After we determined the living room furniture and fabric I then looked up pricing for each of them. I had to go out to Kuenhe to help Gina with some things. The warehouse brought the two couches, the one correct one and the one that had been broken. We placed them and then had to do some re-arranging in family room because we are no longer using the console that was designed to go in there. So we had more space and a rug that was now too small. But we arranged and fixed it. We then re-arranged one the bedrooms and now the spacing looks much better. The house is just about complete!

Thurs. 6/24 - Week6

Gina got a new client and therefore a new project and she is letting me help out a whole lot with it, which is really exciting for me. So I spent the morning picking out furniture and fabrics that were to the clients likes. The client has a smaller budget so I had to keep within certain vendors so and certain fabrics so we don't go over budget. I then went over what I had with Gina and we picked out some more fabrics and got a good color pallet going. I'm really excited about this opportunity I've been given and I plan on doing as much as I possibly can with it.

Wed. 6/23 - Week6

Today was the installation of Gina's project, the Kuenhe Residence. All the furniture was brought in, we had to cut and tape the rug pads and then place the rugs on them in the correct place which was actually a lot harder than it would seem. I ironed some of the bedding and placed furniture. There were a couple hicups along the way, there was a wrong couch brought from the ware house, another had a broken leg, there was a problem with one of the head boards, but we got it taken care of. The rest of the installation went pretty smoothly. It took a long time but the place is really coming together and looks great. It's amazing how different things look on paper and the computer compared to set up in real life.

Tues. 6/22 - Week6

I rendered ALL day today.. Reisman Residence.

Mon. 6/21 - Week6

I went to the Bernardi residence, a newer project for to do window measurments. It is a condo and the layout is really is done really well. A lot of the finishes are being left as is. There are new kitchen appliances that are going to be put in and wood flooring in the master bedroom.
I then did an elevation of the wall where the entertainment center will be in the Sobieski house. I had to show the niches with the molding.
Next I started rendering the floor plan of the Reismen residence. It is very large and I will be continuing it tomorrow.

Fri. 6/18 - Week5

Today was a very productive day. I started out with printing tickets for the Kuenhe project. We will begin installation on Wednesday so I got the tickets ready for the things that will be delivered then. I then had to check the delivery tickets with the ware house inventory to make sure it was all there. I then had to play secretary for a while because our secrectary was only there part of the day. I had to answer the phones and greet people at the door. I then had to do a do another hand rendering, it was just of one room to be showed as a second option to a client.

Thurs. 6/17 - Week5

I went out to the Kuehne residence with Gina this morning. There wasn't much going on at the site. We met with the general contractor and went over some things that still needed to be changed or addd. We came up with a new floor design for the foyer and got all the dimensions we needed so it could be drawn up on CAD and shown to the client to make a final decision.
When I got back to DGW I sat down with Edgar and explained to him what needed to be done to the flooring in they foyer, so we drew up three different options for Gina. Later I continued on my list of vendors to call. I then hand rendered a floor plan for Glenn (the owner) who is giving a presentation tomorrow morning. (Shown above)

Wed. 6/16 - Week5

Above are portions of the Sobieski furniture plan, the whole thing was too large to upload on here.

I started the day out with calling some vendors left on my list of vendors to call. I then sorted through the incoming mail and up-dated vendor catalogs and cleaned up the resource library. I then sat down with Edgar and Gina and discussed with them re- tiling and patterning of the Kuehne residence's foyer. We went through what the client wanted and Edgar drew up different options on CAD. This was sort of strange/new to me because the Kuenhe residence is just about finished. The foyer floor, well all the floors are complete. I thought it weird that they are going to tear up the finished stone and wood flooring and insert something different. They are using the same materials but there is a lot more detail to it. But I suppose the client wasn't happy with how it is now, so they are re-designing it.
Later I filled out a window treatment quote request form for a manufacturer so they would have the finishes we wanted for our size window so they could price it for us. This was the first time I had done this and was a learning experience.

Tues. 6/15 - Week5

Today I started out with updating purchase orders with acknowledgments. I then did the furniture plan for the rest of the Sobieski residence. I am getting a lot of practice with CAD, and I'm glad I am, I enjoy it. When I finished I spent the rest of the day going thru Sam Moore fabrics discontinued list and throwing fabrics out.
I will have pictures posted soon of the CAD work I did today.

