life as an intern.

the past few weeks i have been working on many different projects for fox - i have helped put together a schematic design for a lobby, offering 3 different options. along with these schematic designs, i designed a custom area rug for two of the options. it has been so much fun. the project manager for this project has been a-m-a-z-i-n-g. she is such a great role model, and i love working with her every day. she totally trusts my judgement, while offering me help when i need it. she's awesome.

furniture and floor plan

this option features three paintings - furniture with an ebony finish and a camel "faux" leather
the rug is an idea from the paintings created by masland. 

elevations of the selected paintings and wall details

along with this i have designed a reception desk for a data-base company that is located in mclean, virginia. i had to program for this desk, and fit it in a very small space, while keeping a clean aesthetic. the main designer for this project is hilarious. she knows how to have a good time, but at the same time is so well organized and put together she is the perfect fit for a design job. i can only hope i am as well suited and successful as she is.

an experience at the ho-jo....

what makes your home “home”. is it where all your stuff is, or is it a certain feeling that emits from our hearts once we get there? i love home. this weekend, bryce and I came home to new hampshire for the long holiday weekend. it was a spur of the moment decision, which i am happy we made! we left friday ~ bryce met me at work and we started driving at 4pm. by 7pm we had FINALLY made it out of the DC/Balitmore area. it was the worst traffic i have ever experienced (ok I’m being dramatic and am exaggerating…. but still, it was really really bad). 

stunning reception desk. this one has an area for accessibility.

we decided we had to stop in new york for the night and sadly our budget only allowed us to stay at the four seasons of newbourgh, new york….. howard johnson’s. we walked into the hotel room and i instantly felt like i needed a shower, and wanted to lock the doors immediately behind me. the room was dreary, outdated, and felt unsafe. it also had an interesting scent to it, one that reminded me of an old person and sour milk. it made me think a lot about how we perceive our surroundings and what makes us comfortable. what DOES make us comfortable? how come a dingy hotel room does nothing for me and makes me feel a certain way, even though i’m only staying there for less than 10 hours? 

beautiful hotel room. sleek and yet comfortable.

when I went to check in to the lovely hotel, i instantly started thinking about how this hotel wasn’t ADA compliable. the reception desk was way over the normal acceptable height. it was uncomfortable for me, even, and i am almost 5’8”. i started thinking about how awkward the counter was… it was at least 5’ in height. who designed that? clearly they didn’t have a good knowledge of accessibility. how would a person in a wheelchair converse with the person behind the counter? another thing both bryce and i realized was the doors in the hotel room – they opened the wrong way. and they were SO skinny. when you design interiors you have to think about these things. i am writing this short post to not only further show why interior design should be a profession, but why it really does impact society. as simple as a hotel making you feel uncomfortable, and if there really was an emergency, would this hotel allow for the egress that needs to happen?

life as an intern.

tomorrow marks the beginning of my third week with fox. i am so excited because this week i will start working on the custom designed area rug that is going in a lobby/reception area. we met with masland reps and there were no design/color combinations that my project manager and designer liked, so they have collectively decided that i should design my own design. I AM SO EXCITED. i will draw up the design in autocad and then will select pantone colors and put them with the drawing - will send it to masland and within one to two weeks will get a 2 x 2 sample carpet in my design. how awesome is that?


the team i am in {yellow team} is starting on a few new projects this upcoming week, so i will assist my team in that work. i'm really excited to see how the entire process of bidding, pricing, and contract works. i think it is really interesting and will definitely be a good learning opportunity!


this week i will include a few photos of what i have been assisting in, as well as some interior shots of the office. i love everything about fox's office and only can wish that i will work in an efficiently designed office like this one once i grow up. 


this coming weekend bryce and i will either be heading to NYC or going to VA beach - which one should we visit?? ideas!?


til tomorrow...

LEED GA Exam

i passed my leed green associates exam today on my first try! 

time to celebrate :)

hope you have a wonderful weekend.

xo

fill-in-the-blank friday!

happy friday!

here are my fill-in-the-blanks from "the little things we do" {find her blog under my "inspiration" column}

1.   People always tell me I look like  "someone they know". i get that all the time, but they can never figure out who that someone is.... maybe i just have a familiar face? oh - and i get that i look like kate hudson {even though i don't have her body AT ALL... we just have the same big cheeks}.

2.  Friends don't let friends  go to alabama.

3.  A sunny day is perfect for  having a red-neck cookout! this weekend we are grilling out on the back porch, buying cheap-o beach chairs, putting on our bathing-suits and day-drinking. sounds like fun to me!

4.  My favorite accessory is my heart necklace. my mom has the same one and neither of us take it off! i gave it to her on her birthday a few years ago.

5.  If I could afford it I would get my nails done every 3 days. i LOVE freshly painted nails when they are all shiny and glossy and not chipped... but by the 3rd day they have grown out a tad, chipped a teeny bit and don't look as hot. 

