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April Narustrang

@narust.studio

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Third year student studying a Bachelor of Applied Science (Architectural Science) at Curtin University.

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More "Lost in Space" than "Meet the Jetsons"? (Week 12)

It can be fun to imagine what the future might hold for humankind - and how we might experience and interact with it. I think this allows us to focus more on creativity and problem solving, and less on our worries about the climate, population growth, resource scarcity and societal changes. It gives us a sense of control and peace over what might otherwise be a spiral of doom.

Some significant recent events like the pandemic and rapidly evolving technology have pushed us to reassess how we approach work, learning, resting, living, and socialising. Nardo (2023) explains that to do this successfully, design has to branch across multiple disciplines to create a creative and integrated vision.

At the heart of this is the combination of psychology, technology, sociology and ecology which together can create functional spaces that can better the way in which we live. Nardo (2023)

It seems that there is an increased awareness about our future needs, particularly through the spread of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). Kübra Kayaduran Mahir and Koca (2024) suggest that the primary themes at focus are climate action, sustainable cities and communities, and good health and wellbeing.

These are big problems and big concepts, with even bigger solutions, and there is so much to think about when it comes to the future. So, when it is all a bit overwhelming, I think it is important to focus on what I want in MY future and the steps I can take toward that, because as it seems, these steps tend to contribute more to the global picture than we initially think. Figure 1 depicts the interior of my dreams, and hopefully, what will one day be my future. So, in thinking about YOUR future, what do you want?

And this is me signing off (for the final time!)
Thanks for spending these 13 weeks with me!
April Eve Narustrang

References in comments :) by @narust.studio

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a year ago

What Made Home? (Week 11)

Was it the king and his knights eating roast with grotty hands that led to the creation of the knife and fork? Was it the un-comfy utilitarian timber stools that mean we now have lounges?
Was it the creation of glass windows following the shutters once used to shelter from the elements?

The history of home isn't one singular history, it’s the history of HOMES, and all the many ways we make a place our home. The home is a place of love, rest, nourishment, play and human relationships in all their many forms (your brothers, sisters, parents, pets, partners, friends and even those annoying roommates who won't put their darn dishes away!)

The home offers physical protection from all the bad things in the outside world (mozzies included!) and they have evolved in functional ways to better keep the outside, out, and the inside, in. But the evolution of the home has also occurred in more complex ways.

The decoration of homes might seem like a simple choice at the local Target but our choices of rugs, blankets, artwork, paint colours and knick-knacks "are part of a narrative woven into the construction of personal and collective identities that are intertwined." (Rašeljka Krnić and Ursić 2024). The home becomes a mirror of personality and identity (including that of class separations).

The figures 2-3 show a simple comparison of two design choices for dining spaces at Mobilia that can create a particular style and reflect different personality and identity.

Signing off,
April

References:
Rašeljka Krnić, and Sara Ursić. 2024. “Home Decoration, Aesthetics, and Identity.” Revija Za Sociologiju 54 (2): 155–78. https://doi.org/10.5613/rzs.54.2.3. by @narust.studio

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Many a Perspective (Week 10)

There’s ochre, there’s organic shapes and there’s winding rivers. There’s so much more to indigenous perspectives than passing references made to echo a Nation Country. Perspectives can encompass the body, spirit, community and country as one.

Space is often designed in a ‘Euro-Centric’ way which is quite different to Aboriginal concepts of space in which design is often less rigid using circular layouts and flows. These organic and free flowing spaces stem from the community and family aspects that are central spaces to share and continue connection to country (Whettingsteel, Oliver, and Tiwari 2020).

The Mueseum of Boola Bardip (translating to ‘Many Stories’) in Perth embeds Australian Indigenous perspectives in both its design and its exhibits, programs and tours. In the design of the building, and of the gallery, the museum worked with roughly 60 Aboriginal language groups to bring these vast perspectives into the museum we see today! (Fortescue 2020). In the figures we can see examples of input in terms of form and materiality from these perspectives.

Similarly, Nigerian spaces have a focus on storytelling with their design and ornamentation representing history and religion. Structures are organic and the spatial organisation which follows semi-circular forms helps to reinforce community. Materials of stone and wood allow the visual continuation between the natural environment and the interior (Asojo and Asojo 2015).

Signing off,
April

References in Comments :) by @narust.studio

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"She's an activist!" (Week 9)

In design, activism is how our choices as designers can promote social change, raise awareness about values and beliefs or question the constraints of consumerism (Markussen 2013).

