Interior Design Portfolio

PORTFOLIO M O R I A H M A N WA R I N G

We are all blind until we see That in the human plan Nothing is worth the making if It does not make the man.

Why build these [buildings] glorious If man unbuilded goes?

In vain we build the world, unless the builder also grows.

Edward Marckham

Moriah Manwaring DESIGNER

Expand. Connect. Breathe.

As a native of the American West, Moriah revels in the feel of sunlight and wide, open spaces. The blue expanse of the coastline; peaks a mile high; gentle sagebrush plains and brilliant sandstone canyons carved by eons of wind: the world is full of wonder.

That wonder is only enhanced by the world’s residents. Cultural influences and individual preference add flavor to the global palate. Living, studying, and interacting with people from Oceania, the Americas, Europe, and Asia has enriched Moriah’s taste. She incorporates meaningful concepts and forms in her design as a way to reflect on the connections we have with others.

To know and be known: the best spaces allow us to find and nourish the best in ourselves. They reflect what we love and let us relax in what’s familiar. In these places, people can also be inspired about things that are important to them. A good space allows the soul to both settle and soar.

INDEX

INTERIORS

Datillo Apartment

Florentine Student Flat

Garden Terrace

FURNITURE

Super LEGO

Reception Desk

Lotus Table

Frank Lloyd Wright Window

INTERIORS

Datillo Apartment

Located in Florence, Italy, this apartment was redesigned to meet the needs of a young Calabrian couple and their infant daughter.

Site: Top floor of an apartment building, with balconies looking northeast and northwest, toward the hills of Fiesole.

Needs: • Residents frequently feed and entertain guests in the evening • Both adults often work at home on computers • Daughter needs a child-friendly space to accommodate her next 5-6 years of development.

The original floor plan had the following issues: • No dedicated work area • Infant’s room awkardly positioned (near a noisy entry at night; must pass 2-3 doors to reach her; inconvenient bathroom access) • Guests must enter private area of the home to access the restroom To fix these issues, we shifted walls to create a study, which can be closed off for acoustic privacy but is also near the entrance for easy access when clients visit.

A guest restroom was added to maintain residents’ privacy.

The baby’s room is near the study and more accessible from the master bedroom, allowing parents to easily step in. She is also adjacent to the restroom as a potty training precaution.

A breakfast nook lets residents enjoy morning light and space-efficient dining, while a music nook blocks the view of toilet and bedroom doors.

Section 1, as shown in the floor plan: master bedroom and dining/kitchen area.

Design board of master bedroom and dining furniture.

Florentine Student Flat

This design is for a single-occupancy apartment. Its intended location is in a repurposed classroom Piazza della Liberta in Florence, Italy. The space caters to the needs of a female student from Indonesia.

This student is in Florence studying design and prefers the wabi-sabi style. She enjoys solitude; for recreation, she watches videos at home. Makeup is one of her passions, and she wants a dedicated spot for it. She is Buddhist and almost legally blind without her glasses.

Site: Second floor, with windows looking out onto a busy intersection and a plaza with history hundreds of years old.

Needs: • • • •

An area for study, separate from her recreational area Bed’s head facing east, per Buddhist tradition Easy nighttime navigation when her visual aids are removed An area to apply makeup

Solution: The apartment’s odd shape creates an ideal placement for her bed to face the right direction, with built-in storage behind it.

Her makeup station is near the window, providing colorfast natural light, while her work desk is away from the window to make sketching and computer work easier.

To support the wabi-sabi concept of simple age and timelessness, most materials used are natural, such as the ash wood floor, bamboo dividers, hemp and cotton upholstery and bedding, and granite surfaces in the kitchen. For added durability and aesthetic, the kitchen and dining floor is a polished concrete.

She can relax with a movie on her sofa in the living room. When people visit for group projects, there is appropriate space at the dining table.

The open floor plan and juxtaposition of the bedroom and bathroom make it easy for her to find her way around in the dark. Doors close off private areas on the rare occasions that visitors are present.

Garden Terrace

Housing a fountain and seating, this covered pavilion aims to provide a place to relax and ponder. It is intended for use in a large flower garden or park.

The terrace occupies 8 cubed meters. Its rounded arches, domed ceiling, and open eye to the sky are reminiscient of the Roman pantheon, eliciting a sense of classicism and nostalgia.

Mosaic tiles on the floors and stairs add a lighthearted Mediterranean touch, while the bubbling, 4-tiered fountain leaves visitors free either to play or reflect in its water.

On the upper floor, glassy archways and ceiling provide both shelter and sight of the grounds, Because it is in a mezzanine style, visitors can also look at the fountain from above. Backless benches allow patrons to sit facing whichever view they prefer.

FURNITURE

Super LEGO

Bright and sturdy, the Super LEGO cabinet is a great storage choice for collectors with a young and vibrant taste.

This is a modular piece that is easily added onto as the collection grows, Collectors select which modules suit them best and arrange them as desired.

Material: Painted MDF

Color options:

Reception Desk

This is a design for a reception desk in a casino or high-end hotel. It’s made of stained charry wood with siding and top of colored quartz. Bronze insets with hidden LED light strips fan out in a touch of Art Deco. The desk is a glamorous addition to lavish spaces.

A receptionist would stand behind the curve of the desk, ready to assist visitors. there are shelves below the quartz top for storing brochures and other small items.

The curve is sleek and graceful while maintaining privacy and protection for the receptionist.

Lotus Table

The Lotus table was designed for a small, in-home yoga studio. It is built into a round, sub-terranean seating arrangement at which the hostess may kneel or sit to have tea with her clients or visitors. Seen from above, the table’s petals form the shape of a lotus flower, which symbolizes concepts relevant in yoga, such as peace and harmony.

In this studio design, a false floor is applied to leave room for the step-down seating around the table. Each of the petals swivels when pushed so that people may enter the seating with ease.

Each petal is attached to the central post at its obtuse end. The acute ends are indented to hold cups.

Since the petals are set on metal ball bearings in tracks, they can glide smoothly in any direction. Each petal moves independently of the others on its own track and level.

The petals are made of MDF--light, yet strong enough to hold itself up with a weight on its point. Transparent, colored glass or acrylic are other attractive possibilities.

The table’s stainless steel stem extends below the floor panels for extra stability. It works in this setting because the seating around the table is below floor-level, similar to an amphitheater. Other materials are possible, such as wood or iron.

Frank Lloyd Wright Window Done in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style, this window works well alone or in a series. Many aspects of Wright’s designs contained influences from Japan; this was based on Japanese paper shogi screens. Light enters, but in a slightly distorted manner; rather than passing through paper, here it enters through stained glass panels, shaped in the geometric interpretations of nature that Wright was famous for.

The window’s frame shape can be applied to other items: note the interpretation as a display and bookcase.