Karastan Student Photography Contest
Karastan is a great supporter of design students. When I was at The College for Creative Studies they held an annual carpet design contest. They still do. Of course, a CCS student always won the Detroit area competition. (Let’s all sing the fight song now! – oh, there isn’t one – it’s an art school)!
Photography students haven’t been left out of the competition. Karastan just announced the winners of their first student photography competition featuring Karastan carpets in a residential, American and outdoor settings. A $3,500 cash prize was awarded for each winning photo, selected for its “originality, imagination and emotion.”
Sharon Rankin, a recent graduate of the Antonelli Institute in Erdenheim, Pennsylvania took the top prize in both the Residential and the American Setting categories. Her Residential photo was of a Karastan rug in a solarium setting, near an indoor swimming pool.(Sorry, this is the best photo I could find.)
For the American Setting category, Rankin incorporated a 1971 Chevelle SS and a 1968 Mustang. A chocolate Lab sits on the Karastan rug, which is the only item in color in the black-and-white shot.
Natasha Kertes, a recent graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, was the winner in the Public Space category. She photographed a couple dancing on Karastan’s Tiana Glacier Blue rug, spread out over a sunny beach. The overall concept, says Kertes, is “the enigmatic narrative suggested by the figures, whose intimacy we seem to interrupt.”
I love Natasha’s photo. Sharon’s American shot is a good one – better than the residential photo. Mostly, I think it’s important for companies to support art students. So three cheers to Karastan.
1001 Things To Do With Cable Ties
In keeping with today’s theme of Interesting Things for Design Students, I thought everyone would enjoy reading this article from Materia’s site about a student exhibition involving thousands of cable ties. It looks like The Cotton Swab That Ate Munich. Enjoy!
“Something like a birds-nest of cable ties. That‚Äôs what the artwork of 1.3 million cable ties is, created by students of the Academy of Arts in Munich. The students transformed space into an amorphous landscape by weaving and lashing thousands and thousands of cable ties.”
Continue reading here.
Historic Design Styles: How To Get It Right
Let’s say you own an Arts and Crafts-era home and you want to restore it to its past glory. Or, perhaps you’re a designer who’s been asked to create an interior that evokes an era you know nothing about. Where do you go to gather historical information and resources? I’ve been this question by several readers. Here’s how I do it.
Bauhaus StyleGo to the Movies
First, try to get a feeling for the era you’ll be working with. A great way to do this is to rent movies that were either filmed during or take place in the era in question. For example, if you’re working on an Art Deco project, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers classics were made in the 1930′s when Art Deco was popular. Swing Time and Top Hat are over the top Art Deco. Likewise, if I were asked to recreate a Louis XV style, I would watch Dangerous Liaisons. I sometimes get so lost in the set design that I forget to watch the movie. They’re an excellent resource. Not sure when a movie was made? Internet Movie Database is great place to start.
Arts & CraftsMuseums are Fantastic – Ask the Experts
It may be hard to tear yourself away from the computer, but there’s nothing like seeing the real thing in the flesh, so to speak. Perhaps there’s a good art museum in your town, or nearby city. Most have a section devoted to textiles and furnishings. Go! Take photos. Write down the historical information.
Another hot tip, which I’ve tremendously helpful is to call or meet with the curator in charge of textiles, or whatever you’re researching. They’re a hotbed of information. After all, this is their passion. I find that curators are more than happy to talk about what they love. And they can lead you to other resources.
Beaux ArtsGo to the Library
It’s always a good idea for a designer to maintain a reference library. But if you’re not a professional, see what you can find at the library. It’s free! Of course, book stores are great because you’ll have your reference material always at hand. You can find a book on every style known to man at Amazon.
The photos in this post are from a fantastic book called, Decorative Style, by Kevin McCloud. It’s out of print, but you can find used copies on Amazon I believe. Here are some other books that I have in my library and find useful.
- The Elements of Style, by Stephen Calloway – an encyclopedia of styles from 1485 to the present.
- Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture, by Cyril M. Harris – another valuable reference book.
- History of Interior Design and Furniture, by Robbie Blakemore – great photos here.
Scottish Highland Castle
Go Local
Sometimes you can find a wealth of information in your own backyard. Many towns have an historical society where you can do research. Or, just go for a walk. Take photos of other houses. This is a good thing to do if you’re restoring the exterior of your home.
French ProvincialFinal Thoughts
I guess I shouldn’t leave the internet out of this. Of course, if you didn’t know about the internet as a resource you wouldn’t be reading this. I’ll just say that there are bloggers who write about every topic known to man. Find one that focuses on history (as opposed to interiors) and ask them for help.
If you have a resource, or some tips of your own, please add to the conversation. Let us all know what your favorite style is.
Sample Resources for Design Students
I was at The College for Creative Studies‘ Interior Design Department yesterday critiquing the Freshman Residential Design classwork. It was fun to be on the other side of things. I was careful to be nice, which wasn’t difficult. The freshman class is a talented group.
The students asked me to help them out with a list of online resources for their future projects. So, as promised, here it is. If anyone knows of other online libraries open to students, please leave a comment.
Free Samples
Maharam will ship free fabric samples to students. At least they did when I was a student. You have to register first. Generally, it’s hard to find sites that will give out free samples to students. It’s nice that Maraham still does.
Forbo, the makers of Marmoleum laminate flooring, and iFloor offer free samples.
Haberman Fabrics will cut you a swatch. Be brave, tell them you’re a student, and maybe they’ll cut you a decent size.
Lots of sites offer free samples. Find what you want and then shop for free samples. Fabrics are the most difficult.
Product Information
Architonic is an online library with loads of European (mostly) furniture, lighting, and materials.
Materia has information on just about every new architectural material you can imagine.
Y Lighting has lots of contemporary lighting
Lighting Universe has every luminaire ever made (or so it seems)
Lightsearch is good for commercial projects
Furniture is easy to find. If you’re looking for something really unique then start reading…
Blogs!
You can get lots of information from blogs – like mine! Read them, ask questions, leave comments and others will comment on yours. Blogs are packed with information. Check out my blogroll for a list of my favorites. And, please use me as a resource. I’m always happy to help students. Don’t forget to send me pictures of your work.
Student Exhibition & Sale at CCS
The Student Exhibition transforms the College for Creative Studies into a gallery of more than 3,500 student works of art. It’s one of Detroit‚Äôs largest celebrations of creativity showcasing creations by up-and-coming artists who craft furniture, sculpture, ceramics, hand-blown glass, jewelry, paintings, photography and other extraordinary works of art.
All proceeds from the sale of art go directly to the students to help jump start their careers in art and design. The party is also lots of fun. The College for Creative Studies is located at 201 East Kirby.
For additional information and to buy tickets, contact the Events Office at 313.664.7464 or click here. I will see you there!