Activism in design is a BIGGG topic at the moment, so what if we look at it from a smaller point of view?

In Perth, lives a local icon (and mum), Pennie. Who for as long as I’ve known her (5 years) and honestly probably her entire life, has been killing the game with her home design. Through five houses, 152 Op-shops, and thousands (maybe even millions or quadrillions) of Facebook Market Place searches, she has kept her home the coolest on the block. Pennie doesn’t buy new - she finds, makes, fixes, or buys second-hand whenever she can. This is not only good for the planet, but it results in the most unique and fun interior ever! (opinion based but I’d love the power to make this a fact). The figures above are my evidence.

Design activism can be big OR small, but the biggest contributions can come from collective ‘small’ efforts. So, I say, let’s all be more like Pennie! (or don’t, marketplace might get too competitive.)

Signing off,
April

References:
Markussen, Thomas. 2013. “The Disruptive Aesthetics of Design Activism: Enacting Design between Art and Politics.” Design Issues 29 (1): 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1162/desi_a_00195. by @narust.studio

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Week 8: Not-So-Modernist

Post-modernism is characterised by how it differs from modernism and it rejects the ‘rationalism of the enlightenment’ which modernism embraces (Bourassa 1989).

It swept across the world during the 70’s and 80’s (Yokote 2020) when this ‘rational’ portrayal in architecture was no longer necessary.

I think the best way to describe post-modernism is… eclectic. Not in a lowkey ‘my grandma’s fashion sense is eclectic’ kind of way, but more so in a bold and dramatized way. Post-modernism doesn’t fall away in the background; it makes itself PRESENT.

So, on this note, think of Perth city and the buildings that reallyyyyy stand out. You might come up with one pretty quick, because RAC Arena is not made to blend in. With its triangle tiles and puzzle-like shape it conforms to the style of post-modern architecture.

On a recent visit I took some photos (figures 2-4). Figure 2 depicts chairs and a table that is almost... coffin shaped?! Definitely eclectic if you ask me!

Signing off,
April

References:
Bourassa, Steven C. 1989. “POSTMODERNISM in ARCHITECTURE and PLANNING: WHAT KIND of STYLE?” Journal of Architectural and Planning Research 6 (4): 289–304. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43028934.
Yokote, Yoshihiro. 2020. “It Is Time to Look Back on Postmodernism.” JAPAN ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW 4 (1): 3–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/2475-8876.12210. by @narust.studio

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What is important to YOU? (Week 7)

One of my favorite things in this life is self-expression. Music, art, words, how peoples’ outfits change as their personalities do, how their bedrooms become a reflection of themselves.

It is ALL expression - and it’s all so beautiful.

I think it’s so special that we get to continually grow, change, learn, and evolve. And that this is reflected in how we express ourselves.

An idea I’ve always been fascinated by is that of our bedrooms becoming another vessel for our souls to occupy. I think that very often, you can tell who a person is by their bedroom alone.

As proof of concept, I asked a few of my friends to send a photograph of their bedroom (or their favorite part of it). These are exhibited in figures 1 through 6 (for the purposes of this assignment all have been unattributed.)

I think its clear, even with only these limited examples, that our bedrooms embody who we are as people. They are filled with the items that are important to us and those that bring us joy. Photographs, artwork, and posters fill our walls depicting the people and things we love. Instruments, crafting and hobby supplies sit in corners, perfumes with favorite scents sit atop vanities, books and vinyls fill up shelves, and plants live (for those of us that can atually keep them alive!).

So, to wrap up, I think personality in interior design contributes a huge amount to how humans feel represented, connected to, and at home in these places we call bedrooms.

Signing off,
April xx

(oh, and a big thank you to my beautiful friends for sharing their bedrooms!) by @narust.studio

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Week 6 -A publication or a group?

“It was around the 1950's when Peter Cook and David Greene got to know Mike Webb. They were all only a couple of years out of school and in various apartments, they spent time chatting about problems in the architectural scene and soon began talking about a publication - an architecture telegram. And in 1961, Archigram was born (Architecture + Telegram = Archigram) (Cook 2025).” (Narustrang 2025).

It began in a time of experimentalism and Archigram was the free-form publication (comprising of lino cuts, punch sheets, comics, and drawings) of this group in which they published their dynamic, conceptual, adaptive, and modular ideas. The aim of Archigram was to push these big ideas that were ‘pulsating’ - just like humans are! They had the belief that buildings should respond to the lives of those living in, and around them - hence, their designs could glow, move and change (Moore 2018).

