Course Refelections: Darlene

The second part of this class, implementing the window designs, has been so much fun. Katie, Asri, Maurice, Jennifer, and I have been working on Vastu's window for the past couple of weeks. We went down to Vastu to check out some of the store's fabrics and visualize what the design will look like in the space. We went to a local embroidery shop and talked about our design with the owner. It was great to find a place on 14th street that could help us out. Since then, we've been doing a lot of research and gathering materials. We were so excited when Knoll graciously offered us the fabric of our choice at a really great price. Shawn, one of the graphic students in our class, helped us out by perfecting the digital furniture images for the embroidery. So it's safe to say our window is well on its way to being installed! It's been great working on 14th Street and coming together as a team to make these window designs work!

Project Pictures: Vastu

Designs Finalized!!!

The concepts for the four stores have been picked! We will be posting pictures of the process very soon.

An Eclectic Saturday by Stephanie

This past Saturday, my dad, who was in town from New Mexico, and my brother, who lives in the suburbs of Virginia, came to visit me.  Like many tourists, they were convinced that going to the Smithsonian was all that DC had to offer.  But I had another idea – take them to the 14th corridor, which is one of my favorite spots of DC! 

Unlike other parts of DC, where all the buildings are in the Neo-classical style, and men and women are running around in suits, I think 14th street has more flavor.   With unique design, pre-World War II buildings, locally owned restaurants, bars, stores, art galleries, and an up and coming music scene, it has a life and personality of its own.  And the best part, to me, is that each person who walks down the street whether a local or tourists adds to the flavor.  There is a real sense of openness to various expressions and uniqueness of an individual which you can't find in other parts of the city.  

We met first at Busboys and Poets for lunch.  Inside, there was a young crowd getting the day started.  People were laughing and dressed casually.  Seems to me that they were just friends sharing their stories of the week.

After lunch, we left and started to walk down 14th Street.  We stepped into a few stores along the way – Vastu, Go Mama Go, and Garden District to name a few. My brother couldn't believe how much stuff a small store could pack in, and how each store had an original look with products not found in Target (he is used to shopping at a mall). 

We finally said our goodbyes. I got an email a few days later from my dad asking when we were going back to 14th street to try Love Café, a store that sells cupcakes where you choose the cake, the frosting, and the toppings.  I guess the 14th street charm rubbed off on him.

Store Profile: Vastu