Line

When it comes to the elements of design, line is one of the most common that we are aware of. Line has a way of adding to a space in a variety of different ways as well as invoking a feeling while we observe the room. Most of the time we will not know that we are subliminally being effected by these lines. 

Vertical Lines:
The vertical lines in this example would be the shelves. They bring your eye up toward the ceiling and down toward the ground. The feeling that comes with a line would be formality, organization, and class.






Horizontal Lines:

Horizontal lines have a tendency to move your eye along the way from side to side rather then up an down like vertical lines did. These lines give you a cozy, casual feeling. A place you can relax and be comfortable. It is easiest to remember this because you sleep horizontally and that is a very casual and relaxing position. The shelves and the stacking order is where the horizontal lines are present.




Diagonal Lines:
These lines are very exciting and energized and give life to a room or space. The example shows diagonal line with the  staircase. It makes the space feel a little more lively.





Curved Lines:
Curved lines is a soft and calm line. It is also seen as a feminine line. The example shown incorporated the curve line with an arch doorway and with the filigree around it.







There are many types of lines in a home and the way they can make us feel also varies from line to line. Why not go around your house or any building/interior space and notice the lines around you and see if that is effecting how you feel.

Texture

Texture is a very important tool that an Interior Designer has. There are three different types of texture that I have used in this particular example to get a better understanding of the use of texture and how it affects a space.

The first example would be Visual texture. Visual texture is simply the appearance of the surface. For the sample room I created I showed this in the pillows on the ottoman as well as the ottoman itself. The pillows have this leather like quality but other than that they appear to be smooth which is a nice contrast to the busy print that is on the ottoman. I also added a unique and colorful glass chandelier and the painting that hangs along the staircase.


Tactile, the feeling of the surface, is also present in the sample room. It's shown in the bed frame that has a woven basket like texture to it. The clock above the bed also shows this kind of texture. The basket and the room divider also show it. The interesting thing about the room divider is that there are two different textures that are used in making it. This gives it a unique feeling if it is touched.

The final type of texture that I used in creating my sample room is known as audible. Audible is the sound that the surface makes when it is rubbed. Everything has a sound when it is touched. This is probably the easiest texture to confuse or simply look over. To show this I tried to pick things that would be obvious and would make very different sounds from each other. I have the cabinet by the staircase. The cabinet has glass and some metal work on top. To contrast that I added the bed side table which is made from a section of wood and will have a rougher sound. I also added the books on the bed side table to give a various because it appears that the books have leather bound covers. Finally, the chest at the foot of the bed would have a smoother sound that would be broken up because of the leather straps that go around it.

Texture is a very important thing when it comes to Interior Design. Learning and understanding how to use and apply it properly to a space will get you very far.

Every House Has A Story

While I was on the tour no house really stood out to me for some reason. Don't get me wrong, they all were beautiful and were magnificently created but they all seemed like they were done before. There was nothing extremely special about them. I was left a bit disappointed that I didn't walk away with a favorite. It wasn't until we looked at a book about Summit Ave and the stories about the houses that I found one that I really enjoined.

It it was a really quirky and adorable house that looked like something out of a storybook. It was located on the 808 Goodrich Avenue in St. Paul. This colorful Victorian home was the work of Diedrik Omeyer and Martin Thori. These two Norwegian born architects were known or creating some of St. Paul's most effusive Queen Anne homes. Shockingly enough when the house was completed it sat empty for about a year.

The house had held a variety of different families such as; a cloth merchant, a Unitarian minister, a wholesale merchant,a physician, and a well known attorney. The poor house had fallen into disarray do to time and the crazy weather that Minnesota is known for. It wasn't until 2002 that a young property manager decided to take on the project and lift the house's spirits. He had a few hiccups along the way but eventually he restored the home to its original state and gave it such an iconic paint job that defiantly
caught my eye.

James J. Hill House

 

James J. Hill was a Canadian born man was asked by a reporter late in his life how he found such great success in his life and his career as a chief executive officer of the Great Northern Railway. His reply fit the bluntness that surrounds him, "Work, hard work, intelligent work, and then more work."

James was not only a wealthy man but a hard working man. In 1893 when the economy fell into depression many businesses at the time began to collapse. Because of James and the drastic cost-saving measures he took he kept the Great Northern Railway running.

