2023 Undergraduate Interior Design Portfolio

GISELLE VILLEDA

Undergraduate Interior Design Portfolio

University of North Texas | Spring 2023

Hello, my name is Giselle Villeda, a collaborative, research-oriented senior interior design student who is passionate about creating purposeful and functional design solutions. I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program of Interior Design at the University of North Texas, graduating in Spring 2023.

A large part of my identity is I am a first-generation student and second-generation American. Throughout my personal and academic life, I have experienced many adversities that have shaped me into the person and designer I am today. 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, I believe 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.

Recently I completed my internship at Corgan Headquarters in Dallas, Texas, within the Interiors studio. I have received invaluable hands-on experience designing workplace interiors. Specifically learning how the workplace environment is undergoing a huge 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.

UBER

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.

Commercial | Fall 2022 | Dallas, TX |

24,362 sq. ft

Revit

FLOOR PLAN: NTS

Space planning for this client is centered around co-working and neighborhood planning. A frequent trend when designing for tech companies is they gravitate towards permanent hoteling meaning a company maximizes its square footage by purchasing fewer desks and chairs and applying a permanent hybrid work system. Hybrid work environments have been popular given the current transition of working from home and working in the office. Uber’s Dallas office will accommodate four teams in their “neighborhoods” Community Operations, Finance, People and Places, and Sales.

ZONING

Collaboration

These spaces are acousticaly treated with panels and ceiling baffles or fixtures.

Focus

These spaces allow employees to retreat and complete work with little to no distractions.

Wellness

These spaces function as an onsite relief and decompression room for nursing mothers and employees,

Quiet Earth

Mural by Mariella Guzman

Airsonics

Moss

COLLABORATION SPACE

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.

Interior Elevation of Grab and Go | NTS

Interior Elevation of Reception Desk | NTS

RECEPTION

As a brand, they believe 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.

OPEN OFFICE NEIGHBORHOOD

A frequent trend when designing for tech companies is they gravitate towards permanent hoteling meaning a company maximizes its square footage by purchasing fewer desks and chairs and applying a permanent hybrid work system. Hybrid work environments have been popular given the current transition of working from home and working in the office. The focal point of this space is the custom linear lights that mimic car traffic lights in motion. Representing the ignition and energy of the office.

OTIUM

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.

FLOOR PLAN: NTS

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.

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.

PROSPECT AND

Private Dining

Dining Space

Dining Space

Private Bar Bar

Foyer

North Section: NTS

Partitions divide the private and public dinning areas

West Section: NTS

Partitions divide the private and public dinning areas

East Section: NTS

South Section: NTS

PRIVATE BAR

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 private bar alcoves. These materials encourage calmness and relaxation, thus enhacning guest’s preferred dining experience.

MATERIALS

Pioneer Millworks Brown Ash

Woodwright Texas Oak Belden Brick Company Red Formica Copper

Foglizzo Leather

MATERIALS

Pioneer Millworks Brown Ash

Woodwright Texas Oak Belden Brick Company Red Formica Copper

Designtex Pine

DINING SPACE

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.

ATLO

2021 IDEC COMPETITION

Mixed Use | Fall 2021 | Oklahoma City, OK | Group Project

Atlo translates to “weaving” in the Navajo language. Similar to yarn interlacing to create woven works of art, Atlo is dedicated to connect Navajo traditions, history, land, and unity within the community and the environment. Atlo is a mixed-use environment designed for two Navajo small business owners. They honor their ancestry with the textiles they create and use the sale of those textiles to share the history of their people. Bringing awareness to indigenous peoples of the Americas.

In this project, our team addressed the live work model in a sustainable way that also allows for migration as needed by the inhabitants. The live work shipping container consists of three shipping containers that serve as a dwelling and business location. While also addressing small space solutions, structural stability of the containers, transitions between the residential and commercial spaces, as well as antimicrobial measures, social distancing, and health-focused spaces.

Revit | Enscape | Photoshop

CLIENT RESEARCH

Navajo woven fabrics are produced on looms. Weaving typically requires at least one set of warp yarns that are kept taut on a loom and a means for the filling yarns to interlace with the warp yarns as they move horizontally from one side to the other. Plain weave, also known as a tabby weave, results from the most basic (over one yarn and under one yarn) interlacing of warp and filling yarns.

A plain weave is commonly used in Navajo textiles to create their woven art. We were inspired by the curvilinear image of the plain weave to design our logo for ATLO (which translates to weaving in the Navajo language). This idea also reflects the nature of ATLO, as it interlaces their Navajo culture not only within the community but is celebrated through the linear connection of the exterior and interior spaces.

FLOOR PLAN: NTS

STORE FRONT

The Navajo Nation along with other indigenous groups has been disproportionately affected during Covid-19. With Native Americans being 3.5 times more likely to contract Covid-19. This is why the commercial space emphasizes physical distancing without compromising social connection. ATLO connects the Navajo culture to the community with safety measures in place. The location of the looms in the center of the floor help separate the space in order to encourage social distancing. The open glass storefront provides customers with the option to view the textiles from the courtyard in case the inside reaches capacity. The courtyard and garden provide another space where ATLO guests and the community can gather at a distance. Antimicrobial materials are being used more often in design to help control the spread of the coronavirus.

Interior Perspective of Maker Space

Interior Perspective of Flexible Space

RESIDENTIAL SPACE

This colorful sliding glass wall creates privacy in the residential space. The design reflects that of one of Melissa Cody’s art works with a dynamic pattern and colorful stained glass. When opened, you are granted with a large ‘flex’ space that allows you, your friends and family to be able to spread out and gather in a comfortable way. The clients have social gathers weekly that include 4-10 guests and typically include dining. To accommodate up to twelve people eating together. The bench seating gives room for twelve guests to sit comfortably and interact with each other in a friendly matter. Everyone can enjoy the view from the flex space, into the front garden and enjoy one another’s company.

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.

GRAB AND GO

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.

Interior Elevation of Grab and Go | NTS

Caesar Stone

Noble Grey Fireclay Tile Slate

Aesthetics WC Kensington Bocci Series 14.1

GRAB AND GO

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. Using motifs from the Clients logo as well as an adapted color palette, the design iterations serve to create a modern and bright space.