With our trip Andalucía fast approaching, we have developed a list of objectives and questions to address while traveling across Southern Spain. Our experiences in Northern Europe will be discussed in a separate post later in the summer.

Objectives:

1. Catalogue tile patterns and how they are used in regard to height, pattern transitions, and use as trim along windows, doors, and columns
2. Study building exteriors to provide European comparisons to Spanish Colonial style found in the United States
3. Catalogue Islamic stained glass
4. Catalogue window framing techniques
5. Experience a Hammam
6. Tour a Spanish version of a Riad/Dar

Questions:

1. What are the dimensions of patios and extended outdoor corridors?
2. How is wood used in traditional patio houses in regard to flooring and wainscoting?
3. How are rugs used, and what design patterns are evident?

Our trip to Fez answered a lot of design questions, especially concerning Riad/Dar dimensions. Our questions for this trip center around ‘trim’ and how we want to use tile, carved wood, and molded plaster. Our goal is to create a design concept for the house, so we can articulate our vision to an architect with relative ease. This will in turn reduce architect fees, and help us develop a line-item budget early on.

-Mike