the last post

When I think back to my first week in Barcelona I remember feeling excited but also a little nervous as it felt like years before I would be home again and February sounded a world away. As I sit here and write this back in grey london I can't believe that I was there for 5 months. Time has never flown by so fast!! I was home in a blink of an eye and I still can't quite believe that I'm back for good and my time there is over. All I want to do is get on a plane and go do it all again, which must mean I had an amazing time and I really did. I feel like I learnt alot as a designer but the real growth for me was personal. On a personal level I got so much out of it and proved to myself I am able to put myself into unknown situations and as a result my confidence has grown and I know there isn't much I couldn't do by myself. But saying that having someone there with me is what made the experience what it was. I think both me and Becca would agree that the time there might not have been quite so easy of we had to do it alone and that our friendship is now stronger than ever and we have shared an amazing experience together that will always be ours and keep us close.

I always knew I wanted to do an exchange so I didn't need any persuading when we were given the opportunity but I am so glad I did it. I would strongly recommend it to anyone and although I absolutely loved Barcelona I think I would have had an amazing experience no matter where I went because going away and doing something exciting with a close friend is going to be amazing where ever you are! But in a beautiful city like Barcelona it was impossible to not have the time your your life and I really did! keeping a blog isn't something i find easy as I'm not always motivated to do it and writing about my life and experiences doesn't feel natural to me but whilst away i made a massive effort to keep up to date and do it properly and now as i read back through old post I'm so happy i have been made to do this. it will always be something i can look back to with fond memories and it means all the silly things that happen will never be forgotten.  

a quick stopover

With family living in Paris it's somewhere I have been countless times and I have done almost everything I have wanted to do so more than anything my time spent there was just relaxed and enjoying time spent with family. My arrival was timed with the extreme cold that took over Europe and Paris was experiencing daytime temperatures of -10! This was a massive shock as when I left Barcelona it was still 15!
I headed with my aunty into the centre of Paris on a couple of days and we visited the musee d'orsay which is a converted railway station by the river. I hadn't visited this before so it was nice to explore the rooms it had to offer. Unlike the louvre which is mainly paintings, this museum had alot of sculpture and furniture too which I found particularly interesting. They had a large section of art nouvoux furniture which we had recently be looking at during out history and theory lessons so it was amazing to be able to see the real things especially as this was such a dominant style in Paris in its time. Other things that interested me was all the amazing paintings by the impressionists, Monet in particular. They are even more amazing when you see the real thing so I really enjoyed doing this.

As a special exhibit they had inside sone of the larger rooms with paintings in, benches which were hand carve out of glass so they look like you are sitting on a slab of glass. design by Tokujin Yoshioka they are called water blocks. They are a completely different style to the interior of the museum but their simplicity complemented the design and somehow it seemed to work. Their design was amazing but actually sitting on them was what was most impressive. They had been highly polished so that they were perfectly smooth and were incredibly to run your finger over. There was gently groves along it which literally made it look like hard water so it was surreal being able to sit on them. They are an incredible design so I was lucky up have been there when they were.

We had lunch in the recently redesigned cafe which is located on the same floor as the impressionist paintings and so has clearly taken alot of influence from them. it was designed by the campana brothers who are famous brazilian designers and their aim was to transport visitors into a dream like aquatic environment. The two main things that stood out to me were the chairs which took on an abstract form of a waterlilly as a direct influence from monet and the very large lights that hung down from the tall ceiling. They were made up of metallic gold squares of metal that had been riveted together to make what looked like a huge down facing tulip. There was a large number of them randomly haunting throughout the restaurant and the warm yellow lighting they gave off completed the atmosphere. The design was simply but chic and I really like their subtle references to what was around them. Definitely a good example of creative interior design. 

i couldn't go to paris with out a quick visit to Laduree which make the best macaroons in the world! and probably the most expensive but definitely worth it! 

time with andrew

my eldest brother cam to stay for the weekend which was amazing! we had so much fun hanging out and seeing the city. a few days after leaving he sent me an email with these attached. its a really nice memory of the weekend but also has made my blog a bit quicker.

making the most of every minute...

Before Christmas we were so rushed and overloaded with work I forgot to just stop and enjoy the fact that I was in another country and studying at a completely different uni. The work seemed to take over and I don’t think I was always getting as much out of my time as I really could and so now the work load has eased off and we have completed a lot of our big projects it has allowed us to sit back and enjoy it all again. Going into uni seems more of a pleasure than a chore and we have had more of a chance to talk to and get to know our fellow course mates. It has been really great spending the time with all of them and getting to know them but its just a shame that the minute you start to feel like you have really got to know and like people its time to leave. We have made a lot of good friends and contacts for the future and it’s a benefit that you know you have friends and a place to stay in a lot of places around the world. For someone who loves to travel this is a massive bonus!

time with my best friend

I got a nice surprise a few days after returning. My best friend Emily from home sent me a message to tell me that she had booked flights and would be there 5 days later. I had been wanting her to come but with time running out I wasn’t sure if she would make it so I was so excited when I knew she would be here for a few days. She had never been to Barcelona and so it was really amazing to be able to walk her round and show here everything and everywhere I loved about the city. We crammed in as much as we could in the short time she was here and really made the most of it. I really enjoyed it as it made me get up and do a lot of things and really make the most of my weekends which was good as I am running out of time.

christmas time

The weeks leading up until Christmas seemed to drag on forever! Although I was having an amazing time and enjoying every minute, I was definitely ready to go home and see my family and have homecooked food and a comfortable bed. We tried to make the most of the few weeks we had before leaving but Christmas in Barcelona just dint feel the same. For a start it was warm and they just don’t seem to go all out in the same way we do in the uk. We managed to find mulled wine in a small Christmas market which definitely helped us to get more in the mood. In a way it was quite refreshing as I feel they capture much more the real meaning of Christmas as a time for family, rather than then commercial event it seems to be at home. It was interesting to see how Christmas is celebrated in another culture as they have different dates throughout December which are of importance and unlike England the religious side of Christmas is still the most important part which is something we have definitely lost.

my yummy mulled wine

The flight home could not have taken any longer. I felt like I would never get there but when I touched down at London Heathrow and walked through the arrivals gate and saw my mum and dad standing waiting for me I couldn’t have been more happy to be home. Christmas for me is a time for family and so it had finally started! It was a crazy few days before Christmas trying to cram in seeing everyone and catching up and trying to enjoy as many mince pies and mulled wine as I could! Definitely been missing out on that! And then once Christmas was over and done with I headed straight to Austria with the whole of my mums side of the family so ski and celebrate the new year together. Was an amazing week with perfect snow and a nice opportunity for us to all get together and enjoy each others company. The week quickly few by and I was back in London to enjoy my last few days before returning to Barcelona. Although I wasn’t really home for long, it was nice to enjoy the comforts it brings and to spent time with the people I love. But I was surprisingly excited to head back to Barcelona. In a way it felt weird being away for so long and part of me felt like I was heading home when I got back. Im sad I only have a few short weeks back here but im going to enjoy every minute and make the most of this amazing experience.

most perfect welcome home

my idea of skiing! 

final furniture project

our main project whilst being here as been a hybrid furniture project where we have to combine two actions and make one piece of furniture. this is my final portfolio for the project so shows my starting points to my final idea.