My apologies for the lack in posts everyone! I can explain! I have probably had the busiest few weeks in a long while. Not only was work busy, but I had my final presentation in my CAD design class. And holy, was this project a ton of work! I literally spent over 20 hours on this thing, leaving me in need of a major computer break and zero energy for blogging. But, in the end, I was really proud of my accomplishment and I thought it would be fun to share it with you all (with the hope that you will forgive my absence too! hehe)
We all got the same basic floor plan design, with exterior windows and walls only – everything else was ours for the designing. I decided to take my friend Dan (who is currently renovating his Whyte ave. apartment) and design a hip loft for him. So to start off, here was the floor plan I created for this sketchup design…
I wanted to give him an open concept feel, utilizing the large windows on the south facing wall. Then he needed a decent size master with private ensuite, freeing up a small half bath for guests. The kitchen/dining space was created with entertaining in mind…and again I tried to keep it open, while still giving him a small home office across from the master.
When you pull up the walls in Sketchup, you can see the awesome space in 3D…one of the reasons this program is so great.
So let’s look at the interior of the loft…
A great big, wide entry takes you into the landing. Storage space is to the left and the sliding door to the half bath is on the right. I also put a small closet in for laundry…a la Euro style. I framed the Cheers print I designed for my own home…cus, hey, Dan likes his cocktails too!
A simple half bath has all you really need…including a big framed photo of the Brooklyn Bridge. 
I absolutely love the simple kitchen design, with the great big window acting as focal point. I placed the sink here for best views. Then I opted for nice dark cabinets and a butcher block counter top. Simple white subway tile on the east facing wall adds a bit of brightness. 
And here you can see into the main dining space with my walnut table and bench paired with sleek Eames chairs. On the opposite wall, I hung Gray Malin prints. Dan loves snowboarding and being in the mountains so I thought he’d get a kick out of these. A concrete console table is a great catch all…if you zoom in nice and close that little speck is a ring of keys! Lol
I decided to “expose the original brick walls” in the loft. I love the look and feel of a little brick and the original colour was perfect for Dan. I added some modern furniture, with lots of places for visitors. I could picture us hanging out here on a Saturday night for sure!
Check out the brick wall view…television and all. Also, floating shelves keep it feeling open. 
Here is the master suite: sliding closet doors, enough space for a large bed and end tables, and a pocket door that leads into the bathroom. I chose hexagonal white tile, a soft blue paint colour for the walls and a modern floating vanity and cupboard for storage. Also, you can’t see in this view but the shower head is aahhhmazing!
So what do you think? 100% right?? Yeah, I agree 🙂 But, honestly, this was such an eye opener for me and I learned a lot while designing this loft space. Here are some reasons I love the SketchUp program and would recommend learning:
- Drawing by hand is great but having the tech savvy is so important nowadays
- SketchUp takes a bit of getting used to, but in terms of being user friendly, I think it is way up there. Much easier to learn than AutoCad in my opinion.
- You can get a student version that costs nothing and is really all you need to get started (and also recommended before investing in the full pro sketchup)
- As a designer, my drawings can be precise and much easier to get from idea to full design using this software.
- There are so many options for furniture, architecture, textures and materials. I mean, I even pulled a Gray Malin print off the internet and could then show my client what the print would look like in the space BEFORE BUYING IT! Unreal! I also could access many paint options. For instance, the main living room walls are painted a specific shade of grey from Sherwin Williams. That is something I can easily swap for another hue to show my client the difference.
- You can add so, so many details. I ended up not doing things like baseboards or hardware on my cabinets…partly because I ran out of time and partly because I was going mental from all the hours of work. But the options are really endless.
- It’s easy to go from 3D to 2D and print off the images or place them wherever I need them. Again, pretty user friendly.
- There is a lot of support. You could ask virtually any question online and get an answer lickity split!
So there you have it. My first foray into the world of CAD design. I am thrilled with the result and I can’t wait to get to design for other clients. I can definitely see myself using the program a lot…maybe not to the full extent you see here…but still, it’s great to have this option!
Thanks for stopping by and being patient with my tardiness…more posts to come this week, I promise!
xo