I am Sara and an interior designer. I completed my Master’s degree in Translation Studies With Intercultural Communication in 2012. Almost for a decade, I always saw myself as a translator; someone who would consistently attempt to bring something new to and from the source language to the target language (Persian-English). When I turned 30 , life started revealing a completely different and new angle of itself to me as if it has been a new life all over again, yet shaped based on my older experiences. It encompassed my love for interior design as well. Something that was always a part of me from teenagehood , but was never seen as a career path for me. Interior design started becoming an inseparable part of my inner self and molding my experiences in life Nature is my true source of inspiration. I always find peace from water , plants , clouds , mountains , sun and shadows . Hence, I am aspiring every day to be able to design spaces that are both functional, bespoke, and at the same time aesthetically pleasing to the eye of the people who will live and work in them.
SARA RASEKH
LASALLE COLLEGE VANCOUVER - SUMMER 2020 & SELECTED WORKS
CONTENTS
COTREN SHIPPING CONTAINER
Residential and Commercial Design
GDH PHARMACEUTICAL CANADA INC
Corporate Design
AZURA BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Hospitality Design
CUSTOM HOME
Residential Design
PERSONAL WORKS
Freehand & 2D Renderings
01-09
10-23
24-44
CORTEN 01
Concept Statement
807 SF
Corten is the name of the steel that the shipping containers are generally made from - which also appears to be a self-healing and weathering material. Shipping containers are sustainable boxes, designed to endure harsh conditions. This project was done for the final project of “Programming and Space Planning” course. The main challenge was to deal with considerably small spaces and come up with all the requirements a place needs to be functional in order to serve the desired purposes. The idea was to stack two shipping containers of different sizes (20 ft and 30 ft) - based on a personal choice - next to each other for a couple to be able to live in one part and use a shared kitchen to run a café on the other side. The rooftop patio was added later for the purpose of portfolio.
BEDROOM
LIVING ROOM SHARED
CAFE CASHIER
CAFE SEATING AREA
PERSPECTIVE
Commercial
ROOF TOP PATIO
AXONOMETRIC VIEW
GDH PHARMACEUTICAL CANADA INC 02
Location: 830 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC (6th Floor)
5450 SF
Client Profile
GDH is a global dermatology company partnering with healthcare professionals to provide innovative medical solutions to patients with skin health needs, Dermatology company founded in 1981 as a joint venture between Nestlé and L’Oréal. The company has 35 wholly owned affiliates and a worldwide network of distributors, over 6000 employees and an extensive product portfolio available in more than 100 countries. Right now, GDH has 6 manufacturing sites (France, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Brazil). GDH is establishing an office in downtown Vancouver.
Concept Statement
The requirements for the business staff departments are executives, marketing team, support staff, admin manager, admin officer, IT specialist and receptionist. In addition to the staff areas, the facility must accommodate visitor coat storage, boardroom, electrical room, photocopy room, staff break room, filing and merchandised storage. To build an office environment means coming up with a design that comfortably and functionally provide the right support for its occupants. Hence, the goal is to bring a design to the space which is considerably collaborative and free from sheer hierarchies through providing diverse, transparent work spaces, based mainly on open/semi-open plan design by creating a spacious clean simple look with the use of bright colour schemes as well as incorporating biophilic elements into the space. Since, it is believed that through healthy collaboration with nature, people often get more inspired and productive.
SYSTEM FURNITURE
Creating a custom modern office layout starts with choosing the right system furniture. Three prominent manufacturers providing system furniture for office environments can be named as Herman Miller, Steelcase, and Teknion. Herman Miller was the final choice as their design is bold and artistic because of the range of the world’s most seminal designers and architects collaborated with the company such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Le Corbusier, Achille Castiglioni, Eero Saarinen, and Konstantin Grcic, to name but a few.
FLOOR PLAN:
PERSPECTIVE
Waiting Area
ELEVATION
Reception Area
PERSPECTIVE
Pods
The Framery O Office telephone booths by Herman Miller are sound absorbent and comfortable working environments. They are designed for office personnels to make important phone calls or video conferences, allowing private conversations without other colleagues disturbing their privacy.
