Category Archives: VisualAssignments2854

Bethany’s Barbie Dream House

I decided to further characterize Bethany (and indulge myself) by looking for a house for her on Zillow. Since she is based in Chicago, that’s where I opted to search. She really doesn’t need a lot of space, especially since its just her. I could see her eventually getting a pet, so a pet-friendly establishment was a plus. While Bethany is only a receptionist for a funeral home, she does have the extra cash flow from Smithy, so the price wasn’t anything I was too worried about.

I found this stunning apartment that I know Bethany would LOVE. Located in downtown Chicago, the one-bed/one-bath setup is just enough for her. The brick and hardwood fixtures are breathtaking, and the balcony would be perfect for her morning reading. There is enough space in the living area for a small office, which Bethany will use for all of her after hours work.

While the bedroom is a pretty stark white, Bethany would fill the room with life through a huge rug and lots of wall art. There is still some personality in this room, though! A wooden beam runs through the ceiling, bringing some much needed warmth to this part of the house.

Krissy’s House

Krissy’s Dream Home is located at 789 Long Ln Lancaster, PA 17603

Coming up with the setting for where my character lives is a central part of crafting their personality. For Krissy, I wrote about her background, stating that she grew up and lived on the farm her parents worked on and that she would one day take over. I had Krissy live in a big farmhouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I chose Pennsylvania for her home state because I know many people in Lancaster have very traditional values, and my thought for Krissy was that although she may have some traditional beliefs, she believes she is meant for bigger and better things than what her fellow Lancastrians believe. Additionally, it’s essential to be distinct in what area of Pennsylvania she lives in because Lancaster is so dramatically different than the big cities of PA like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Typically, there aren’t many farms in those cities. This particular house perfectly depicts Krissy and her family. The house has four bedrooms, perfect for her, her parents, her sibling, and a spare guest room. It only has two bathrooms, but the house is amazing in every other way. There is also a large plot of land in the backyard, perfect for crops, animals, equipment, etc. The house is unassuming, but the inside is gorgeous, rustic, colorful, and well-decorated. This is similar to Krissy, who should seem destined to continue her life as a farmer, but will get to one day save the world. The house was built in 1971, but it looks like it was built in the 1900s. The furniture looks like it was pulled from the movie For Richer or For Poorer. It shows Krissy’s taste for the old-fashioned aesthetic. This house is the perfect fit for Krissy, and I know Krissy would consider it her dream home!

Week 2 assignments

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/10-Moreland-Ave-NE-Atlanta-GA-30307/35843574_zpid

This dream house is a newer house that is updated with newer electronics and appliances. This house also provides a constant source of creativity due its abstract nature. It is also in a city that is known for its creativity.

This design assignment is from the app that I downloaded to destress and color it came out better than expected. This is a very bright and colorful Japanese style building. Even though I wasn’t allowed to select the colors myself the color palette they gave me was very easy to use and allowed me to actually relax and complete this assignment.

My Dream Home

Assignment #1

Whenever I am asked about my dream home, or where I want to live when I grow up, a million thoughts race through my mind. I can be very indecisive, especially when it comes to this topic. One day I want to live in a cozy, big cabin in the mountains in Washington, while the next day I want to live in a beach house in a small coastal town on the East Coast. So, I started my search on Zillow. As I was thinking through locations, an idea sparked into my mind. My parents were born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and my extended family all still live there. I consider it a second home, as I would visit every winter and summer to see my family throughout my child. It is also safe to say that we are huge Buffalo Bills fans (Go Bills!). I always loved the city, as well as the small towns around it, specifically the town of East Aurora that is close to my grandmother’s house. It has a quaint main street, with shops, boutiques, and restaurants. When searching through the area for homes, I saw this 2.7 million dollar house. Now at first I was like “No way Olivia, 3 million dollars??”. But then I remembered, this is my DREAM house. So I took a shot at it. Little did I know that it would exceed my expectations. It has 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and was built in 1876. It is surrounded by lush woods and greenery, has an in-ground pool, as well as tennis courts (I am a tennis player so I found this to be an extra bonus). The inside has a very simplistic, yet rustic feel to it. My favorite feature has to be the spiral staircase at the entrance of the house, with the green carpet going up it. And, it is 30 minutes away from Highmark Stadium, which is where the Bills play! After finding the house, I decided to make a quick picture collage of my favorite photos of the landscape, as well as the interior. I can now safely say that I have found my dream home, and although it may be far-fetched (like 3 million dollars far…), it is always good to dream.

Dream Homes and Digital Futures

The thought of what house I would buy without any financial restrictions has always been a thought in my mind, especially as I continue to progress into adulthood and have to think about fully living on my own with a job and a stable income. I’ve always dreamed of living in a house on the West Coast in the San Diego area, and immediately went to browse around the area. I’m also not a huge fan of the more boxy shaped modern houses and am more drawn to clean and minimalistic houses with some rustic aspects to tie it together. After a bit of searching, I found this house that looks perfect, listing at 4.5 million with 5 beds and 3 baths, and a setup and all the space one could need.

A connection to our class theme of Tech Noir I thought of was how the market of houses would look under a vastly developed technological society. Smart homes would be commonplace, but could be used to exert control over their inhabitants. There’s also concerns of privacy as technologies that makes a home “smart” could be hijacked by powerful corporations or government entities to monitor and manipulate people. Would every house look the same and be “smart homes” or could there be diversity present and how would that ratio look? How would a boundary between security and privacy look in a market of houses full of surveillance and AI-driven systems? Furthermore, large tech corporations could dominate the housing market, buying up properties to embed technology in them, then price out working-class residents to raise property value and essentially cut off any sense of community. Overall, my vision of the housing market in tech noir is a space governed by technology that shapes the living experience for its residents.