We got a chance to meet with professional interior designer on campus to do a review on our floor plan for one bedroom apartment. It is a great chance to grab some input and brand new ideas for improving the current design we have. Sharon Macy is the interior designer working for school facility includes dorms on campus, apartment out of campus, major dining centers and other design project.
I was very frustrated on the living room I planed for the one bedroom apartment because it looks quite small and inflexible. Sharon suggested me to extend the wall in front of the entrance to create a more enclosed living area while add little more space for it. The original setting for the entrance is first a closet with shoe rack beneath adjoined with a sofa for people to put on their shoe. However, the adjoined part with limit the function of the closet and thus she said it will be nicer to separate them into two individual and make the sofa near to the door. In addition, the space mainly used for passing each different rooms seem to be empty. Therefore, she recommended to add a small desk for informal use. In that way, the circulation will not be interfered while making the space become more lively. The most importance improvement of the design is the advice for bathroom design. As grab bars are important for making the space accessible, the length of it and how it install become important. There are two windows on the wall where I need to add grab bars for both the toilet and the bath tub, so the best way to make the grab bars seem smoother is either make two of them into one long grab bar or make two separate bars without interfere with one another.
I came with new thoughts in mind. I decided to add a wall cabinet with mirror in the middle beside the front door. I believe it can not only create a sense of harmony but also enhance the number of useful storage. I also determine to add 1' wide wall cabinet at the front of living area to accommodate television and other stuff such as art works and books. I also want to add some decorative book shelf above the sofa. Since I was a little fear about not having a required distance after putting those shelves. I turned to the guideline to figure out the proper distance between television and the viewers which is 4 to 10 feet for a 30" television. I now know that I can install those shelves and still keep a nice distance. It is perhaps the meeting with a professional designer and the input of their design tastes that let me think of more possibility of my design. Making me can't help but being eager to improve and polish my design later on.