When the economy got back on it's feet with more prosperity, trust-building, and consolidation James no longer had to  restrict himself to his cost saving measures. 

Though James is a very interesting man with a great history behind him, we did not go to Summit Ave to just learn the history of him. We went to learn and explore the wonderful houses and mansions that grace this street in St. Paul, Minnesota. On this street, at the end in fact, is a dark mansion that sits across the street from the Catholic Church. This was the famous James J. Hill House. He built a house that not only suited his family but was also a symbol of his success. 

James hired a Boston firm, Peabody, Stearns, and Furber to handle the project of constructing his home under his observation. The firm was known for their impressive mansions. Mr. Hill made sure to be envolved with the whole process from the planning, to the construction, then to the furnishing.

Hill was so picky about what he wanted in his home that he replaced the architects after they ignored his requests. He then had his interior design team, Irving and Casson to finish up the home.

The home was finished in 1891 and is the most expensive mansion in the state of Minnesota. This extreme home is 36,500 square feet across all five floors. The mansion has 13 bathrooms, 22 fireplaces, 16 glass chandeliers, a two-story art gallery with a skylight, an 88-foot reception hall. All of this and still has the treat of having elaborately carved oak and mahogany woodwork. There is so much more to the house added up to $931,275.01 final total.

The James J Hill House is such an iconic mansion on Summit Ave. It starts you off with a great story behind the home that will prepare you for what else lies on that road that seems to be frozen in time.

Cass Gilbert -vs- Clarence Johnston

Cass Gilbert and Clarence Johnston are both famous architects in Minnesota, especially the St. Paul area. Johnston and Gilbert were childhood friends. They attended MIT together and each set up their own practice in Saint Paul. While the latter half of Gilbert's career was centered in New York, Johnston continued practicing in Minnesota and created 3500 buildings.

On the other hand, Clarence Johnston is known as the most unknown yet well-known man in the whole state of Minnesota when it comes to his architecture. He was one of Minnesota's most prolific Gilded Age architects. He left a legacy unmatched in Minnesota. He not only designed scores of mansions and stately houses,but has done dozens of academic buildings, churches, schools, sports palaces, prisons, hospitals, and asylums. Johnston is best know for his beautiful homes. There was no such thing, however, as a Clarence Johnston style; he composed in great variety. It is hard to identify his houses because he would compromise so much on the design element. This is one of the biggest differences between Johnston and Gilbert.

Cass Gilbert was so influential that he has a organization that is dedicated to researching and discovering new ways of how he contributed to  America's architecture. This organization is known as the Cass Gilbert Society. In the case of Gilbert his style was very transcendent which was a switch from his narrow minded view of the world. His buildings were works of art when it came to composition as well as being incredibly fresh and new. Gilbert, like many other architects at the time were very eclectic along with being far more inventive than the modernists gave them credit for being. They had only rarely copied historical precedent directly. If they did it was more of picking and choosing what they wanted. Some of his most famous buildings include the Woolworth building as well as the Untied States Supreme Court Building. These public buildings of his were in the style known as the Beaux Arts. This reflected the optimism of America. 

Both men are great architects with eyes of either pleasing themselves but staying within their preferred style or wanting to please the client. Gilbert and Johnston are very skilled and talented men and by witnessing their work on Summit Ave it is obvious as to why they are such well respected members of their field.

Summit Ave

Summit Ave simply is street in St. Paul, Minnesota that is made famous by the mansions that line the road. Summit Avenue is known for having preserved its historic character. It remains a well-preserved example of a Victorian residential boulevard. This street is part of two historic districts as well as two heritage preservation districts known as; Historic Hill District, West Summit Avenue Historic District, Summit Hill, and Ramsey Hill.

All this historical knowledge would not be available to us with such ease if it were not for the walking tours of the neighborhood. My interior design class had taken this tour and we got to see and learn so much about all different types of homes that are along this street. 
The first house that we saw and learned about was the famous Jame J. Hill House, which I spoke about in a previous post. This definitely made an impression and set the bar for the other houses along the way.    

Follow the in order to get more information on the walking tours and explore the beautiful Summit Ave for yourself. 
http://sites.mnhs.org/historic-sites/james-j-hill-house/summit-avenue-walking-tour

Here are a few of the photos that I took on my phone while I was on this wonderful tour.