ELEVATION
Executive
PERSPECTIVE
AGM Office
PERSPECTIVE
AGM
Office
ELEVATION
ELEVATION
The office layout, as seen before in the floor plan, is separated into two separate spaces. One side - from the first entrance - is designed to incorporate more of the social zone namely Reception, Boardroom, General Manager and Assistant to General Managers’ offices as well as their Personal Assistances’. The other side on the hand, is assigned to work zone in general including Admin Manager and Officers, Finance Manager and Accountants, Marketing Manager
PERSPECTIVE
MKTG EXECs & ASSISTs
and Senior Marketing Executives, Marketing Executives, and Lunchroom as a semi-social zone, connecting the two. Office sizes and layouts vary according to their role. In this manner, the GM and the AGM get the biggest enclosed office spaces respectively and ADM, FIN and MKTG managers would follow with the exact room types, no more no less.
AZURA BOUTIQUE HOTEL 03
Location: Galiano Island
Client Profile
The space plan is an existing house in BC that is rebranded into a floating boutique hotel. The building is two-story high; a total floor area of 16,000 sq. ft. The premise has swimming pool, restaurant, movie room, and library on the main floor. On the upper floor, it encompasses three room types, namely; Suite, Executive and Standard rooms with both double and single room layouts.
Concept Statement
What the upcoming project is aiming to bring into life is luxury and unique ranges of services into the natural inhabitant of Galiano Island, BC, where the boutique hotel is going to be located. The privilege of this hotel is going to be having various recreational activities, revolving mainly around water activities and plant life due to the nature of the project which is going to be a “floating boutique hotel”. A place that can be seen as an elegant niche for an unforgettable stay; while bringing a sense of warmth and welcoming feeling to the guests.
16000 SF
PROPOSED LOCATION & ACCESSIBILITY
The hotel would be built in the southern side of Galiano island facing from the North towards the “Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park”, the “Trincomali Channel” on the other South and “Gray Peninsula” on the West. It will be floating on the water partially, with one side anchoring to the land. Galiano Island is easily accessible by ferry from “Tsawwassen terminal” on the mainland or from “Swartz Bay terminal” on Vancouver Island. However, the hotel would be accessible by private cruises and/or seaplane back and forth once a day from Vancouver.
BUBBLE DIAGRAM
UPPER FLOOR
MAIN FLOOR
Given the schematic phase, bubble diagram is amongst the steps that is of importance in a sense that it can help unclutter the bigger design image in mind in terms of which spaces are to be in adjacency. Areas - in general - can be divided into four zones as illustrated above; public, private, work and support - depicted in different colors - and the relevance can be of major or minor to one another.
FLOOR PLAN: MAIN FLOOR
SECTION PLAN A-A: BOTH FLOORS
NTS
SECTION PLAN B-B: MAIN FLOOR
NTS
FLOOR PLAN: UPPER FLOOR
SECTION PLAN A-A: BOTH FLOORS
NTS
SECTION PLAN B-B: UPPER FLOOR
NTS
MAIN FLOOR
UPPER FLOOR
SECTION PLAN A-A: BOTH FLOORS
SECTION PLAN B-B: MAIN FLOOR
SECTION PLAN B-B: UPPER FLOOR NTS NTS NTS
FRONT DESK
LOBBY
PERSPECTIVE
Restaurant
SEATING AREA
MOVIE ROOM
BANQUETTE SEATING BAR
ENLARGED PLAN: SUITE
The style in designing the “Suite” is contemporary with the emphasis on neutral and tone-on-tone color palettes. However, the bold choices of black marble for fireplace and kitchen countertop, the shag rug for the bedroom and the rug with rustic motifs in the living room bring more vibrance into the space. The furniture is made up of bright linen fabric and smooth surfaces to make the space more cozy. In addition, the use of gold finish helps creating the desired elegance. Welcoming natural light through the large and high glazings in the space not only reduces energy consumption and let the visitors enjoy the outstanding sea and land view, but also has an impact on the quality of the guests’ stay.
LIVING ROOM
BATHROOM
BEDROOM
ENLARGED PLAN: EXECUTIVE ROOM
Executive room follows contemporary style in the same manner as the Suite, yet the color palette relies heavily on darker brown shades for the wood surfaces and carpet as well as dark gray marble stone for the kitchen countertop and bathroom. The bathroom opens up with the glass pocket doors in order to bring more luxury and joy into the experience of staying in the executive room. Moreover, the copper finish is incorporated in order to bring sophistication into the space without the intention of competing with the Suite. The headboard selected is of a lower profile compared to the Suite’s and higher than that of the Standard room.
