Interior Design Portfolio

DESIGN PORTFOLIO

CONTENTS

Summer

01. Thornton Elementary School

03. Otium Hospitality

04. Internship Work

Internship, Corgan

ABOUT

Hello, my name is Giselle Villeda, a collaborative, research-oriented interior designer who is passionate about creating purposeful and functional design solutions. I earned my degree from the University of North Texas’s interior design program. During my time there I served as the marketing chair for the Interior Design Student Alliance while maintaining my spot on the president’s and dean’s list and winning an honorable mention for the 2021 IDEC Student Competition.

A large part of my identity is I am a first-generation American and the first person in my family to pursue higher education. In recent years, there has been a wave of initiative and advocacy that draws attention to critical issues of diversity and representation in the design field. Looking towards us as architects and designers to use our skill set to engage in advocacy and activism. As designers, we can shape and determine the world around us. Design is a tool that can improve someone’s quality of life, and the sustainability of our planet, and have a life-changing positive impact on our local communities.

During my internship, I received invaluable hands-on experience designing workplace interiors. Specifically learning how the workplace environment is undergoing a massive shift. Addressing not only the functionality of space but spaces that encourage productivity and a culture of wellness.

I am passionate about designing spaces that demonstrate beauty and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. To create environments that engage and inspire people who use them. To develop accessible spaces for everyone while connecting our landscape and the world around us. That is what excites me the most about design. It is such a powerful tool that can make all the difference in the human experience and our world.

THORNTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Education | Spring 2023 |

Myrtle Thornton Elementary has served the Arlington, Texas, community since its establishment in 1956. Thornton Elementary is currently being demolished and rebuilt through funding from the 2019 Bond. Part of the East Arlington Master plan is to modernize schools and give students optimal 21st-century education. Although the original building is gone, the mature live Oak trees will continue to welcome students for generations to come. Thornton currently serves a diverse community with the school’s minority student enrollment at 96.2%. The school also enrolls 91% of economically disadvantaged students. It is important to preserve their decades-old spirit and multiculturalism love. Thornton will accommodate and support all students based on current and future programs and align with the pedagogical strategies of Arlington Independent School District.

The overall concept for the project is to highlight social and emotional well-being while creating a place that embodies an inclusive learning environment. Using evidence-based design, creating dynamic spaces of discovery, engagement, and collaboration that reflect the district’s goals and values. At its core, the design follows four guiding principles: Design for Well-being, Pedagogical Design, Inclusion and Equity, and Biophilic Design

SITE ANALYSIS

LEGEND

SUN PATTERN STREET NOISE

LOCATION

2301 E Park Row Dr, Arlington, TX 76010

Thorton Elementary is located in the suburbs of Arlington, Texas. Located at the center of this neighboorhood provides maultiple access points for pick up and drop off.

CLIENT PROFILE

Thornton currently serves a diverse community with the school’s minority student enrollment at 96.2%. The school also enrolls 91% of economically disadvantaged students. It is important to preserve their decades-old spirit and multiculturalism love. Thornton will accommodate and support all students based on current and future programs and align with the pedagogical strategies of Arlington Independent School District.

96.2% of the students in Thorton Elementary are from a minority background.

91% of the students in Thorton Elementary are economically disadvantaged

THE CONCEPT

The overall concept for the project is to highlight social and emotional well-being while creating a place that embodies an inclusive learning environment. Using evidence-based design, creating dynamic spaces of discovery, engagement, and collaboration that reflect the district’s goals and values. At its core, the design follows four guiding principles: Design for Well-being, Pedagogical Design, Inclusion and Equity, and Biophilic Design.

RESEARCH TOPICS

DESIGN FOR WELL-BEING

How can we offer better support for educators during these post-pandemic times?

Good design supports health and well-being for all people, considering physical, mental, and emotional effects on building occupants and the surrounding community.

PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN

How can the built environment address the goals and needs of the school district’s curriculum?

Pedagogy is the study of teaching and how the content is presented to students. Pedagogical design integrates design research with the school’s pedagogy to achieve desired educational outcomes.

INCLUSION & EQUITY

How can the design remove barriers and promote inclusion and social equity, particularly in vulnerable communities?

The U.S. has a history of underserving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students. The U.S. discontinued federally mandated segregated learning spaces just over 60 years ago, and many barriers still exist to closing the achievement gap between white and BIPOC students.

BIOPHILIC DESIGN

How can design strategies informed by concepts in biophilia address the health and well-being of students and learning outcomes?

Biophilic design is an approach to architecture that seeks to connect building occupants more closely to nature. Biophilic-designed buildings incorporate things like natural lighting, natural landscape features, and other elements for creating a more productive and healthier built environment for people.

