a century of re-imagining interior design - The New School

you teLL us
Letters to the RE:DITOR
In the last issue we asked, “Which interior space
has had the greatest influence on your work?”
My mom and I used to play a
game: We would visit the pow-
der rooms in homes, restau-
rants, stores, and hotels, and
rate their level of luxury and
design on a scale of one to
ten. It was just for fun, but my
observation of these spaces
and my memory of them influ-
enced my ability to “see”
rooms. jennifer watty ’93
photo courtesy of jennifer watty
the next issue celebrates the communication design centennial.
you tell us: What is the most interesting change in communication
design you’ve seen since you graduated? Send your letters to
RedEditors@newschool.edu or RE:D Editors, Parsons The New School for Design,
66 Fifth Ave., 6th floor, New York, NY 10011.
Help shape the future of RE:D: Fill out our reader survey online at
www.newschool.edu/alumni/REDsurvey.html.
The interior space that most
influences my work is Antoni
Gaudi’s Casa Batlló in
Barcelona. Not afraid to take
risks, he mastered freedom of
expression while contradicting
perceptions of the norm, to
create spaces so bizarre and
expressive, yet so beautifully
unique. The use of geometrics,
color, carved woods, walls,
ceiling, and parabolic arches
are astonishing. lyn henry ’8
I once saw a picture of a bed-
room Mario Buatta designed
for the 1984 Kips Bay Boys’
and Girls’ Club Decorator Show
House. At first, one sees a typi-
cal blue-and-white bedroom,
but the walls are actually pale
lavender with touches of salm-
on pink. Instead of a blue can-
opy for the bed, Buatta used a
sheer white fabric that lets in
light. Whenever I am timid
about mixing colors and add-
ing whimsy, I remember this
room. anna wolcott ’0
San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy,
a domed Romanesque cathe-
dral full of elaborate details
and diffused natural light. The
organized, clean surfaces
adorned with mosaics and the
warmth of the space make it
striking, despite the austere
structure. Though it dates back
to the early sixth century, it
has the fundamental values of
the contemporary aesthetic:
simplicity framed in complex
and surprising details and
inspiring lighting solutions.
angelika wrzesinska ’0
photo courtesy of angelika
wrzesinska
Growing up in a townhouse in
New York City, the theater and
the colors and textures in
museum exhibitions (and the
spaces in which they’re held)
are among my many sources of
inspiration. Others include
design associates who have
worked for me and have presented
“new ideas” with a
fresher, younger approach.
marguerite franco ’ 1
My childhood home in
Colombia continues to influence
me. The house’s architecture,
inspired by the modern
movement, was a combination
of glass and steel, juxtaposed
with natural stone and terracotta
floors. Most of the rooms
had access to the outdoors,
providing natural light, open
air, and the occasional flood.
Modern furniture combined
with Spanish colonial antiques
created a unique space.
courtney (murray)
goldsmith ’97 aas
news at parsons
Mississippi Returning
The Design Workshop 2006: 39751 InfoWash
by david j. lewis
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a conversation
about The Design Workshop between DeLisle, Mississippi, resi-
dent Martha Murphy and Parsons MArch graduate Federico
Negro ’04 led to the program’s most ambitious effort since its
inception nearly ten years ago. Negro, now a member of
Manhattan-based SHoP Architects, was consulting with Murphy
while working on the firm’s rebuilding efforts in DeLisle, a town
hit hard and dead-center by the storm. Murphy saw an opportu-
nity to engage Parsons in the DeLisle community’s need for basic
amenities and communication and envisioned a solution.
The result was 39751 InfoWash, a combination information cen-
ter and laundromat designed and built in the spring and summer
of 2006 by 12 graduate students and one undergraduate from
Parsons’ architecture programs, with SHoP providing critical
input and support.
During the spring semester, students collectively worked to
research and design 39751 InfoWash, traveling twice to
Mississippi to meet with the client and members of the commu-
nity. By the conclusion of the semester, the students had created
a compelling design, developed a complete set of construction
documents, assembled material orders for the project, and
worked with structural engineer and faculty member Harriet
Markis to execute the structural drawings.
The students spent the summer in DeLisle, living in FEMA trailers
and working 12-hour days on the job site. Under the supervision
of Terry Erickson, the summer studio instructor, who insures that
the students are able to translate their designs into built form,
the group erected the steel structure by hand, installed
structural panels and waterproofing, constructed and insulated
the roof, clad the building in aluminum mesh and stained cedar,
and outfitted the interior spaces with custom-made interior fur-
niture and wall systems. By early fall, the building was in opera-
tion, providing the community with a vital centerpiece for the
area’s rebuilding efforts.
The Design Workshop is the Department of Architecture, Interior Design, and Lighting’s annual
design-build program, in which students work collaboratively with a nonprofit client to conceive,
design, negotiate, and construct a built solution to a real-world urban/environmental challenge.
A feature article on the DeLisle project appeared last fall in the New York Times. Generous sup-
port was provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, SOM, Voronado Realty Trust, Sal
La Rosa, Heuer Foundation, and the Dean’s Office at Parsons. www.parsonsdesignworkshop.org.
this page: Laura Lyon, SHoP Architects