portfolio.

i realize i just posted, and you're probably thinking "woow this girl can't get it together... doesn't post for months and is really sporadic about it and now is posting twice in one day?!"


well hush -


i have created my portfolio AND my website and i'm so proud of both of them - please visit my website *www.mholsen.com* and if you're feeling kind, send me an email on the contact page, to let me know what you think! 


bye for real -

furniture, fixtures & equipment

this is my LAST fall semester as a student (hopefully) - and this semester we are designing 5 smaller spaces within the auburn university hotel and conference center. these spaces include a deluxe hotel room, executive suite, a "think tank", fitness center & employee dining room. 


frighteningly, our project is DUE in two weeks. TWO WEEKS and we are presenting in front of the jury. i am terrified. we just had our ff&e pin-up a week ago, and are working towards the end goal slowly but surely. 

this is my pin-up which shows my floor plans, the furniture and furnishings..... not set in stone but definitely helps when you are trying to focus on the schematics of it all....

will post some conceptual sketches later on... 

til then.

joss & main.

recently, joss & main has become one of my favorite websites. it is also convenient that my best friend from home, elise, is now a buyer for joss & main! she knows my love for interiors and all things related, and i know her passion for fashion - so this is quite an exciting step she has taken. maybe i can get a discount, lise????


if you aren't already a member, or don't already KNOW about joss & main, let me explain -
joss and main gets some of the best deals i have seen on the web with furniture, artwork and homegoods. it is like an etsy - but run through one main vendor rather than separate ones. there is a daily sale at 11am, where 5 styles are showcased. i'm obsessed.


the company was created by a online home goods retailer, csn stores, whose long-standing partnership with a network of leading brands allows joss & main some unbelievable deals. it is members ONLY shopping, which makes it exclusive - but is so easy to sign up.


go to www.jossandmain.com and sign up - it will take a few days for you to get an invite to join their site, so if you would like to join sooner, email me and i will gladly send you an invite where you can sign up that day and get the deals you've been waiting for!


below are some gems i want that are currently on sale... wish i had some money. anyone want to sponsor me?

vintage smith paris map -

with the frame, only $99

horizon rug

wool beverly hills rug in RUST

5 x 8

originally $699

joss & main member price is $264.99

horizon rug

wool beverly hills rug

originally $699

joss and main member price is $264.99

back with it.

i'mmmmmmm back -

it has been a crazy few months and now i am back in my home for the past 5 years - auburn - finishing up my degree in interior design. i can't wait to be graduate and be in the real world working with design! it excites me every day to know that i am one step closer to living my dream.

this past summer i interned with fox architects in the washington d.c. metro area and gained so much experience. it was a wonderful summer filled with new ideas, new friends and a fresh perspective on the design world. fox was unbelievable in allowing me to be immersed into their office, teaching me new programs and allowing me to work on their projects. they are incredibly instrumental in giving me the last oomph (good design word, right dad??) i needed to push through this final year in school. 

after i left fox in august, i came back to auburn and moved into a new house with the baby pate and 3 new roommates whom i love. i've been enjoying studio (surprisingly) and am helping out with the sophomore studio - which keeps me on my toes! i have also been doing quite a bit of traveling - d.c. for my good friend's engagement party, dallas to visit my boyfriend, new york to visit one of my best friends --- SO MUCH TRAVELING that i am exhausted, but i have enjoyed every minute of it. 

now that i am not traveling anywhere for a solid month - i decided i really do need to start up my blog again. i love to blog and keep an active record of all design things that excite me! so here i go again.... wish me luck and please, keep following! 

till the next time........

m.

workspace design magazine.

i guess you can officially call me a nerd. i am now a contributing writer for workspace design magazine, an online magazine which focuses on the ever evolving office and the systems surrounding it. please, click here 

if you would like to read my article. hopefully soon i can get off my booty and write some more blog posts :)

oopsies.

i've been skimping on the blog posts. oopsies! thought i would update everyone with what is going on with my life this past week - - -

{life as an intern}

at fox architects life has been good. a new girl who just graduated from virginia tech was hired and seems to be taking over what i was helping with on team yellow. i was moved to a smaller team which is overwhelmed with work! they work with landlord services, and do more basic, base-building design. it isn't as exciting as working on team yellow, since i got to design a rug, select finishes for offices, design a custom reception desk, but being on this team is giving me a whole new perspective on what it takes to be an interior designer!