RESEARCH APPLICATION

The opportunities to apply biophilia and pedagogical design in a school are endless. There is an innate connection between the two research topics that effectively support each other. The library was designed by applying two design patterns that are based on Biophilia. Biomorphic forms and patterns and material connection to nature. Biomorphic Forms and Patterns are symbolic arrangements that reference patterns in nature. The presence of biomorphic forms may reduce stress due to an induced shift in focus and improve concentration. Material connection to nature is materials that reflect elements of nature or the local ecology. Highlighting at the center of the library is the reading tree inspired by the mature live oak trees at the front of the school.

BIOMORPHIC FORMS AND PATTERNS

MATERIAL CONNECTION WITH NATURE

Interior Elevation of Reading Tree | NTS

RESEARCH APPLICATION

The classroom was designed to accommodate and support all students based on current and future programs and align with the pedagogical strategies of Arlington Independent School District. One of the four key focus areas for the ASID strategic plan is to prioritize personalized learning experiences for all students. One way to address this is by implementing flexible and modular furniture combined with tech integrations to activate these spaces. Providing teachers with the options they need to accommodate different teaching strategies. As a testament to the value of flexibility, the number of teachers reporting they want more flexibility from their teaching environment has stayed the same from 2019 to 2022—85% and 82%.

VISUAL LEARNING

FLEXIBLE FURNITURE

MATERIALS

Interior Elevation of Classroom | NTS

Veneer Walnut Interface Kinetext

Tarkett Sandlot Veneer

Kravet Frog

Kravet Sky Kravet Carson

COLLABORATION SPACE

RESEARCH APPLICATION

With growing demands and limited support, teachers need their work environment to take an active role in improving their health and wellness on campus. One of the four key focus areas for the ASID strategic plan is to prioritize the social and emotional well-being of all students, teachers, and staff. When teachers need a moment to themselves to take a difficult phone call or work through a stressful interaction many resorts to their car (34%), the bathroom (32%), or even staying in their classroom (42%). Implementing collaborative workspaces normally adopted in traditional offices provides teachers a space to retreat and complete work with little to no distractions. These collaborative spaces can also function as alternative teaching spaces and are flexible and adapt to meet curriculum needs.

FOCUS SPACE FLEXIBLE FURNITURE

MATERIALS

Veneer Walnut Interface Kinetext

Tarkett Sandlot Veneer

Kravet Frog

Kravet Sky Kravet Carson

Interior Elevation of Collaboration Booth | NTS

UBER

Commercial | Fall 2022 | Dallas, TX |

Revit | Enscape | Photoshop

24,362 sq. ft

In recent years, there has been a wave of initiative and advocacy that draws attention to critical issues of sustainability and wellness in the design field. Looking towards us as architects and designers to use our skill sets to engage in designing creative solutions to tackle these concepts. Since March 2020, people have become hyper aware of their environment. People’s sense of wellness and safety has been jeopardized. A study by the EPA discovered that concentrations of pollutants are typically higher in indoor spaces. The average person spends 90% of their time indoors, meaning we should design to support the way we now live, work, and play.

For my corporate client, Uber, I decided to apply WELL metrics and criteria to their workplace environment. WELL, resonates with companies that are innovative and wish to retain and recruit the best talent, while improving their productivity and customer satisfaction. Enhancing the human experience in ways the pandemic prevented companies from previously achieving. As a result, WELL is creating a shift in design by placing people at the center and creating intentional spaces that promote a culture of wellness for everyone.

THE CONCEPT

For my corporate client, Uber, I decided to apply WELL metrics and criteria to their workplace environment. WELL, resonates with companies that are innovative and wish to retain and recruit the best talent, while improving their productivity and customer satisfaction. Enhancing the human experience in ways the pandemic prevented companies from previously achieving. As a result, WELL is creating a shift in design by placing people at the center and creating intentional spaces that promote a culture of wellness for everyone.

45% of surveyed individuals prefer their workplace to provide wellness spaces

89% of surveyed individuals said flexibility is an important aspect of workplace culture

FLOOR PLAN

92% of surveyed individuals prefer hybrid work environments

RESEARCH APPLICATION

At its most basic function, the workplace is more than office chairs and desks. The heart of every company is its people. The built environment can have a profound effect not only on the functionality of space but spaces that encourage productivity and a culture of wellness. Hybridity has brought new efficiencies and flexibilities, but it also complicates office culture. A way that was tackled in this design was by implementing purposeful zoning using WELL criteria. The WELL Light concept promotes exposure to light and aims to create lighting environments that promote visual, mental, and biological health. Light is the main driver of the visual and circadian systems which has a positive effect on users’ mental well-being and productivity levels.

