Summer. The period of rest and relaxation between grueling (yet totally amazing and inspiring) school terms.... Or so they say. As it turns out, I'm keeping busying, spending my summer in Chicago as an intern. My first real design gig! Surprise! I am so existed to be spending a couple months gaining hands-on experience that I can use back at school and in my career. Unfortunately, I'm slumming it in the suburbs for the summer with a two-hour commute each way, but I guess that means I'll have so much more time to blog! (Especially since I already finished binge-watching TV Land's
Younger).
I'll spare you the nitty gritty details, but my internship is with an interior design firm in Chicago's River North neighborhood. The firm works on a variety of projects from commercial to residential and even a little hospitality. I've been there a month already, and primarily, I've been working on corporate clients. It's a complete 180 degrees from my residential studio last quarter (which I will be sharing so stayed tuned!!), but I have already learned so much! I have had the opportunity to work on construction documents, furniture bids, selecting finishes and renderings!
In addition to my internship, I also have to find time for my Amsterdam class. That's right, before heading back to school in September, I'm headed to the Netherlands for a quick study abroad trip! I can't wait to return to the beautiful city of Amsterdam; I've been there once before, but only for a 24-hour layover that I definitely took advantage of! I am most excited to return with my "design glasses" on and to also have an opportunity to visit Utrecht, Rotterdam and Delft. Following the class trip, I'm flying down to Barcelona for a few days to meet up with my brother (who will be just starting his own European adventure). Have you been to any of these cities before? What must-sees and must-do's do you recommend?
It's not all just plane flights and passport stamps though. The trips also comes with A LOOOTTTT of work! A big part of the course is writing a 10-page research paper and presentation on a topic of our choosing, relevant to the trip. I submitted my topic proposal last week (still no word on if it's approved), but I'm hoping to study the historical importance of lighting (specifically natural lighting and windows) in Dutch architecture and the new, innovative ways modern architecture in the Netherlands is incorporating natural lighting today.
Crystal Houses // MVRDV
This building, the new flagship store for Chanel in Amsterdam (titled "Crystal Houses"), is my main inspiration for the topic. Completed earlier this year, MVRDV used a blending of brick with Venetian glass bricks to create dissolving front facade that pays homage to traditional Dutch canal homes and buildings. I absolutely love this, and I can't wait to a) learn more about Crystal Houses and b) see it in person!
There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it: I'm definitely a busy lady this summer. That said, I do really want to return to blogging. I may even experiment with building a more portfolio-savvy website with a blogging component. Stay tuned!
Hope everyone is having an equally fun and exciting summer!
XO, lg