Many of Archigram’s ideas were so bold that people questioned whether they were at all realistic. Cook believed that everything they designed WAS indeed able to be built and for Greene they were bridging the gap between what could be, and what might be (Moore 2018).

Archigram is what I think creativity is all about - pushing boundaries. And thus, it has been a huge inspiration in my own work. It is a legacy that lives on through motion.

Signing off,
April

References:
Cook, Peter. 2025. “Story of Archigram.” Archigram.net. https://www.archigram.net/story-of-archigram.
Narustrang, April. 2025. “Assessment Two Archigram.” Unpublished Article, Curtin University.
Rowan Moore. 2018. “The World according to Archigram.” The Guardian. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/nov/18/archigram-60s-architects-vision-urban-living-the-book. by @narust.studio

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Week 5 - What even is Utopia?

We all know of ‘Utopia’. There are many definitions and opinions – I suppose everyone has their own version of what 'Utopia' would be for them. But for simplicity’s sake, it can be described as ‘an ideal world.’

Over the course of history, we have seen many architects and urban planners try their hand at designing what should have been a utopia.

Ebenezer Howard came first with the Garden City movement which intended to separate work and life through zoning. We also had Le Corbusier at this time who had the grand idea to demolish Paris and rebuild with twenty-four identical high-rise buildings, where the home and city were essentially one building. This was a plan which he called the Radiant City (Galvin 2025). Both plans failed due to lack of practicality, economic shortcomings, social isolation, and the inherent reliance on automobiles (which also came with environmental concerns) (Lubeck 2024).

Despite failings, people are still trying to create ‘Utopia.’ The Line in Saudi Arabia is a planned smart city by Neom. Chief Operating officer Giles Pendleton explains that the line will be “the epicenter for all activities – the primary home for residents, as a vertical city with all the activities that will be there.” It is intended to be an assembled city with no emissions, where people’s health and wellbeing is prioritised, there is an ideal climate year-round, and everything is a 5-minute walk (NEOM 2022).

But to me this sounds a LOT like many of the previous attempts at an ideal city, all of which had obvious shortcomings.

As stated by Blanco 2016, “Sometimes the plans are fantastic, so much so that they never get built. Others get built, but often not exactly as planned.”

Signing off,
April

References in the comments! by @narust.studio

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Post 4 "You're so Art Deco, out on the floor, shining like gun metal, cold and unsure." - Lana Del Rey

Art Deco is one of those styles of Architecture that I was RAISED on. It’s not like my parents embody ‘glitz and glamour’ or the heavily geometric and bold designs common in Art Deco design, but they sure have exposed me to it.

They did this most famously, with the Chrysler building, of which I have never NOT known of its existence. fig 1. is a drawing that I myself, have done of the Chrysler (my love for it is evident!) fig 2. depicts the birthday invite and second issue newsletter that my dad created for his 30th birthday trip to New York. In both, you can see the Chrysler – the focal point. On that birthday trip obviously, they visited the Chrysler and many a picture were taken (actually, I lied… not too many… they were using film cameras – shots were limited!) Then seventeen years onward, after the birth of two daughters, they took them to visit the Chrysler (daughter #2 was me if that wasn’t clear).

The launch of Art Deco followed the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, France in 1925 (Pool 2018) where France tried to reestablish itself in the post-war world (Galvin 2025).

It’s hard for me to say why Art Deco architecture is still so loved after over 100 years, but I think it is due to its ability to remain feeling timeless despite being so bold. It’s an exciting design style, being a bit different, and having some funk!

Here in Perth we have some great examples of Art Deco Architecture, like the Astor Theatre in Mount Lawley, and the Camelot Arts Club in Mosman Park. But if you are looking for some really great examples, South Miami Beach in Florida has over 300 certified Art Deco buildings (Curtis 1982).

This provides important context for how quickly the Art Deco movement swept across America in the short period between the two world wars (Pool 2018).

Signing off,
April

References in the comments :) by @narust.studio

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a year ago

Contemporary is NOT the same as Modernism - Week 3.

The Modernist Movement began around the same time as Art Deco, but both were considerably different.

Modernism focused on function and pure form, with the usage of raw and honest materials that had come about with changes in factory production and efficiency (Galvin 2025).

