INDS 209: Interior Materials Pre-Quarter Experiential Essay ✓ Solved

INDS 209: Interior Materials Pre-quarter Experiential Essay.

Write a first-person experiential narrative describing the first 30 minutes of your day, richly detailing the interior environment, material qualities, lighting, acoustic aesthetics, and sensory interactions. Focus on sights, sounds, textures, temperatures, and emotional responses as you wake and begin your routine. Explain what elements you interact with, how the physical space affects your activities and mood, and whether the space accomplishes its intended function or detracts from dining and social experiences.

Also create a brand mantra for the ASG product line you chose, explain why it suits ASG, and create a personal brand mantra and explain it.

Paper For Above Instructions

Experiential Narrative: First Thirty Minutes

The alarm's vibration dissolves the last thread of sleep and I roll, palms landing on cool cotton sheets that hold the dim imprint of my body. The cotton is thin but breathable, its fine weave whispering against my skin. Eyes half-closed, I reach for the blinds; the plastic slats resist with a slight stiffness and make a soft ratcheting sound as they tilt open, releasing a band of morning light. The light is warm and angled, filtering through a narrow gap and scattering across the laminate nightstand in a diffuse glow that highlights the tiny scratches and faux-wood grain of the surface (Pallasmaa, 2005).

My feet find the rug: a low-pile wool blend that gives a gentle rebound and carries a faint earthy scent. The carpet fibers compress, then spring back; the tactile contrast between the coolness of the floor and the softness beneath my toes wakes me more effectively than the alarm. A short stride brings me to a wooden threshold that creaks in a familiar register as the subfloor flexes under weight—an honest acoustic signature of an older frame building (Zeisel, 2006). The sound is not unpleasant; it feels like a conversation between my movement and the house.

In the kitchen, the tile is glossy ceramic, cool and deliberately impersonal. My bare heel clicks against it, the sound bright and quick compared with the muted footsteps on carpet. A stainless-steel kettle sits on a laminate countertop whose edge is slightly chipped; the edge profile catches the light and reminds me of repeated gestures and everyday use. I touch the kettle handle—polymer with a matte finish that shields against heat—and the texture is reassuringly grippy (Ashby & Johnson, 2014).

Lighting shifts as I move. The bedroom relied on soft daylight and indirect reflection; the kitchen is lit by an overhead LED fixture with a warm color temperature. The LED casts fewer shadows, flattening some surfaces while emphasizing the metallic sheen of the faucet. The distinction in lighting alters perception: the bedroom's tactile intimacy gives way to the kitchen's functional clarity (Heschong, 1979).

Acoustically, the space is layered. Through the open window comes distant traffic—a constant low rumble—overlaid with the higher-frequency chirps of neighborhood birds. Inside, the HVAC produces a steady, low-frequency hum that masks smaller sounds, creating a sense of privacy and insulation (Yang & Kang, 2005). When the kettle begins to sing, the whistle slices through the hum and commands attention; the sequence of sounds forms a choreographed wake-up ritual.

Emotionally, the materials and organization scaffold my mood. Soft textiles (sheets, rug) invite lingering; hard surfaces (tile, metal) encourage movement and efficiency. The transition from one to the other helps me shift from repose to action. The kitchen arrangement—clear sightlines, reachable utensils, durable countertop—supports a quick morning meal. Yet the chipped laminate and visible wear communicate impermanence and underinvestment; they slightly undercut the experience, reminding me that the space functions but does not dignify ritual (Norman, 2013).

Dining and social potential are mixed. The small two-person table, with its veneer surface, serves a functional breakfast but lacks the material warmth or acoustic buffering for convivial conversation. Voices tend to bounce off the adjacent painted drywall and tile, creating a bright, slightly brittle acoustic that rewards quick, practical exchanges over relaxed, lingering meals (Ulrich, 1984).

Overall, the space accomplishes its primary mission—supporting routine activity with efficiency and durability—but it falls short of cultivating comfort or ceremony. Material choices prioritize maintenance and cost over sensory richness. Even so, the interplay of tactile contrasts, light modulation, and familiar acoustics creates a layered, personal narrative each morning, one that shapes small decisions and moods in subtle but persistent ways (Pallasmaa, 2005; Ashby & Johnson, 2014).

Brand Mantra for ASG

Proposed ASG Brand Mantra (internal): "Durable Elegance, Everyday Performance."

Rationale: A strong brand mantra is short, evocative, and guides internal decisions about product development and communication (Aaker, 1996). "Durable Elegance, Everyday Performance" consolidates three pillars: material durability (Durable), aesthetic restraint and refinement (Elegance), and practical reliability for daily use (Everyday Performance). This mantra matches the ASG product line's emphasis on materials and construction quality observed during the simulation and anchors design trade-offs where cost, finish, and longevity compete (Keller, 2013). It helps prioritize material selection that balances tactile quality and lifecycle performance—choosing materials that look refined but withstand regular use (Ashby & Johnson, 2014). Internally, the mantra functions as a filter: if a design lacks durability or feels overly ornamental without functional payoff, it deviates from the mantra and should be revised.

Personal Brand Mantra

Proposed Personal Brand Mantra: "Curious, Responsible, Clear."

Rationale: This three-word mantra distills my professional identity and behavioral commitments. "Curious" commits to exploratory research, tactile investigation, and continuous learning about materials and sensory design (Pallasmaa, 2005). "Responsible" signals an ethical stance toward sustainable material choices and user wellbeing, aligning with evidence-based design and lifecycle thinking (Ashby & Johnson, 2014). "Clear" emphasizes communication: producing legible, actionable work that teammates and clients can implement (Norman, 2013). Like an organizational brand mantra, a personal one guides decisions—what projects to accept, what compromises to avoid, and how to prioritize trade-offs.

Together, the experiential observations and the two mantras connect: materials and sensory design shape human experience, and a strong internal mantra (whether corporate or personal) ensures that choices about materials, finishes, and forms serve both function and feeling (Heschong, 1979; Zeisel, 2006).

References

• Pallasmaa, J. (2005). The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. Wiley.
• Heschong, L. (1979). Thermal Delight in Architecture. MIT Press.
• Ashby, M. F., & Johnson, K. (2014). Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design. Butterworth-Heinemann.
• Zeisel, J. (2006). Inquiry by Design: Environment/Behavior/Neuroscience in Architecture, Interiors, Landscape, and Planning. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Norman, D. A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition. Basic Books.
• Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421.
• Yang, W., & Kang, J. (2005). Acoustic comfort in urban open public spaces. Applied Acoustics, 66(2), 211–229.
• Aaker, D. A. (1996). Building Strong Brands. Free Press.
• Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity. Pearson.
• Pile, J. F. (2005). A History of Interior Design. Laurence King Publishing.