Varyani
SAMAA
Interior Design University of Georgia (UGA)
CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
Me ABOUT
My name is Samaa Varyani, and I am a third-year student at University of Georgia (UGA) pursuing a B.F.A. degree in Interior Design and a B.B.A degree in Management. I have loved art and design since I was eight years old and have developed my craft since then. I strive to form creative solutions to complex design problems. I am a thoughtful, detail-oriented designer and hard worker who is always looking to learn and grow. So far, I have had some internship experience in residential design and would love to branch out into commercial work, especially hospitality design.
One
PROJECT
Home and Office/Gallery University of Georgia Time Period: Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 Duration: 12 weeks Type: Individual Project Software/Skills: Ink and AutoCAD
Description: In my Studio 1 class, I designed a two-story space for a family of three (wife, husband, and child) in an existing building. The space was expected to serve not only as a single-family residence but also as a base for the client’s interior design business. Therefore, it includes a home office and art gallery. The main focus of this project was to craft accurate, architectural base drawings.
First Floor Plan
Note: The dashes indicate columns and beams.
Second Floor Plan
In terms of space planning, I naturally decided to place the home office, equipment room, and gallery in the first floor so that customers do not have to walk far to reach the client’s interior design office. There is also a handicapped accessible bathroom downstairs for customers with disabilities. The house contains both stairs and an elevator. The beginning of the staircase is behind a wall so that customers do not assume that they are supposed to go upstairs for any services. The wall also provides privacy for the residing family. On the second floor, there are two bedrooms: one master bedroom for the couple and one for the child. The kitchen and dining area are directly adjacent to each other for convenience, and there is no wall between the living room and dining room to provide ample space and fluidity. Near the stairs, there is a sofa bed for any guests.
First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
After drafting the floor plans on trace paper, I copied them with pen on vellum paper. This process made the drawings more final and legible. I added details like the section arrows. I also displayed the adjacent buildings and sidewalks at the site. During the beginning of the next semester, I transferred the plans to AutoCAD, which I had just learnt how to use. With the assistance of this software, I also dimensioned the floor plans.
Transverse Section
Longitudinal Section
I drew a transverse section and a longitudinal section of the home and office/gallery. With the transverse section, I illustrated the home office, materials library, kitchen and dining area, and sofa bed area, which are all task or focus-oriented spaces. With the longitudinal section, I cut through the kitchen and dining area, living room, master bedroom, materials library, and gallery, since these rooms are all generally public spaces. Showcasing these specific types of spaces demonstrates space planning and organization intent. I transferred these sections onto vellum paper.
Extended Oblique
Gallary Perspective
Living/Kitchen Perspective
To display wall and window positioning in the space, I drafted an extended oblique plan. One can see the bare bones of the space without the furniture or accessories. However, through the one-point perspectives, one can see the opposite: the details and human point-of-view of the space.
Two
PROJECT
House in Bend, Oregon University of Georgia Time Period: Spring 2023 Duration: 10 weeks Type: Individual Project Software/Skills: Revit
Description: After being accepted into the interior design program, I designed another single-family residence, located in an existing urban lot. Our professor wanted a general, public space - private space organization for this two-story house. This spec home includes around three bedrooms and two bathrooms and does not take up more than 1800 square feet, as expected.
To assist in brainstorming, I collected and organized my thoughts in this flow chart. I detailed rough ideas on color schemes, lighting, among other concepts. I also specified site restrictions and requirements to keep in mind. This chart served as the brainstorming before moving to work on Revit.
First Floor Plan In terms of space planning, I decided to keep the private spaces downstairs and public spaces upstairs after some brainstorming and light drawing. However, I did place the master bedroom upstairs since I wanted a balcony near it. I also imagined it would be extremely convenient for the homeowners to be able to go to kitchen or living room within a couple seconds instead of traveling up and down a staircase. I placed the kitchen and dining room on the east side of the house since the Deschutes River rests in the east direction and is visible from the windows. The staircase is right in the middle of the floor plan to provide easy visibility and accessibility to every space. The halls and corridors are wide and spacious so the house feels open.
Second Floor Plan
Note: The large circles near the floor plans are cherry blossom trees.
Transverse Section The east elevation and transverse section exhibit the exterior and interior of the front of the house. I decided on beige-yellow brick and a dark-brown roof and porch for the exterior formation of the building because I wanted a rustic, wood feel for the house. The cherry blossom trees add a pop of color and nature. Inside, one can see the two guest bedrooms, the kitchen, and dining room exist in a complimentary, symmetrical way. There are various examples of pendant lighting and there are large windows bringing in daylight.
East Elevation
Note: The section markers shown are for the two longitudinal ones.
