Everywhere we do, see or experience is by design. Architecture has always been my dream because I do strongly believe that through design, we provide opportunities for people to communicate, to feel secure and comfortable, and to experience spaces in a unique way. Architecture can be uncomfortable when not done well. Many people take well designed spaces for granted but if we stop, in the same way we appreciate nature and what has been designed for us already, I think we would all be in awe that our favorite places to be become our favorites by someone else’s hands.
My traditional approach makes me a lover of symmetry, order and clean lines but equally there is so much beauty in the smallest of details. Due to the clientele of my firm, it is difficult to show work that I have been working on but these are a few samples of earlier design exercises and current solo projects.
Art Academy project in conjunction with team member, Josef Albert.
Spread from Undergraduate Portfolio
Eisenhower Memorial Proposal, Washington D.C
A counterproposal, based in classical architecture, to the actual competition that took place that was won by architect, Frank Gehry.
Y.M.C.A. in Manila, Philippines
Campus for Y.M.C.A including theatre, gym, auditorium & dormitories.
Italian Palazzo used as a study in elevation and the orders. How different applications can yield different architectural hierarchies. Favored elevation rendered in watercolor.
Interior design has always been a passion and hobby of mine. My only experience with it has been in the design of my own home and a little help here and there with friends. Having been in a couple apartments in NYC, I used the opportunity to curate spaces that were always serene; a much needed juxtaposition from New York City life. I also take aesthetic a little too far ha! I think in our instagrammed world, my generation has found ways to really highlight just about anything. You’ll see that even in the small stuff like my morning coffee situation or bar cart. There’s an art to anything. As I get ready to move to Miami, I can’t wait to explore my Floridian design sense (I always feel like where you live, inspires your design sensibility) . Looking forward to exploring ideas of color, texture, greenery and not to mention, that beautiful Miami sun.Here’s a sample of my own personal home and a little inspo for what’s to come in my own interiors really soon!
Moving to Miami caused some major inspo! Sometimes we can’t buy all new stuff so I try to find simple ways to revamp existing pieces. A couple new through pillows, some new plants and a coat of paint and voila! sunshine state ready :)
Our guest room came shortly after getting the painting bug! We still have some art work being framed but for the while, we made it as cozy as possible for family and friends.
So there is so much still to be done! I’m thinking green velvet and floral upholstery to revamp the dining chairs from my boyfriend’s old family home and new rug and it should really lift the space but it’s coming along.
It’s been a little updated since this photo which was last year, but for the most part, this is home :)
It’s one of those chairs no one sits on even though its super comfy.
It’s basic and you don’t have the opportunity to change your floors or tile in NYC lol so some paint a little love is what you can give. We love it just the same
We got a bar cart shortly after this that sits in the tree’s place. Good time to move because we couldn’t celebrate with a tree again anyways!
Fresh flowers tend to mean we have a visitor coming soon which we can’t get enough of.
For our bedroom, we had to go dark. Like i said, leave it to NYC to inspire the color choice Soho Loft from Benjamin Moore. Crisp white bedding with ruffle details compliment the masculine color. A little bit of him & a little but of me:)
A blessing to have a second bedroom in NY, mainly for the extra storage space! But, I always want friends and family to feel right at home.
The window sill becomes a drying rack lol
Remember what I said about Instagram? Yea this coffee had a full photoshoot ha!
If it has to sit on the table, make it beautiful.
This apartment has been really good to me. Onto the next :)
Art & Architecture are a pair. Some would say they are one in the same. As far as my personal interests, my subject matter tends to be architecture of course. I particularly enjoy simple graphite pencil drawings, watercolor and oil painting. I have been trying to get back to it recently as it is very easy to get swept up in our work lives. But it is a form of expression that i think shouldn’t suffer from my work, but thrive. So hoping the future holds a lot more time spent with a pencil in hand
Graphite Pencil
Sicily
This fascination with typography and graphic design brewed in college. I was an Art minor, and so I just wanted to explore as many facets as possible. I figured with an architecture background, typography , layouts & graphics were useful tools. Turned out to be so much more than that. These samples are different explorations with fonts, composition , iconography & personal expression.
Create a graphic that speaks to the history and style of a typeface
Create a two page spread that captivates a reader. Work depicted are personal sketched drawn in Rome 2012 with text describing the experiences in the study abroad program.
Exercise in composition and layout. The artist featured is my boyfriend, Josef Albert who allowed me to use his work for the inspiration of the spread.
Create a coupon for any content of your choice. Why not use personal photos? Photo is yours truly in a Trinidad and Tobago carnival costume designed by TRIBE Carnival Band. Eye Catching colors and imagery with strong focus on the message.
Create the front page of a newspaper. Taking the British print as a model, this was my interpretation of the Sunday cover. Imagery taken by yours truly.
Personal Mythologies Exercise - Take an iconic brand and express the underlying interpretations and connotations made with a name and compose a poster depicting those interpretations
Where I’m from is a huge part of me. I try to bring my zeal for life and island spirit in all I do.Trinidad and Tobago has made me who I am, which I am abundantly proud of. There’s a soca (Trinidadian music) song by a renowned calypsonian David Rudder called “Trini to d’ bone”. I take that to heart. I wear it with pride and never forget what my sweet twin island has given to me.
Costume by close friend and fellow architect, Laura Narayansingh
If there was any advice I would give someone, it would be to travel. I am fully aware it’s easier said than done, our schedules, finances and life simply gets in between. My perspective on the world has changed because of the travel opportunities that I have had over the years. And once you get started, its hard to stop wanting to explore. There is humility found in realizing how small we are in realizing how small we are in a big world with so much to offer. These experiences have made me grow and have grounded me simultaneously.
These are a few snippets of the places and architecture that have inspired my work and life. I’d love to show the places that I want to see but I can’t take credit. So I’ll have to use this website as motivation. Can’t post until I experience:)
THIS ARCHITECTURE IS BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED AND MAINTAINED. THE VALUE THAT PUERTO RICO PUTS ON MAINTAINING THEIR ARCHITECTURE WAS SOMETHING I ADMIRED AND HOPE TO ADOPT IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO IN THE FUTURE.
SUCH AN UNUSUAL FACADE. THE LACK OF SYMMETRY BOTHERED ME A LITTLE BECAUSE THEY SEEMED LIKE MISTAKES MORE THAN INTENT. BUT NONETHELESS, THE PROPERTY WAS QUITE BEAUTIFUL.
SURREAL DAY THIS WAS. PROBABLY THE FIRST FLOOR PLAN THAT YOU ARE SHOWN AT ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL AND IT MEANT VERY LITTLE WHEN I STARTED COLLEGE BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER SEE IT.
Contact : kyannah.andrews@gmail.com