Mary Ocana Interior Design Kudd Krig:Home Long Beach, CA Kudd Krig is Swedish for “pillow fight” and it is pronounced “kood-kreeg”. Their goal is to add dimension to the home through thoughtfully-created pieces, which offer both visual and textural depth. Its inspiration is drawn from Minimalism and nature. Products are ethically made from sourced high-end materials Consists of 5 employees. I was Kalla’s assistant. * Appreciation for companies that care about every detail, their process, and making products in an ethical way with high-end aesthetics.
Goals/Development: * Observe people’s practices. * Get out of my comfort zone. * Figure out what draws someone to a particular object rather than another. * Create something I am happy with/ pleased with. * Learn about the day-to-day routines in industry work and small business. * Ask questions and learn about how to run a small business with an interior design focus.
“I believe your home experience greatly affects every other facet of your life and that the space you return to each day should recalibrate you. It’s the one place in the world that is just for you. I think such a space should be filled with special pieces that not only represent you, but inspire you. I try to design products that are calming, yet thought provoking - practical yet luxurious. We use eco- friendly and sustainable materials as much as possible, and will continue to move in this direction. We are also 100% cruelty free, because I believe kindness and beauty are synonymous.” - Kalla Mcguire
Colour, rooms, and “colour stories” *Learning how to visualize and conceptualize a space in a product- based context. *Getting composition right. *Learning about color stories. *Planned and created sets for products. *Offered a second opinion, with paint colors, lighting, arrangements of plants, and props. *Very hands-on. *Product selection.
Into The Home *Going to clients’ homes and measuring/ visualising the home with a particular product in mind. *Asking further what makes them more comfortable, and what they want out of the product. *Finding inspiration. *The right fit. This was especially helpful because going to client’s homes and seeing their space allows for a broader feeling and perspective, you can rationalize what they might want or what their overall goal is. It was in Manhattan Beach and there is a lot of vibrant spaces and classic modern beach homes.
Concept Designs for Bathroom Design:
The Process: *Helping Kalla pick colours and giving my opinion on new designs. *The process is very straight forward, with lots of thoughtfulness gone into designs.
Cont. The Process *Getting to talk to other people about their processes too, and what exactly draws them to one product. * Being in a studio that has a lot going on, you can see the areas which have been used for the creation process.
Sustainability: *Creating sustainable designs that are modern, yet focused on design. *Harder to source, and usually expensive. *Find a balance between too “sustainable looking” and modern, high-end aesthetics. *80-20 balance.
What Sustainability Means To Me: * Sustainable products don’t always look the best. * It’s difficult to make an object suitable and follow a certain aesthetic. * It’s important (for me) to source from sustainable companies that create products/objects that still look good. * High-end looking products are more marketable, but this needs to be balanced with sustainability. * Comfortable knowing that everything I have placed in a space comes from a reputable source, because it’s good for the planet, and someone’s taste. * I don’t want to take away from the planet at my expense, I want to provide/give back in whatever way I can.
Final Images *Learned more about photographing images for commercial purposes. * Refined my knowledge of elements such as photo composition, lighting and product placement
What I learned: *Scale is different in person. *Some objects create “heaviness”, while others create a more light/soft effect. *Finding a balance is tough and it takes lots of thought and successful visualisation. *Learning to rely on skills outside of digital, problems/solutions associated with the two. *Knowing that I didn’t let my shyness get in the way is a tiny step in the right direction, and that’s great for me.
How Work Experience Changed/Refined My Goals: * Courage to ask help when I need it. * Go further than just designing spaces, but also designing the objects within those spaces. * I want to make a home good line (eventually), or design furniture that lives in a coffee shop, or a home. * I believe knowing that I have the opportunity to do all kinds of things within and outside of my studies is beautiful, and very exciting. * To just create without the fear of judgement.
Do I recommend doing a work placement? Yes, absolutely! Work experience is one of those things that just refines your knowledge with practical exposure. I think even if you had a negative experience that could be a great thing too, knowing that maybe that’s not how YOU want to do things, and figure out a better way, or if you had a fantastic one then use that as a marker for inspiration. Honestly, it’s truly about perspective, and what you do with what you learn, no matter how bad or no matter how great.
Thank you.
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