These are my designs for the Harmony House project. Our Residential II class did the Harmony House Project in the fall semester of 2012. I enjoyed doing this project, especially coming up with the concept for the project. My concept was "Peaks and Valleys".

                          DESIGN BRIEF                                       

 

 The concept for this Harmony House is “Peaks and Valleys”. The inspiration for this concept is taken from the novel “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Munoz Ryan.  In this novel, Esperanza is a young girl who faces many hardships. In the end, Esperanza rises above her hardships and finds a happy life, even though it is not the life she had originally expected.

     One way that Esperanza learns to “rise” is to think about the peaks and valleys of life. There will always be peaks and valleys for everyone. Esperanza is inspired when she looks at the mountains and sees the peaks, and when she learns to crochet the peaks and valleys pattern. She begins to realize that when you find yourself in a valley, there will always be a peak on its way. In the end Esperanza learns to concentrate on the peaks and let go of the valleys.

   Peaks and valleys will be found throughout this Harmony House design. They will be in fabrics, wall coverings, light fixtures and many other finishes throughout the space. There will be some chevron patterns used in fabrics and on the walls of the Sandwich Shop. Other more subtle peaks and valleys will be found in the wall coverings in the reception area and even in the light fixture for the reception area and common room.  When the residents of this Harmony House see these finishes, they will be reminded to concentrate on finding their peaks as well.

     The councilors at the Harmony House can use the novel “Esperanza Rising” as an educational tool when working with the residence. They can point out these “Peaks and Valleys” in the space so the residence can be inspired by them just as Esperanza was.  The councilors can also offer some classes in crochet to teach the peaks and valleys pattern to the residents. Crochet has often been described as a very relaxing skill and is also used by occupational therapists to help with fine motor skills. It will give the residence a sense of pride in making something that they can keep and use. The concept for this Harmony House will be incorporated as a useful learning tool.