Longitudinal Section
This longitudinal section displays the outside spaces of the house like the balcony and porch along with the garage, living room, kitchen, and guest rooms. There is a clear, detailed view of the stairs that tie the whole space together and bridge the gap between the public and private zones. The rendered image of the living room illustrates the major use of the primary colors of red and yellow along with the addition of the secondary color in the middle, orange. There is much dark wood within the space from the painting frame, coffee table, and flooring.
Kitchen
Living Room The rendered image of the kitchen demonstrates the huge focus on light wood. The bar chairs and pendant lights are made of a similar wood and they tie with the orange-brown brick, accent wall. Instead of showing the traditional brown or white kitchen cabinets. I chose green since it brings a liveliness to the space. In general, there is a bold, unique use of color within the design, from a yellow sofa to green cabinets.
Dining Room
Longitudinal Section
Master Bedroom This longitudinal section displays the path from the master bedroom or guest bedroom to the main halls and spaces. The rendered image of the dining room shows the next important use of the color green. The back wall is painted in a similar shade of green to the cabinets to tie the kitchen and adjacent dining space together. The plants bring a pop of nature to the space and the black chairs add elegance.
The rendered image of the master bedroom presents various values of blue within one space. From the beginning, I wanted a canopy bed in the master bedroom since it provides a grandeur and presence to the space. Once again, light wood is utilized throughout and shines underneath the many options for natural light.
Three
PROJECT
Lacewing
Pictogram Poster University of Georgia Time Period: Spring 2023 Duration: 7 weeks Type: Individual Project Software/Skills: Ink, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator
Description: For a Graphic Design Survey class, I created a poster to promote the Georgia Museum of Natural History. Within the poster, I incorporated a family of original and creative pictograms into it.
One of the animals and bugs from the GA Museum of Natural History that I observed and drew was the spoon-winged lacewing. My sketch started off quite jagged and rough before I made the pictogram completely symmetrical and curved. However, then I leaned into the original drawing more, allowing some asymmetry, linear and sharp lines, and a more vertically oriented figure, which displayed the lacewing’s natural body form.
One of the animals and bugs I observed and drew was the mallard. Since the mallard is extremely well-known, there are features that are considered iconic to the animal. Therefore, I made sure to illustrate the webbed feet, wings, collar, and beak clearly. This piece went through noticeable revisions with each drawing and layer created, especially with regards to the torso and body of the duck.
Mallard
One of the animals and bugs I observed and drew was the Northern Bobwhite Quail. Again, my drawing started off with a more rough quality and jagged edges, and I adjusted to make it more curved and clean. Also, I incorporated more line and less shape, to fit with the other pictiograms. With all of these pictograms, I drew an image of the animal or bug on trace paper, added black marker and ink, photographed the drawing, transferred it to Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, and edited after. It was important that the family of pictograms was simplified, streamlined, and unified.
Quail
The final family of pictograms was incorporated into this poster design promoting the Georgia Museum of Natural History. The general feel of this poster was inspired by the Swiss design and style, where the composition is simple, a modular grid system is present, and minimalism is shown. The poster has a clear pattern and sense of hierarchy with a font that feels both scientific and literary, historical and modern. This poster not only helps to promote the museum, but also supports the important research that is done.
Four
Site Analysis
PROJECT
NEXT Steelcase Office, Dallas, Texas University of Georgia Time Period: Fall 2023 Duration: 12 weeks Type: Individual Project Software/Skills: Revit
Description: In my Studio 3 class, I designed an office space, of about 15,000 square feet, for the NEXT Steelcase Competition. The client was the NEXT global architecture and interior design firm. This global firm’s new office was located in Dallas, Texas and catered to around 50 employees. The main focus of this project was the space planning, materials, and lighting.
2601
Victory
Avenue,
Suite
300, Dallas, Texas 75201 Level 3 = 11,000 square feet Mezzanine Level = 1000-4000 square feet
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT Several centers and venues Art Dallas Arts District Dallas Design District Sports American Airlines Center Music House of Blues
MULTIFAMILY
Almost 10,000 residences within the neighborhood, Victory Commons One Almost 20,000 residences within the area, like a one-mile radius
HOTELS/RESTAURANTS Different hotel or luxury style locations with 5star, 4-star, or businessclass quality Hyatt House Dallas/Uptown La Quinta Inn & Suites Over 40 restaurants within the neighborhood, Victory Commons One Over 100 dining places within a one-mile radius
PARKS/GARDENS
Klyde Warren Park Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Katy Trail
Concept & Logo The design of this office has roots in the modern, mid century style. Nature is incorporated in each space with several plants, landscape forms, floral motifs, and various woods. The overall aesthetic of the NEXT workplace is derived from the idea of the office serving as a calm, earthy sanctuary from the surrounding commercial, crowded, buzzy downtown. There is a focus on marble and especially wood in the environment to represent the building and artisanal processes and materials that the architects and interior designers who work in NEXT would look towards. Shades of white, beige, and brown give a rustic, yet chic feel yet there are also pops of color. Comfort is supremely important and prioritized in this design. The space
Concept Research
should feel like a home office or studio where mistakes can be made and creative growth is encouraged.