6.  The cure for boredom is  TO BLOG!

7.  I am currently "in like" with being a "fake real person". i'm not 100% real yet because this is only for the summer - but i am living in a HUGE city {washington d.c.} when i am from a teeny town and go to school in a teeny town.... i am interning in an architecture firm which is about 10 miles from my house i am living in for the summer - so i have to commute to and from each day. i get to get dressed up and look professional, have my coffee when i get to work and have my own personal email! i love planning out what we will eat for our dinners, drinking red wine at night with my bf while watching his stupid sports. it's honestly perfection. but i don't want to be "in love" with being a fake real person, because it is going to be ending in a mere 3 months, so i don't want to have my heart broken.

life as an intern: week one.

just thought i would give everyone an update on my 

life as an intern. 

so now i have officially been working at fox architects as an intern for ONE WEEK. i am feeling more comfortable as each day continues. i work in mclean, virginia and my office is right in tysons corner, which is a very nice part of the dc metro area. unfortunately, there are two fabulous malls right around the corner from my office, so i am struggling with not making a bee-line there each day after i leave the office. i am living in arlington, virginia, so my commute is a mere 8 miles - - - which in d.c. terms and traffic translates into approximately 30 minutes. i have found a great back-roads route to work which i love to take because it wakes my mind and spirit up driving through the cute neighborhoods and towns. gives me a moment to breathe before i get to work.

once i get to work i put my stuff down at my desk, and go straight to the pantry where there is an insane coffee maker that i'm obsessed with. i drink about 3 cups throughout the day.... oopsies. i come back to my desk, check my email and then get to work with my projects! currently i have been assisting on three projects doing fairly minor things {but big time for me} which have included designing a reception desk for a data firm, designing custom area rugs which are going into a lobby space, and setting up a small construction document set for a renovation of an office space. before i know it, it is 4pm and i am having to wrap up my work so i can pull out of the office by 530-ish.

at home i am attempting to study {key work being attempting} for my LEED GA exam which i am taking soon. i best be wrapping this post up and getting back to studying before i have to get ready for work. but talking to blogger is just so much more fun......

i miss my pup.

i miss my pey pey!!

let us be organized.

i think this is the perfect idea for any household. it is definitely going in mine.

my life as a working girl.

thank god my first day is done with because those are always nerve-racking. however i love my internship and it is has only been the first week. i love how everyone in the office gets along and loves to talk/joke around. i like how the owner of the company, the managers and principles all sit at the same type of workstation as everyone else. i love how the office is an open plan layout. i love how the printing manager man has been organizing and filling up all the snack bowls in the kitchen (the receptionist is out sick and she is the one who normally does it…) I love how yesterday was tom-palooza and we went going to lunch to celebrate his birthday and a girl who works in my pod’s birthday, as well as one of the project managers first days. I love how relaxed the office is and how I already have responsibilities and it was just my first week. I love how we had a “family lunch” in the back of the office because one of the girls ordered delivery from “Italian garden” but they literally had everything from sandwiches to burgers to kabobs to pasta to salad and more.

I love how much I have already learned. I know more now than I have in a semester. The thought process and coordination that goes into selecting a 9 x 9 area rug is amazing. One of my tasks for today included calling sales reps for carpet companies and asking them pricing questions including technical questions with how the carpet is built, etc. Just talking about it with a few of the people in my pod took one hour. For a 9 x 9 area rug. ONE hour. Honestly, the time that we were talking about it never even was made apparent to me because I was so interested and was trying to give my input with everything. Once I got back to my work station I realized the time and was shocked.

One thing I did which was a little silly was when I was calling sales reps about the carpet. I am still new guys, ok… so don’t judge me too hard. The phone system kills me. I know revit, I know cad, I know access but I can’t figure out these phones! I don’t even know my direct line. I called one sales rep and got her voicemail, so I had to leave her a message with my direct line and what did I do? I got my last four digits wrong. Instead of “2420” I told her “2402” which is the girl who sits in my pod’s number. Needless to say, that sales rep never got back to me…..

All in all I’m in interior design heaven. I love getting to work and when 5pm rolls around I can’t believe it is already time to  leave. These past few days have been such a blessing to realize that while 6 years in school is a little excessive and tiresome, it is exactly where I am supposed to be because when I finally get that diploma (and my parents faint from excitement) I will be right where I want to be – in the design world.

first day!

this is going to be a short post, but i wanted to update everyone and let you know - i survived my first day and i love it! i have my own work station in a pod with five others who work as a team, there are about 4 other pods filled with interior designers and then there are the architects, the principles, the marketing, graphics & accounting people.... it's a big office but feels very cohesive. i realize now that i never want to work in a closed-office system. i love the open office feel.


basically my new favorite products are SENSITILE & Luxury Vinyl Tile by Mannington ~ I'll post more about it later but right now I'll leave you with a few images.

the perfect work outfit.

