Main Project

My main project is going to be an artistic covering that goes over a loft door in my parent’s new bedroom. Unfortunately, my parents lost their home in the Marshall fire two years ago and have had to rebuild their home. Their new home is almost ready to move into, and it could use some decorations! The most important room in the house to decorate is of course the bedroom. Currently there is a gaping hole about 10 feet up the wall where the entrance to the loft is. The goal of my project is to make a door for the loft entrance with an art piece on the front. The dynamic element of the project will be that the door swings open and closed. I will also be mindful to make the backboard a good visual match to the art on the front.

The Aesthetic

My mom has expressed interest in having a mountain scene with trees in the foreground as the focus of the piece. The ones she liked best had cascading snowy peaks in the background and the silhouettes of reflected trees in the foreground. Because the door is 2D, I will accomplish the two different perspectives by having the trees below the mountain range. That way it should appear that the trees are closer to the viewer than the mountains, especially when viewed from below. I want to capture a natural scene as elegantly as possible. To accomplish this goal I decided that the aesthetic I am going for is naturecore.

Inspiration

I have been inspired by several Etsy posts. I plan to use an outline of the mountains and trees seen in these posts to create a dxf file to cut on the laser cutter. This is discussed further in the fabrication plan section below. These posts capture the nature aesthetic that I am hoping to capture in this piece. I want it to be calming and evoke a feeling of serenity for the viewer. This is especially important because my parents will be looking at it nearly every day so it’s gotta look good.

The most difficult part of the project will be bringing the mountain and tree patterns to life. To create the art piece I plan to use a laser cutter. The intricate geometry of the trees and mountains demand a precise manufacturing process. After speaking with the ITLL staff I have determined that ⅛” birch wood is the best material for my specific application. I will purchase said thin birch plank from home depot in dimensions that will cover the loft opening. I recently went to the house to measure the opening and determined that I will need a 28” X 42” piece of wood to completely cover it plus 1” extra in each direction.

Another important part will be mounting the hinges to the door and the wall. I want to conceal this connection as best as possible and am still brainstorming ways to do this and still ensure a solid attachment.

[1] https://www.etsy.com/listing/1379005952/mountain-forest-metal-wall-decor-yard?ref=listing_page_ad_row-4&pro=1&frs=1&plkey=c7695cd07f4e480e7ab6d5c506f2259a2492678c%3A1379005952&listing_id=1379005952&listing_slug=mountain-forest-metal-wall-decor-yard

[2]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1514750189/forest-svg-bundle-pine-trees-svg-pine?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_e-art_and_collectibles-drawing_and_illustration-digital&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiA5-uuBhDzARIsAAa21T9a-cvjRbsOslh_PwVwK-O53-wJY2OHBDTTYEYKTJ9ErON5Tv5kzqAaAmVBEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_2063077109_76452858455_367965824040_pla-383328011684_c__1514750189_12768591&utm_custom2=2063077109&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5-uuBhDzARIsAAa21T9a-cvjRbsOslh_PwVwK-O53-wJY2OHBDTTYEYKTJ9ErON5Tv5kzqAaAmVBEALw_wcB

[3]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SANDEPLY-5-2mm-Sandeply-Plywood-1-4-in-Category-Common-1-4-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-0-205-in-x-48-in-x-96-in-479023/203414042