Mon. 6/14 - Week5

One of projects that is going on now is way over budget, so I searched for new furniture pieces online that could possibly be used instead. The style was extremely traditional, very detailed and decorative.
I then started the furniture plan for the Sobieski residence. We scanned in the floor plan into autocad then traced over it in CAD. This included the outdoor porch, or lanai. It had a curvey pool with decorative rocks, so it took me a while to get that done. I then got to do the space planning for the furniture going on the lanai, which was exciting for me, even though it wasn't very much. I was still happy I got to do it.

Fri. 6/11 - Week4

I started out putting all the renderings into pages to for the catalog. I then put those pictures in the proposal using Design Manager by doing this I learned more about the program and got to see the guts of what a propsal looks like and how it is made. Gina had me call the vendors of the fans she had bought for her Kuenhe project so I could find out if they were compatable with house's automated electrical system. I then went to the project site and everything is really coming together. There are minor things that need to be fixed or touched up. The drapery is now up and some lighting fixtures, the last of the wall coverings are being put up.
I then had to take a floor plan into photoshop and edit out all the technical information so I could get it ready to put furniture in, which is what I'll be working with next week.

Thurs. 6/10 - Week4

RENDERING! I have rendered all day today. I then scanned them, cropped them in photoshop and got them ready to add into the project catalog.

Wed. 5/9 - Week4

Today was kind of boring. I cleaned up the resource library, threw some things out. I added in more receivables. I also declared Construction Management as my minor! That was pretty exciting. I then began drapery and bedding renderings for the Reisman project.

Tues. 6/8 - Week4

This morning I went with my supervisor, Gina to the Kuenhe house, which she is the designer of. We did a walk-thru, or “punch” for finishing touches. This was very interesting to watch and experience. Gina had printed out a list of things that needed to be done by each person for each room, and distributed one to everybody that was involved. She is very organized and it is very effective. This way people knew exactly what needed to be done and by when and could also take notes. We went through each room, and each imperfection and discussed how, by who, and when it would be fixed. The project is really coming together and looks very nice. I’m anxious to see it when it’s done.

After lunch I typed in new additions to the schedule Gina had made for everyone so everyone can continuously be up-dated and prepared. I then got pictures ready for catalog for the Reisman project and printed all 150 pages out and put them all in individual sheet protectors.

Mon. 6/7 - Week4

Today I was taught how to enter information for a delivery ticket and then print it out. This information is very critical because it tells you what has been picked up from the warehouse or vendor and ready to go onto the project site. I did more work with entering receivables for purchase orders as usual, and made a few calls to vendors to order memo samples for a project. I later helped a designer pick out accent fabrics in a bedroom.

In the Kuenhe project I’ve been observing and minimally been helping out with, has 4 electrical panels in the laundry room. We needed two 36x46 canvas boards to cover in wall covering and then hang over the panels so they wouldn’t be seen. I called different local craft stores, considered our options and pricing and then got a check made to the store from our company to pay for it. When I went to pick up the two boards I was able to use a tax exempt card so I didn’t have to pay tax, which I thought was interesting.

Fri. 6/4 - Week3

I started out the morning by checking purchase orders. This is tedious but I know that it is vital to a project.

Later I went back to the Kuehne residence where I went yesterday. This time I went with the designer of the project, Gina this was a much different experience with her. She is on the home stretch of finishing it and is stressed out to make sure everything gets done and on time. She was very particular about things but it is her job to be. There is a very geometrical wood and tile inlay floor patter in the foyer and following hallways. All the tile and wood was inserted but some grout still had to be added to certain sections. It is a pattern is black marble outlining a large white marble pattern. With the big contrast it was easy to see that the very straight line of black tile was not exactly straight. Gina talked with the general contractor and the site manager about fixing it with proxi paint. This was a very big deal and detailed task. But they got it figured out so that it can be fixed.

This taught me just how much responsiblity is on a designers shoulders and I can see that it can be come very stressfull especially when it comes to crunch time. You are in charge of everything that is going on, and the client is greatly depending on you to their house done to perfection.

