The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me on my first ever blog!

A few weeks ago I was extremely lucky to spend 2 days away at a health spa celebrating very special birthdays with two of my daughters. As soon as you enter the building you have moments of calm, of which is a complete treat when you have a busy lifestyle. Some of the rooms are grand and full of period furniture, pictures and decor.

I have selected this room as my interior space. I would have liked to have spent more time in the room to sketch more of the detail on the furniture but managed to capture most in the time I had.

Mapping the interior – what an experience! It felt really good sketching like this, the shapes are mainly square and/or lots of straight edges. I quickly realised that it doesn’t need to be neat and tidy or even look exactly the same.

This particular room definitely makes me feel safe and at peace, as I sit admiring the decor I imagine people before me doing the same. It was built in the 1700’s so the rooms would have lots of stories to tell. When I visited the same room during the evening I had a spooky feeling, much prefer to admire it’s belongings during the daylight hours.

Listening and recording – I found this task quite difficult. As I sat in the room, I could hear talking from the main reception next door and a few floorboards creaking, sunlight was pouring through the windows giving me a natural sleepy warm feeling.

Form and Light –

Materials

The majority of the materials in the room are fabric and wood, which make up 4 upholstered sofas, 10 armchairs and 3 coffee tables. Both the armchairs and tables are very old, I would guess from the early 1900’s, the smell of the whole room is musty. Flamboyant patterns on both sofas and armchairs give a sense of age, faded patterns in areas on the furniture such as the arms and seat show general wear and tear for furniture of that age. The large room, with high ceilings and large windows fit the style of furniture well, floral style rugs and curtains with tassels complete the furnishings. I imagine the long winter days would have been quite cold, even with an open fire lit, the room is very large and there is a lot of space to heat. I try to envisage a family enjoying the room, quiet reading areas for some, the atmosphere gives me a sense of life and tells stories of times gone by.