“Hey Siri, play Chaise Lounge by Wet Leg”

The chaise lounge as pictured in fig 1 was the design of Le Corbusier who promotes his design with the following: "Who says we need to sit up straight anymore? Having tubular steels means we can sit in all different kinds of ways and be supported."

Le Corbusier thought the principles of modernism were revolutionary, but Kay Fisker argued that Modernism was simply the continuation of well-established Danish design and tradition (Peter 2019).

In 1923 Le Corb published his 5 key points of architecture in a journal. These were; pilotis, a roof garden, a free ground plan, horizontal windows, and a free façade (Jeanerette and Le Corbusier 1923). This became the most well-known of his ideas.

Modernist Architecture is well incorporated in Western Australian Architecture, primarily thanks to Iwan Iwanoff who has designs scattered across the state including the Paganin house shown in fig 2. and Golowin house in fig 3. Buttttttt….

IMPORTANT NOTE: A modernist aesthetic does *not* make a building Modernist! As an example of this we have the Triangle house in fig 4. Which conforms to modernist design principles but was built in 2015.

Signing off,
April

References:
Galvin, Vanessa. 2025. "Lecture on Modernism," delivered in INAR1012 History of the Interior. Curtin University.
Jeanerette, Pierre, and Le Corbusier. 1923. “5 Points of Architecture.” https://jstor.org/stable/community.16512608.
Peter, Bruce. 2019. “Danish Modernist Architecture and Furniture Design in Passenger Ship Interiors 1935–1965.” The Mariner’s Mirror 105 (3): 297–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/00253359.2019.1615778. by @narust.studio

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Week Two (Build-House)

As a physical example of the creativity that emerged from the chaos of post-World War Germany we have the Bauhaus, which translates to ‘build house’. But the Bauhaus was much more than building a house. It was a school founded by Architect Walter Gropius (Winton 2016) where the barriers between the arts dissolved.

Teaching at the Bauhaus included craft, technical skills and artistic ability. He aimed to combine architecture, sculpture, and painting into one (Winton 2016).

The idea of making our interiors more innovative, dynamic and original began with the Bauhaus (Çetinkaya 2015) and it grew into a philosophy of designing “as a tool for change” (Galvin 2025).

I think this methodology is still central to the teachings of design in 2025. Schools integrate multi-disciplinary skills into the curriculum with Interior Architecture students at Curtin university having the option to specialise in fashion design, video game design, graphic design or photography amongst others.

I think these teachings are important because good design does not come out of being fixed on one particular craft. Instead, it comes from exploring all avenues.

Signing off,
April

References:
Çetinkaya, Çiğdem. 2015. “BASIC DESIGN EDUCATION PARAMETERS in TURKEY.” HUMANITAS - Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 2 (4): 31–46. https://doi.org/10.20304/husbd.29904.
Galvin, Vanessa. 2025. "Lecture on The Bauhaus," delivered in INAR1012 History of the Interior. Curtin University.
Winton, Alexandra Griffith. 2016. “The Bauhaus, 1919–1933.” Metmuseum.org. https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-bauhaus-1919-1933. by @narust.studio

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This week we talk about Technology!

It’s easy to see how technology has changed over time. From big changes like the discovery of electricity and creation of the automobile. Even in my own lifetime I have experienced a range of technology changes.

My sister’s baby photos were all taken on a film camera and mine – digital! As time went on, we started to use mobile phone cameras.
The car I remember from my childhood was a 1972 Volkswagen Type 3 Squareback. It didn’t have radio, it didn’t have airbags, the windows had to be wound down manually and worst of all it didn’t have aircon! This meant that any berry Frugo’s left in the backseat on our weekend trip to city farmers at midday did NOT make it.

These are simple examples of some of the developments in technology that have facilitated more comfortable motor vehicle travel.

On the contrary, I believe that some technology changes have made life LESS comfortable. The computer took over the typewriter, and the laptop took over the computer. Yes, this is AWESOME because it does allow workplaces to be mobile... we can set up anywhere! But this also has an impact on our work-life balance and wellbeing. It’s not so nice having work emails popping up on your phone when you are at the pub trying to have some time off with your mates.

Another downside of technology is the loss of the physicality of things. I think there is something quite beautiful about putting a vinyl on the record player, taking a photograph with intention and getting it developed at the local camera shop, typing a note to a friend on a large machine where each letter makes a loud click as it prints on paper. And apparently, I’m not the only one! Millman (2023) from the Rolling Stone reported that Record sales exceeded CD sales in 2023!

Text continued on in the comments :) by @narust.studio

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