New York School of Interior Design Library

Archives in the Classroom! Semester wrap-up

For their final assignment this Spring, students in Randi Halpern’s Colors for Interiors class were tasked with a color matching assignment that used archival wallpaper samples from NYSID Archives’ Joann Nelsen Collection.

This collaboration has been years in the making and is an excellent case study for using interior design archives in studio classes, integrating design history into studio classes, as well as presenting students with the particular challenge of mixing colors to match historical colorways.

Students were challenged to synthesize what they had learned throughout the semester and demonstrate an understanding of different color theories and systems, the interaction of color and light, as well as how to mix, neutralize, correct, and match colors in the form of paint (pigment in a vehicle).

Check out the slideshow for photos of the class in progress and some final results, and check the link in bio to learn more about Joann Nelsen and the collection.

Plants, plants, plants indoors. Indoor plants & interior design. Our new display by Library student worker Caroline Vinci .cvinci, highlighting her favorite books in the library about incorporating plants into interior design. Check them out! 👀

Three websites / free resources (that aren’t Archdaily) that have quality articles and images that students should definitely bookmark.

1. RIBA Journal Archive: ribaj.com/thearchive
Architecture magazine published by the Royal institute of British Architects. 2013-2024 available on their website. Back issues available on the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/pub_riba-journal

2. docomomo.us: from the homepage, hover over Explore Modern and access a valuable trove of resources on modern designers and their buildings. docomomo-us.org

3. Wikiarquitectura.com: database of images, articles on architects and buildings, established in and added to since 2007. Visit their sister site: buildingsdb.com a database of important buildings in American cities.

Spend some time exploring these amazing resources for your assignments or for inspiration.

Inspired by a recent assignment to design an artist’s studio roughly 1,000 sq ft, MFA1 student and library student worker Phyllis Lam selected a series of books from our collection which highlight similar small space projects and discuss the considerations and strategies designers employ to successfully create workable small spaces.

On display now, check them out!



k.lam

Stop by the library today at 1pm to learn about all the ways you can get academic support from the library and writing center- coffee and snacks provided!

Library scenes from the first two weeks of class. Everyone’s busy. We missed you, welcome back!

Basking in the saturated colors and detail in these panels completed in 1896 by student Emma W. Fischer, for her final project at the New York College of Women, and donated by in 1969. Please do not sleep on the Louis XVII lace fan!!

As we approach the day of the year with the least amount of sunlight (12.21.2024), the library presents a book display showcasing how designers have incorporated both natural and artificial light into interior environments, both in recent years and throughout recent history. Selections pictured:

Contemporary neon by Rudi Stern / 1990.

Fundamentals of lighting by Susan M. Winchip / 2011.

Book of successful fireplaces by R. J. Lytle and Marie-Jeanne Lytle / 1977.

Light=luz by Fernando do Haro Lebrija and Omar Fuentes Elizondo / 2007.

Light years ahead: The story of the PH lamp edited by Tina Jorstian and Poul Erik Munk Nielsen / 2000.