i am working with two other designers - amanda and su. i love them both - su is an amazing teacher. my skills in revit have improved dramatically. i have been keeping a little "revit tutorial" on everything i have learned, and already it is multiple pages in a word document! i will definitely be taking that with me when i return to auburn :) i now survey sites, go to finished sites and "punch" (which means i take note of the site and everything that is wrong with it before the tenant moves in), complete red-lines that su gives me, write up transmittal requests and order samples. it's definitely a different pace than what i was doing with jenna on the yellow team, but i love it just the same!

yesterday we had our friday interiors meeting - and one designer talked about her past work for a very famous law firm - foley and lardner. it was a very informal meeting where she presented us the design with before images, presentation images and the finished product. looks stunning. makes me excited to do this type of work.

conference room. check out the stunning views of the potomac and dc.

great shot of waiting/lounge - the materials used are fabulous.

i believe this is an open conference room - with another amazing view.

{life in d.c.}

i love this town! although it is difficult to be a poor college kid in this fabulous place, i'm getting by just fine with the things i have found and what i have been doing. thankfully, my great friend melissa moved up here and got a JOB (so proud of her) in the city, so that has been nice to have a girlfriend around. while living with boys is all good and fun, i miss my girlfriends so much. melissa and i met up in reston town center for drinks and dinner after work - it was so fun!

we don't go into d.c. as much as i would have thought - but there is so much to do in our little "mini-city" of clarendon and in the surrounding area - so it really doesn't matter much. to get into the city can be exhausting! while it is a fun excursion, i prefer arlington. 

{things i still want to do while i am here}

- go to the florida avenue dc farmers market

- take a boat out on the potomac

- go to the bbq festival in dc

- find a good swimming hole/lake 

- find my favorite happy hour spot

- FIND A GOOD PLACE TO GET MY HAIR DONE {that isn't a million bucks...}

- take a day and go through dc taking touristy pictures

renovations.

i am a huge fan of renovation projects. i have always said that when i grow up - i want to buy a dilapidated, beat up house and make it my home. i am on stumble upon {if you haven't gotten on there yet, you need to ... it's a great procrastination tool} and found this wonderful project. this couple bought their teeny tiny apartment in horrible condition and renovated the entire thing themselves. they have clever ideas for their cozy space, including materials used. i love it!

{below are some before pictures. veeerry intimidating for a project to take on yourself.}

{now for the after pics. stunning.}

all pictures were taken from this blog: desire to inspire found on stumble upon at this address: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2QE64V/www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2010/8/13/a-completely-renovated-first-apartment.html

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?

let us be organized.

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

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....

luxury.

i would love to go to any of these places. at any time. please, and thank you.

monday blues.

i'm tired - and overwhelmed. my bank project is due next tuesday and i'm feeling very behind. so my blog may be a little slow this week... 


here are some perspectives of my bank. more to come later. happy monday!

loan offices and waiting area.
google sketchup

president's office.
google sketchup

repurpose YOUR home furniture.

i am a lover, follower and believer in all things recycled. while i am not the best recycler in my own home, i do try to repurpose and reuse my furniture til the bitter end. these pictures are fabulous ideas for your home, and how to add creativity, a touch of personality and interest, while repurposing some pieces you might have otherwise thrown out.

all images from hgtv.com

good start to a monday.

here is an exterior perspective of my bank... i wanted to showcase the architecture with these curtain walls and show how the bank will fit into georgetown. i'm going to be developing this more, and i'll update with more interior shots soon!

heritage bank.

we are continuing in the bank project... and moving along quite quickly i might add. this makes me nervous because we only have a few more weeks in the semester, which means NO time to finish this project. i have been picking out my FF&E, so wanted to share some of those photos with you, and see what you think. 

guest chair
beuform

fabric covering the chair
knoll textiles

these chairs will be placed at the desks of loan officers and service representatives

fabric covering the sofa
knoll textiles

patron lounge sofa
flexsteel

there will be 2 sofa's covered in this fabric in a seating arrangement with four chairs shown below.

fabric covering the chair
knoll textiles

patron lounge chair
flexsteel

two chairs will be placed on either side of the sofas, which will be facing each other.

side chair set on an angle
flexsteel

fabric placed on side chairs
ultra suede
knoll textiles

i plan on using many wall treatments instead of simply paint, and a few floor treatments, including wood floors, stone & carpet tiles.

i want to use carpet tiles in order to create way-finding and cool graphic designs on the floor, but i haven't figured out just how i would like to accomplish that. i am also designing a really fantastic ceiling feature to create emphasis with the magnificent height. stay tuned :)