Random Facts from Interior Design School

Ever wonder what you missed by not going to school for interior design?  Let me share a few random facts I picked up along the way:

Above is a picture of my senior project from a few years ago.  It's a conceptual project of a resort in the Maldives.  I LOVE hexagons!

-Babies in rooms painted yellow cry more.  (Yep, it's true!)

-If you ever want to know how senior adults see important interior features like stairs, use a piece of sandpaper to roughen up some goggles, then try wearing them around for a while...  This is why there are building codes for commercial buildings that the nosing of stairs has to be a different material/texture/color.  For an even more eye-opening experience-Try going to a public building in a wheelchair!  I'll never look at things the same again after spending 30 minutes wheeling around campus in a wheelchair to see if I could access things like public restrooms, doors, cafe's, etc.

-Foam Tape is your friend!  Thanks 3M!  This stuff holds my heavy granite samples to my board.  If you're not planning on taping granite anytime soon (It's ok if you're not!), it's great for hanging smaller pictures on the wall!  I've also used this tape to install under-cabinet lighting in my kitchen.  The cabinets were not cooperating with the drill and screws so I just put some foam tape there and they held perfectly.

-Why senior adults are more at risk of getting overheating during a heat wave:  As you age your skin pores that you sweat from start to scar, and when you're older they don't work as well, so older adults can't properly sweat to cool down...  (Hope that wasn't too much information!)

-In my lighting class I learned how to make a lamp.  It's actually pretty easy and all the supplies can be easily found at your local hardware store.  They make it pretty easy now and usually you don't even have to strip the wires yourself!  And did I mention all the supplies for the inside of your lamp will only cost you about $10?  (I'm hoping to do a tutorial soon to show YOU how to make a lamp!)  

-The squint method. I'm being serious!  If you're trying to decide if a material (fabric, flooring, carpet, paint, etc.) will work with everything else in your room.  Put small swatches of everything on a board (Nothing fancy-it doesn't even have to be glued down) step back a few feet and squint.  If any of the samples scream out at you it may not work with everything else. Not really technical, but it works great!