Executive Room
BED & KITCHENETTE
STUDY
BATHROOM
PERSPECTIVE
Standard Room
DOUBLE STANDARD ROOM
Swimming Pool
INDOOR POOL
OUTDOOR POOL
LOCATION
TOPOGRAPHY
Famous for its stunning natural scenery and luxurious residential areas, West Vancouver appeals to a wide range of West Coast lifestyles. This location is associated with exclusivity and wealth. With its magnificent estates and expansive gardens, this gated community represents prestige. The neighbourhood’swinding roads that curve up the hills provide privacy and seclusion, making it an ideal escape for those looking for a peaceful retreat from city life. From elevated viewpoints, residents enjoy sweeping views of the city and ocean, adding to the charm of this elevated neighbourhood.
CUSTOM HOME 04
Location: Vancouver
Credit: Insight Design Group
Client Profile
Located in Vancouver, BC, the interior space is an existing spacious multi-family unit which is reinvented to meet the current need of the user. The client is a middle age single person who needed the space as a personal retreat outside the hustle and bustle of the city. To her, the functionality of space, circulation, and attention to detail were key. The space is approximately a total floor area of 2,600 sq. ft. Overlooking the forest from the North wing and the ocean from the South, the space opens up with large, often clerestory glass windows to optimize the West Coast natural aesthetics.
Concept Statement
Having incorporated modern classic as the main design orientation led to bringing the timeless appeal of classical design with the clean lines and functionality of modern style. The emphasis was to create a space that is sophisticated yet giving away a certain level of comfort. By combining elements from past and present, the goal was to create a sense of versatility, elegance and enduringness.
2,600 SF
PRIMARY ENSUITE ELEVATION
NTS
PERSPECTIVE
Primary Ensuite
With a design that inspires a West Coast state of mind, the main feature is to maintain simplicity and having clean lines throughout the space.
Use of subtle patterns and rich earthly textures such as natural stones and glass create depth as well as appeal.
Modern finishes and fixtures add grandeur to the space. The main parameter is to achieve a timeless & effortless yet elegant design.
Abundance of natural light is of prominence.
PRIMARY W.I.C. ELEVATION
PERSPECTIVE
Primary W.I.C.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
NTS
The design orientation of Modern Classic crafted a unique narrative for this private home. The spaces blend with clean lines of minimalism and the elegance of classic elements.
Architectural details such as crown moldings are intended to bring character and personality to the Primary Bedroom.
Neutral colour palette is balanced out with the boldness in the choice of avant-garde artworks.
Statement lightings like sculptural surface mount light fixtures along with abundant natural lighting enhances the ambiance.
PERSPECTIVE
Primary Bedroom
POWDER ROOM ELEVATION
As Jenni Kayne in her book “Pacific Natural At Home” beautifully puts it, “Powder Rooms are jewel boxes. For a room this small, the details make all the difference. One special element can completely change the space”.
The client wished to have a bold statement with the Powder Room and chose not to play it safe. The drama and warmth is created by paneling the walls with dark wood veneer. The custom-made honed onyx pedestal sink is designed to be the center piece here.
Embellishing the space with a vintage organic look mirror enhances the space with a refined touch in order to achieve the desired focus on the details.
STUDY ELEVATION
PERSPECTIVE
Study
Functionality was crucial to the client, so the Study is designed with this in mind. Features like ample drawers for the printer, enough shelves to showcase decorative pieces, a bar sink next to the coffee machine, and a small wine fridge are essential. As a result, the Study’s millwork is built around these requirements. Additionally, the client’s need to partially close the drawers and conceal clutter while entertaining is another important consideration.
FAMILY ELEVATION
NTS
Family PERSPECTIVE
The focus is modern yet minimal furnishings with utmost functionality. The goal is to stay intentional and achieve a certain level of comfort again based on the desired functionality.
The space’s relationship with the outdoor nature comes alive with full-height windows that allow plenty of natural light to flood in during the day.
Oversized dramatic artwork adds more personality to the Family Room.