In 2018, Jim Truitt of Forest City Realty said in The Dallas Morning News that,’”in the last 24 months, the street scene downtown has really changed... we have 2000 new hotel rooms open downtown.”’ In 2021, Dallas Culture Map recorded that in 2020, “ the Dallas area ranked seventh” in the top 15 US cities with worst traffic “with drivers spending 40 hours in traffic.” In 2022, D Magazine concluded that “the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro had the fastest rate of growth of any area in the US last year.” Recently, Axios Dallas reported one of the reasons for Dallas’ population boom is “a lack of natural barriers like waterways and mountains means plenty of room to expand” and on a separate note, said that “Dallas still doesn’t have enough parks.”
E T The N is made up of dots or blocks to represent the constructing that architects do. The arrow demonstrates NEXT’s focus on the future with Gen Z joining the workplace significantly more than before.
The Harvard Business Review recently conducted studies and a field experiment and found that “incorporating micro-nature into work settings... experiencing even small doses of nature at work improved the
ways
employees
felt
in
ways
that
fueled
higher
performance, increased helping, and enhanced creativity.”
task
The X is shown with an abstract symbol that almost looks like 4 leaves extending out. The E and T give a vintage feel that is a huge part of the office design with the midcentury style.
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9
2
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First Floor Plan 1 - Reception 2 - Private Offices 3 - Workstations 4 - Client Presentation Room 5 - Innovation Lab & Model Shop 6 - Huddle Rooms 7 - Small Meeting/Phone Room 8 - Resource Center 9 - Meeting Rooms 10 - Mothers Room 11 - Work Cafe 12 - Training Classroom 13 - Wellness Room 14 - Design Library 15 - Yoga Room
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15
10
6
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9 6 12 7
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Mezzanine Level Floor Plan
14
Design MEANINGFUL PRIVACY
MICRONATURE
MULTICOLORED
Opaque doors for client presentation room, wellness room, mothers room, yoga room, training room, and design library while transparent glass walls and doors for private offices, meeting rooms, small phone/meeting rooms, huddle rooms, and work cafe. Yoga room, mothers room, and wellness room basically visually hidden because in separate hall/corridor from main passages Plants in private offices, meeting rooms, work cafe, and some workstations. Plant chandelier and lighting in the reception. Different types of wood recurring in basically every space. Direct sunlight in most public/group rooms. Green/military canvas colored chairs in small phone/meeting rooms, huddle rooms, meeting rooms, client presentation room Beach color scheme/mood to workstation area and private offices. Scarlet fabric on reception sofas with orange-marble tables. Dark blue color painted walls in private offices with sea salt fabric chairs there and in the workstations area. Fuchsia color painted walls in work cafe Green/military canvas colored chairs in small phone/meeting rooms, huddle rooms, meeting rooms, client presentation room. Beach color scheme/mood to workstation area and private offices.
Connecting Staircase
Mezzanine Level
Reception
Workstations
27 ft ceiling
Level 3 14.5 ft ceiling
Lighting Plans A - Recessed Downlight
H - Plant Chandelier
B - Noveau Wall Sconce
I - LED Radial Desktop
C - Adjustable Accent Fixture
J - Trap Pendant
D - Lacey Pendant (16") E - Lacey Pendant (22")
Mezzanine Level
F - Parallax Chandelier G - Direct Recessed Ceiling Troffer
All the fixtures in all the lighting plans are dimmer operated, even though only one-way and more than four-way switches have the D in the symbol. The other switch symbols only include the number of ways. There are master switches with more than 4 lights connected to them. So long as it is not too cluttered, there is a circuit shown but some do not have the circuit marked because it is would be hard to view the remaining light fixtures.
Work Cafe
Work Cafe Workstations
The work cafe follows a violet-navy-gray color scheme. Light wood is a core material in the cafe and gives a glow and comfort. The space includes various layers of warm lighting with ample access to natural light. The long plant divides the cafe into the more social, dining zone and solitary, studying zone. Not to mention, this plant is a crucial example of micronature within the design.
The workstations area follows a beachy color scheme with light brown, sea salt blue, and bright white. The private offices do too. Natural light and plants are present in both spaces. There is a minimalism to the workstations area since employees require a clean, distraction-free workspace.