The next step in the process was to design the back wall and what the design will be. From the in depth research we did earleir I think as a group we all had so many ideas and thoughts about the back wall. We all searched through our personal mood boards and also the group moodboards to design few sketches and start experimenting. As we had a clear vision of what we are going to use on the design it was just the key of experimenting trying different ways and shapes to find the best one that fits the trend. You can see below all the drawings we did and we did have a lot of ideas and variations. As a group I think this part of challenging as we all had ideations it meant it was hard making a decision but I think we handled this situation very well. We all went around the group and said which ones we like the most, they all fit in with out trend so we all seemed to go with the 3 final ones in particular. The main idea was big circles or squares layering on the wall with small happens and shapes as seen on drawing 8, the big scale circle in the center and small circles layered on top corner. This is a design used a lot in the living spaces that we could see from our research. It isa bold move, it’s energetic and captures the maximalist approach. The main designs we all liked and agreed was the 1st, 4th and 8th design. Then as a group we went around each member again and chose the one that we wanted and the final outcome was the first design. The off placed square and some grids but as a group we said let’s not add the grids so it will just be a blue background colour and the off placed coral pink square layered on top.
We then created digital version with the colours in our colour palettes, I think seeing these digitally we can clearly see which ones work the most compared to the rest. The first design really stands out to me the most. The contrasting colours really stand out, blue is so vibrant and the pink makes it very eye catchy and it will also make the room look more fuller and busy. We also agreed that the 3rd design of shapes of triangles we can use it on the canvas, 3 lighter shades such as the yellow, peach colour and blue so when it’s on the wall it will also stand out on the dark wall.
We then next created a sketchup design to see what the room would look like, this was the first initial layout. I think the layout process will be really challenging and we would have to make a lot of decisions as a group. The first layout mock up you can see the wall design looks really nice on the wall, we wanted shelves on the wall as well but we thought it can look boring just 3 pieces of wood so one of the members designed this organic shaped shelving unit, the shapes all merge and fit into each other. Each layer has a shelf section where we can all add the props we bring and the ones we created. As the lighting, we thought we can create a paper mache lights that are different shapes and sizes. This can look really nice and also help the scale in the space. Lighting is something we all need to discuess as the group but for now we said we can make paper mache lights or plastic cups we found an image on Pinterest with white cups but we said it can look handmade and not professional as everything else will be clean cut. That is something we said we can decide later on. Also, one of the members will be bringing in a massice plant which will fill the space and create a homely feel. I think at the moment, the set looks really nice and the layout can easily be replicated. The colours seem to work together.
The images below is the final sketchup layout design for our living space. There isn’t a huge difference in the layout or massive changes as a group we thought some things needed to change. An example, I created a paper mache light but the scale didn’t fit the set so we decided not to use it, so in that case we used big colour pom poms as lighting or decoration from the ceiling that helped the scale in the set. Also, the shapes of shelves changed a bit as we got the feedback that it looked like a tooth and it wasn’t perfect in shape so we changed it to more circular shapes and covers a smaller space. I like this design way more than the first one, its lot more clear everything stand out in their own way. When we photograph I know we will make a lot of changes in the process however it is good to have a clear vision of where you want things to go to start with.
CREATING PROPS
Also we started to create the props that we bought from Recreate, it was a canvas and a vase. The vase was painted a layer of white then the light purple for good colour payoff and some zig zag patterns which is one of the key patterns in the trend.
We then started to make the shelves and cut out shapes from the cardboard and then found scrap pieces of wood to make the unit. We then found other pieces of wood in the wood workshop and painted each piece. The colours we chose was blue, peach orange and yellow. The blue would nicely blend in with the background but peach colour and yellow will break the harsh line son the wall and add more texture. The second piece has grids which we incorporated from the initial wall design.
Once the first layer of primer all dried, we put on a layer of primer then the first layers of blue and pink were painted. You can see the process below, we had the white tape to help us create a straight clean lines when painting. When the walls dried then the next layer of paint was painted so the colour pay off can be really good. Once the wall was ready, the next step was to add the shelf unit on there and start placing the props on the set.
Some of the members of the group started making the tassels from knitting wools that were orange and yellow. These hand made tassels will be used on the cushion or some parts of the curtain which we’re not quite sure on whether if we will use it As we realised the fabric we had is too thin and it wasn’t the best quality so like I said we solved this problem with paper pom poms hanging from the ceiling. The first image was also from the process of deciding which fabric to use and what colours would go well with the colour palette.
The next stage was to put up the shelfs, we first had to drill each section and then we placed it on the top corner of the pink sqaure, this I feel like breaks the structured shapes, also the size of the shelves I thought would be too big as it was all put together it seemed so big o the floor but when it was on the wall it didn’t look as big and fit perfectly well with the scale of the wall. Once it was on the wall, we started to dress the set, added all the props we created and plants, objects we brought in. The first initial layout of the shelves are seen below, when we’e taking photographs we will be changing the layout and combinations for the perfect layout.
This is also another arrangement of the shelves, we used some pots and objects from the Ceramics workshop scrap box, we painted them in the colours that we used in our set, they work really nicely with the colour of the shelves and overall compliment the design. We used 3 different colourful plant pots on the top shelf and then the plant with long branches on the left corner so the branches fall off the corner. I think this arrangement is nice but we decided to get rid of the plants on the right as they didn’t fit the overall colour as their pots had different colours and colours that didn’t feel like they it worked with the other things.
Also, we decided to use the small coffee table which initially speaking to Sian she suggested it would be too small and scale wouldn’t fit in the set. But we decided we should paint it and get it ready in case during the photoshoot we needed it or changed our mind. Once it was painted I think the table looks really nice, it had patterns and colours really stood out.
This was the final look of the set when it was all dressed with the props and decorations. I think at the moment it looks really nice but it will need changes when were photographing. We used two rugs, this is because the first one is peach light colour and we thought it might not be enough so we added a smaller rug which is blue so next to each other it can make it stand out. This is not the final layout of the set we will not photograph.
The only thing missing from the set was the pom poms , to hang these up we drilled a piece of wood on the top of the boards and sticked clear strings on it. The images below show the process of tying each of them together, i think the colours of the pom poms work nicely with the set.
We started to photograoh the set today, I think this process was the most challenging part of the project. The reason for this is because I didn’t realise how much detail we had to think about, each section of the set we had to move things, change props and experiment with different angles to find the best shot. At first, the main thing that wasn’t working out was the pom poms, the height and the arrangment of those took the longest, in every shot they were either to close together or the gap was too big so it took a long time, a lot of shots to do get the right one. We used clamps to help the gap between each one and as it’s not a lighting it was way harder to arrange it. Once we feel like we were okay with it we moved on to the next part which was the shelves. As a group we can see it wasn’t working well with all the different types of plant pots and ceramics so we took out a few things such as the two plant pots on the left, they had different colour and patterns which wasn’t working with the other materials. We focused more on the ceramic objects as it looked nice next to the vase as well. We then focused on the coffee table, plant and canvas which at the end we didn’t use the canvas. I think this process showed me how every little detail is important when photoshooting, the perspective really changes everything as looking at the set directly I couldn’t see any problems but when we took the photo some things didn’t seem right. It was a trial and error process we took a lot of shots trying to figure out the best layout.