WELL - NOURISHMENT CONCEPT

MATERIALS

Interior Elevation of Grab and Go | NTS

Interface Carpet Tile

Wolf Gordon Lemon

Wolf Gordon Roy

Sealed Concrete

Birch Wood Mural by Mariella Guzman

RECEPTION

RESEARCH APPLICATION

As a brand, Uber believes movement ignites opportunity, it is at the forefront of what they do. Translating movement in the physical space the reception branding walls combine visual energy with dynamic shapes and forms guiding the eyes down the hall.

MATERIALS

WELL - HEALTHY MATERIALS

Interior Elevation of Reception Desk | NTS

Airsonics Quiet Earth Moss

Interface Carpet Tile

Wolf Gordon Lemon Wolf Gordon Roy Sealed Concrete

Birch Wood

OTIUM

Hospitality | Spring 2022 | Dallas, TX | Group Project

AutoCAD | Revit | Enscape | Photoshop

Otium is a contemporary restaurant that draws from the rich culinary heritage of Chef Timothy Hollingsworth. It is designed to be a social restaurant with an open kitchen merging indoor and outdoor spaces. The restaurant’s name, Otium, has its roots in Latin, a word that is meant to emphasize a place where time can be spent on leisurely social activities. Adjacent to one of Dallas’ most important, vibrant areas, Deep Ellum, Otium strips away the rigid formalities of dining while focusing on the quality of food, warm service, and relaxed casual ambiance, paralleling the true essence of its name.

The core focus of this design is to create a contemporary American restaurant that strips away from the rigid formalities of dining. With a core focus on creating a relaxed casual ambiance. To achieve this, we will incorporate prospect and refuge to determine the space planning of the environment. Providing quality spaces of refuge where people can oversee an area of human interaction and activity. This will be achieved by creating a private alcove dining area which will create a more initmate experience color theory principles will also guide our design by applying warm tones and robust materials that can lead to higher pleasure scores amongst guests.

LOCATION

The restaurant’s name, Otium, has its roots in Latin, a word that is meant to emphasize a place where time can be spent on leisurely social activities. Adjacent to one of Dallas’ most important, vibrant areas, Deep Ellum, Otium strips away the rigid formalities of dining while focusing on the quality of food, warm service, and relaxed casual ambiance, paralleling the true essence of its name.

PROSPECT AND REFUGE

This theory states that guests prefer environments with unobstructed views and areas of concelment and retreat. To achieve this we have incorpated areas of refuge like the private bar to provide guests an intmate dininng experience. We have also incorporated areas of prospect like the general dining space.

Community is a key element of the Otium brand, it is important to provide a sense of community where guests can mix and mingle over a cocktail or a bottle of wine. The circular bar draws inspiration from the fluid elements of nature with it tall tree-like center. Strategically placing the circular bar in the heart of the resturant encourages lively, but casual interaction between customers.

FLOOR PLAN: NTS

PRIVATE BAR | DINING SPACE

MATERIALS

Pioneer Millworks Brown Ash

Woodwright Texas Oak Belden Brick Company Red Formica Copper

Foglizzo Leather

Designtex Pine

MATERIALS

This design illustrates several alcove spaces that are close to the bar. Whether guests are grabbing a drink or dining with friends, the alcoves inhibit a sense of refuge, thus providing a more intimate feeling for Otium diners. Drawing inspiration from Otium’s core values, natural materials and textiles are applied throughout the privatebar alcoves. This space is open and consists of varied, zoned seating planned around the central circular bar. Drawing inspiration from Otium’s core values, natural materials and textiles are applied throughout the private bar alcoves. These materials encourage calmness and relaxation, thus enhacning guest’s preferred dining experience.

INTERNSHIP WORK

Commercial | Summer 2022 | Dallas, TX | Corgan Internship

Revit | Enscape | Photoshop

During my internship at Corgan in Dallas, Texas, I was able to assist on the design of a grab and go for a commercial office space in Dallas, TX. This grab and go is located on the first floor of a multi tenant building. Throughout this project I prepared, corrected, and updated documents during schematic design, design development, and construction administration phases. Creating multiple iterations of the mill work and branding of the space. I was also involved in creating revit models of all equipment to be installed by the service provider.

SCOPE OF WORK

This grab and go is located on the first floor of a multi tenant building. The space will serve as a spot where tenants and guests can grab a quick bite to eat. Client requirements consisted of a point of sales machine for self check out, while also adapting retail space for a variety of snacks and a self serve coffee bar. Using motifs from the Clients logo as well as an adapted color palette, the design iterations serve to create a modern and bright space.

MATERIALS

Caesar Stone

Noble Grey Fireclay Tile Slate Aesthetics WC Kensington Bocci Series 14.1

Interior Elevation of Grab and Go | NTS

COFFEE STATION

(3) SINGLE DOOR COOLERS