i'm packing for my summer in D.C. and have discovered some essentials that i love and don't know what i would do without. i am an extremely OCD & anal person, so while i'm packing, i am taking photos of my favorite work outfits. this summer i am going to do a series on what i wear to work.. and take pictures of my outfits every day. should be fun!


here are some pieces i love and and can't wait to wear this summer.

slim crop pants {gap}
will definitely become one of my favorites. i bought these in charcoal & white.

shimmer cocoon shrug {gap}
pair this with a white long sleeve shirt and a funky necklace, put with those cropped pants and BINGO ~ outfit.

sunshine sleeveless tuck detail dress {top shop}
fabulous zipper detail in the back, and seamless classic statement in the front.
pair with beautiful flats and an open shrug cardigan for a work-look.

sage cornelli embroidered sheer top {top shop}
i love all things textured and understated, so this works perfect for me.
i will be pairing this with my cropped charcoal pants from gap and nude patent leather flats from steve madden.

tuxedo shirt {j.crew}
this can be paired with literally anything. i love love love.

fill in the blank friday. {for real}

go here in order to complete your own fill-in-the-blank friday!

1.   What I love most about my home is   my family. i love coming home to new hampshire and being with them. i just got home today, and am SO HAPPY that i am here with my mom, and that my dad will be coming home after work and we can all hang out together.

2.  I'm excited because, I'm going to start my internship next week! {i realize i talk about this all the time, so clearly you can see how excited i am!}

3.  My preferred method for blowing  off steam when I'm frustrated is  to CRY. or to run.... or if its really been a bad day, i definitely do both.

4.  Currently I am craving something sweet. just had some apples and cheese, so now i need a little bit of chocolate.....

5.  The thing I love most about my mom is   how selfless she is, and how much she loves her family. she will literally do ANYTHING for her kids - just this wednesday she flew to atlanta after she worked and drove 5 hours THAT NIGHT to charlotte, nc ~ then woke up the next morning at 6am so we could keep driving.... basically our 2 day trip turned into 3 days and now that we're home and i am unpacking, she is bringing my car to get serviced after she just drove OVER 30 hours. i love my mommy so so much.

6.  If I was going to write a book about my life, the title would be   "it's okay to be a little dramatic".

7.  If I were to eat one thing for the rest of eternity it would be PIZZA. i love the cheese, the toppings and the bread. what else could be better?

fill in the blank friday.

this is from LAST friday... but i'm doing it tonight because it has been a long, long day, and i feel like doing one.

{before i start}

let me just tell you about my day -

my mom and i started our drive back to new hampshire from auburn late last night, landed in charlotte, north carolina around 2am, woke up at 630am only to start our long day of driving. we were planning on getting into nh at 10pm. that didn't happen. we got stuck in stand-still traffic for 2 hours because {wait for it} THEY CLOSED THE HIGHWAY. no. this isn't a joke. so we decided we were exhausted, got nowhere, my pup was restless, so we pulled off in pennsylvania at a hotel that accepted animals, bought some beer and salad and now are watching deadliest catch while i blog. 

PERFECT cinqo de mayo.

anyways, back to 

fill in the blank fridays!

1.   I am looking forward to  DC this summer! not only am i living in the same city as my boyfriend {finally} but i am going to be close to my cousin, michael, who i never see, AND am going to be interning at an AMAZING company - fox architects in tysons corner.... i.can't.wait.

2.  Something kind of embarassing that I still love anyway is  when i am home and my mommy takes care of me :) best thing in the world.

3.  My favorite car is  a station wagon! you get great gas milage, but have the space of an SUV. why don't more people drive these cars?!

4.  If I could pick one type of weather to live with for the rest of my life it would be  alabama spring time. it is sunny, GREEN, and has a beautifully cool breeze so you can feel comfortable wearing jeans and a sweater, or shorts and a tee-shirt. that is my favorite type of weather.

5.  My favorite thing to do after a bad/stressful day is  snuggle my pup and drink wine with my friends.

6.  This weekend      I WILL BE HOME in hanover, new hampshire ~ i haven't been home or seen my family in 5 months so i am VERY excited :)

7.  If I were a color, I'd be a neutral because you can go with ANYTHING! 

board designs.

how i presented my boards for my bank design...

my bank is done!

yippee! my bank design is finally done and i have presented and i am finished with my junior {errr 5th} year.... thank the lord!


sorry i haven't done a lot of blogging recently. i have been so busy with figuring out my summer plans, attempting to move out of my apartment and into storage, studying for finals {ha!} and finishing my final project. last night was an interesting one, as i had a little hiccup involving my animal and my boards - but luckily i still managed to turn in a finished project and present a good project.


cannot wait for my GRADE. i am a grade whore, and while i wish i wasn't... i am. i love earning a good grade when i work really hard for an entire semester. it feels so satisfying. {can you say nerd?}


while i could be finishing up my process notebook, completing my panel specs, studying for my exam at 7pm tonight, or making my study guide for business practices tomorrow... i decided to blog. i'm going to end quickly, and leave you with some images i have rendered of my BANK!! let me know what you think....