Later I went to Wilson lighting to pick up lighting fixtures for the same project, we brought them back and them off the purchase order list to make sure we had them all.

Thurs. 6/3 - Week3

Today I started out by checking more purchase orders and entering in more receivables. I then went out to the project site that I went to on my first day, the Kuhene residence. There were more finishes done today than before like painting, a wood panel ceiling and more stuff like that. There was no furniture yet but more of the floors were uncovered so I got to see the tile and wood floor patterns. It’s neat to see the process of a finishing project. I’m anxious to see the finished product of the whole condo.

After lunch I worked with Gina my supervisor on window details for ordering motorized shades for 2 different windows. As simple as this may sound, it is a very detailed task. You have to have dimensions of the window and the fixture you are adding, make sure it all fits and if it doesn’t happen to work you have to come up with another plan. Which is what happened to us, we decided to do two separate shades and then had to reconfigure dimensions and costs.

Wed. 6/2 - Week3

I did a lot of work checking and making sure purchase orders were up to date and correct. I went through two different projects. Í am learning a lot more about the process of purchase orders and how they work. And since Í do all this through Design Manager Í am getting a lot more familiar with it and understanding it better. I also did more work in AutoCad.

Tues. 6/1 - Week3

Today I did a lot more work in Auto Cad. I finished a few more furniture plans. I then moved on to elevations. I first watched Edgar do elevations of a tile design in a shower of a master bathroom. I learned a few more short cuts and took notes. I then did my own. Along the way I had a few questions and found out the easiest and most efficient way to complete the tile design. I also did an elevation of a tile back splash detail of the wet bar.

AutoCad furniture plans of Reisman

Fri. 5/28 - Week2

I only worked half a day today because Í am flying home for my sister’s high school graduation. I did a few more furniture plans of different rooms in the Reisman residence. I also showed Edgar and few other people my big revit project of the bakery from last semester. He really liked it and gave me some feed-back on it which was good. He also showed me his portfolio mainly from college. His work was really good and they mainly used 3D Studio Max, which I don’t know anything about but would be willing to learn.

Thurs. 5/29 - Week2

Today I went with Glen, the president of the firm and two other designers to color selection. The clients were the Sobeski’s who live in New Jersey and are building a home in an up-scale neighborhood called Belle Lago. Toll Brothers, American Home Design Builders is the company for this particular neighborhood in Belle Lago. So we went to one of their show rooms where they have models of different rooms. A color selection isn’t just color selection at all. Rather it’s sitting with the client and helping them pick out every single architectural fixture and detail of the house. This ranged from the tile design in the master bath to the style and placement of knobs on the kitchen cabinets. It was very long and a bit tedious. But I learned a lot. Toll Brothers represent a selection of manufacturers so they were already predetermined we just had to pick from those manufacturers which made it easier in a way. The house the clients chose came with a standard of options, but they upgrade a level with a price elevation. It was neat to learned what cost more and how much and how that system worked. I took lots of notes and gained a real client experience.

Wed. 5/26 - Week2

I began working in auto cad today with our architectural planner Edgar. He gave me the floor plan to the Reisman project I’ve been helping out with and I drew in simple furniture, coping the furniture plan that had already been designed for it. Because of the computer I was working on it was the 2008 version of auto cad. I’ve never worked in the 2008 version before and it was a bit different but not too bad. I haven’t worked in autocad since the very beginning of this past semester so before I started I began by watching Edgar draw detailed elevations from plans and he was very fast at it. It was neat to watch him. Í also learned some new commands and shortcuts. I also had to familiarize myself with their colors of line weights and how they used them.

Tues. 5/25 - Week2

I scanned in fabrics samples and looked up furniture of the family room for Reisman to get ready for the catalog. The rest of my time for the day was used to find prices of EVERYTHING used in the Reisman project. This included fabrics, rugs, furniture, wall coverings and other such things. We used the vendor’s websites but most don’t have online pricing so we resorted to the vendor catalog pricing books, or calling them. Even though this is a very time consuming task I learned how to find price, and that we use the wholesale price not the retail price.

