Combine Building- Gregory Home + South Entrance

Accessibility, sustainability, and a Palouse themed color pallet came together with a final design concept centered around the key ideas of line, view and emphasis for this residence. This residence was designed for the Gregory grandparents, and is located by a accessible entry to the south of the Combine building (downtown Pullman) and runs along the west side of the building. The south entrance from the parking lot, has access from an elevator and stairs.
The concept key words and were applied to the space beginning with the bluing's south entry directly opposite the entry to the grandparents residence. "View" inspired the design, along with the eight foot window on the west wall. this was done by bringing in light and opening up the space by giving it a view through a glass front door and a glass elevator door. The back of the elevator is also glass to allow light and a view to be seen from inside the entry.
One other key element to the design concept for the space came from a book's illustrations that each had a focal point of a old fashion lamp or candle on each page. For my space plan this inspired me to use a focal light fixture as a moment of visual emphasis.
The materials used in the entry and entry of the residence were chosen for their aesthetic value and relation to the concept, but primarily for their sustainable characteristics. Main materials chosen were, bamboo flooring, slate stone flooring, and low VOC and sustainable produced wall coverings. This same window detail was placed in the dining space to imply a view and let light into the hallway beyond.

The linear layout of the grandparent's floor plan also references the concept of line and view through the space, as well as making it a very easy space to navigate in a wheel chair. The kitchen is designed for aging in place with 32" counter tops and ADA fixtures, as well as removable under sink cabinet doors for a a chair to roll under. Over the sink the concept is referenced with a focal light fixture. Also above the sink, with no outside view, so I designed a colored glass window into the hall to imply a view. The colors and curved forms reference the Palouse as well as the original parti drawing for the inspiration model.
The main living space contains the same sustainable bamboo and wall coverings as well as low VOC paint. The beams on the ceiling providing line and visual emphasis are from a old barn on the Palouse to bring the it's history into the space. Upholstery and rugs are with in a neutral Palouse color pallet with accent colors inspired by sunset colors, chosen since the residence runs along the west wall of the Combine building. The living space also contains a large focal pendant light bringing the concept even more into the space.
The bed and bathroom in the rear of the residence are also fully accessible in design. The bedroom's design allows for plenty of floor space for a chair. The same themes of color, light and sustainability are all continued here, with more emphasis on sunset colors in the bedroom. The bathroom materials continue these themes. Cork, sealed travertine, paint, and wall coverings all chosen for their sustainability and subtle Palouse colors. The fixtures are again all ADA approved choices with a roll in shower if needed ad grab bars at the toilet.

This design is quite successful in integrating the clients needs and requests with the concept in a highly functional small residence. Planning for accessibility and sustainability was a challenge, and required research and careful planning. When presenting this project I received positive feed back on it's ease of accessibility and for being careful to chose fixtures and finishes that were ADA compliant. If I were to continue to develop this space I would work out a better plan for the dining space and possibly how to make the bathroom more accessible to guests without needing to go through the bedroom. Over all it was a very interesting a exciting design process with so much to consider making it accessible and in making a sustainable materials selection. As a young designer this project has giving me confidence to take on a daunting project and use skills learned in this process to do even better work.

Master Bathroom Design

The next room in the Gregory home to be designed was a bathroom. I chose the master bathroom to get more practice in designing for a fully accessible bathroom since it would be the primary bathroom for Mrs. Gregory who is in a wheel chair.

The process work for the bathroom began with quick thumbnail sketches of the designated space for the bathroom with varying configurations within it. These thumbnails are noted with plan details as well as concept details.
The best three thumbnails were enlarged to 1/8'' scale and one was selected for a final plan. The final plan had to accommodate a fully accessible toilet with grab bars and room for pull up and transfer. Also a lower vanity and sink height with knee room under the sink for full accessibility. The shower in the plan below is flush with the floor and allows a chair to be wheeled in. There is also a seat to transfer to with a separate shower head and controls. There is also plenty of space for a full turn around with in the room(5 foot turning radius).
The key words for the concept are: Expression, Emphasis, View. Expression of line and form is seen in the diagonals and curves incorporated into the rooms structure. The curving glass of the shower allows for a view through it to the wood and travertine inside. View is also implied with the darkened glass doors of the closet as well as the 8 foot window. The room is full of points of emphasis. The lights are used a focal points thought out. Mirrors are also points of focus and well as the darkened glass closet doors. The open shower is the main focal point of emphasis when walking into the room.
This room is is fully fictional for Mrs. Gregory and her husband, and displays a subtle use of universal design with out feeling like it was designed for a person with a disability. The accessibility aspect was challenging in designing the space. Planning for someone to navigate the space while making it not seem like it was planned for a wheel chair was a good exercise for developing universal design skills for a beginning interior designer.