For my spatial project I chose to illustrate a space that was very familiar to me growing up – my grandparents house on Seabrook Island. Having spent many an overnight weekend there and day trips, this house and all the nooks and crannies became ingrained in my mind.
Having a really good memory growing up and to this day, I can recall the most insignificant moments which always amuses my family as normally they do not remember. Drawing the space from memory was not too difficult just from the amount of time I spent there combined with my memory, I usually can remember things pretty well. With that being said, some of the aspects that I did not get exactly right was where certain walls and doors connected with one another as well as how furniture was arranged and the layout of the upstairs bedroom. Because the house was sold a few years back, I was forced to use pictures as a reference, which is definitely not the same as experiencing it firsthand. The things I missed shows that due to my age when the majority of my time there was spent, certain features were more important to remember such as the fact that the rug in the sunroom was prickly thus I always remembered to wear socks when coming up in the morning for breakfast. Games were an integral part of our visits and thus I knew exactly where Candy Land among others was kept. Concentrating on the things I left out, those aspects were just not as important for me to remember and held no weight for me personally that, for example, a certain chair was arranged this way. Furniture is also continually rotated and reorganized although less so in the sunroom we spent most of our time in, it is one of those design aspects that does not have to stay in one place permanently.
According to Soja when referring to The New World forum, “All is present within walking distance: the past, the present, the future” (Soja, 18). My grandmother moved from a house in Walterburo, SC that had been in her family since the 1800s before they moved to Seabrook in the 80s and thus her home contained many things that pointed to the past, as well as the present, and future. I often found myself continually intrigued by all her drawers full of old letters from my grandfather, as well as other historical items. I would sit there imagining the world that she lived in and what it must have been like. Then I would look at the pictures she had of us displayed next to these things and relish the time when I was a baby, so proudly gazing on these pictures. The future references in her home would be found mostly in the technological aspects such as the TV, the switch to cordless phones (eventually), as well as the modern aspects of her home like having all window walls in the main living room/sunroom area. When looking at the floor plan and how I would change it, since my architectural and design taste was highly influenced by this house I wanted to further push the inside to accommodate my ideal workspace environment. I did this by knocking out barrier walls in the sunroom and kitchen so that the living room, sunroom, and kitchen were all connected and did not feel so removed from one another. This would also ease communication problems as one could hear someone else from the sunroom much easier in the kitchen with this change. I also wanted to incorporate more modern and less stuffy furniture choices especially in the more formal living room. This space always felt like it was off limits or we had to be much more careful around these furniture pieces. Ideally I would want all the spaces to feel usable and open for collaboration and communication with others. Residing on a barrier island, there was a pond in the back where we would always use the binoculars to looks for alligators. Thus the influence of nature was strong in this space as well with floor to ceiling window walls in the sunroom, hence another reason why I absolutely love having large windows to this day in my living spaces to let more of nature in and the natural light as well. While the outside spaces may have been used less due to the fact that the gators also frequented it, I would like to change the landscaping and allow for a fire pit or gathering table of some sorts to enjoy the outdoor aspects of the home.
Overall, this home is very special to me and while I wish we still had access to it, thankfully when you sell a house you don’t sell the memories you made in it and for that I am extremely grateful. Growing up going to Seabrook will remain one of the highlights of my childhood.
a la alice 