I also learned something else very important about pricing, that we as students don’t have access to most pricings. DGW (Design Group West) has total access because they have a huge resource library with pricing catalogs, and an account to every vendor that they use. Without an account with a company you usually can’t get prices, because they won’t give them to you or because you can’t access them. This is a problem because when it come to having budgets on projects in school how are we supposed to act like it’s reality when we can’t properly price things? Therefore we don’t actually learn the reality of things like pricing and budgeting in the classroom simply because we don’t learn how to because we don’t have access to it.

With the firm’s computer system, Design Manager Pro, it has every vender and all their information and our account information with that vendor. I am lucky to get to learn how to use this program and to have access to these kind of things so I know how to use them in the real world. I think it would be very useful and practical if our ID program had Design Manager or a system like it. That way we would learn how to use it and prepare us for a real job with a firm, but only if Ball State would be able to have accounts or mock accounts with vendors, that way we would also have access to all their products and prices. It would also give us practice with purchase orders and such things.

Mon. 5/24 - Week2

Today I spent some time in Design Manager updating received items to the warehouse for different projects, I am becoming more familiar and more comfortable with the program. I then scanned in samples and looked up furniture of the master bedroom for the Reisman project to get ready for the catalog. I also got to help pick out furniture and fabrics for the great room of the same project.

The new site I went to last Monday, the project is called Sobieski (the client’s last name) came in today and met with the designers for their home, they got the project confirmed and I will be going to the site with the team of designers on Thursday.

Fri. 5/21 - Week1

Today I learned about preparing a catalog for a project. The catalog is a huge binder that has every single finish of every room and the plans, sketches, CAD drawings and purchase orders of the project. My job was to scan in samples, crop them in photoshop, and then find the furniture and lighting fixtures on the manufacturers website and save it to the project folder. I spent majority of the day on this. I'm working on the catalog for the Reisman project and did five rooms of the house.

Thurs. 5/20 - Week1

Today we finished cleaning and threw away a lot more things. Today one of the designers talked to me about the budgeting of a project, and how the percentages of fabrics or furniture get marked up to make a profit and how to go about marking a product up and then about the percent of commission she can make. This is really introducing me to the business side of interior design and I’ve realized a lot of what I have been doing is business. This is good because in classes we don’t learn much about the business side of design, sure we are taught terms and in future projects I know we’ll have budgets but dealing with it in the classroom and in the real world with real money and a real client is totally different. I’m glad I’m being introduced to this and learning about it.

Wed. 5/19 - Week1

Today my main task was cleaning out the sample (cut) library, which is very large. Me and the other intern cleaned up the desk, threw things away and alphabetized the sample books and catalogs from all the vendors in the library. Then we sent faxes to vendors to get their discontinued item list, so we then went through the fabrics and threw out all the discontinued items which was tedious and a bit boring. Next I called vendors to order memo samples for a project.

Tues. 5/18 - Week1

I began today by learning how to enter project acknowledgments and receivables into Design Manager. Next I spent majority of the rest of the day hand rendering elevations of draperies and floor plans for the John Schnatter (Papa John) residence at Cherokee Park in Louisville, KY. All of the renderings DGW does are hand drawn and rendered. They have a guy out of office that does all of the perspective renderings, and they look amazing. I used markers and colored pencils and I also learned some new techniques and a lot about shading and high lighting.

Mon. 5/17 - Week1

I was introduced to my supervisor, Gina Gullo. We talked a little about what I would be doing my weeks here. I received my desk, phone and computer and was introduced to all the employees. The first thing I was introduced to was Design Manager Pro which is the firm’s computer system that manages everything for example, purchase orders, vendors, project receivables and a lot more.

I got to go to two project sites, the first was 1.2 million dollar ocean front penthouse suite. The general contractor was there with his team putting in molding, tile and painting. It was neat to get to the end of a project in its final stages. Next I went with a different team of designers to a site to be introduced to a potential project, the project is not the firm’s yet so there hadn’t even been a proposal done yet. It will be a villa house located in a gated community. The house hadn’t even been built yet. We went to the model home (which the Design Group West designed) and took pictures of the things the client liked about the model and also took measurements. This was neat to see the very beginning and the process you have to go through to get a project.