Hey y'all. I'm a designer and researcher in Seattle, WA. I have an MA in Interior Design from Washington State University, where I studied the built environment's influence on storytelling and information dissemination. I also worked as a research assistant in the Interior Ambiances Lab under Judy Theodorson, where we studied the physical, psychological and phenomenological effects of colored light.
After graduation, I joined Mithun, a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Seattle, WA, where I worked as a designer on K-12, higher-education, office, and multi-family housing projects until June of 2022. While I enjoyed my time as a project designer, I found myself itching to get back into design research!
I am currently studying the origins, cultural influences, and components that comprise "architectural dread" as an aesthetic. This entails examining building typologies, styles, site selection, elements of design, sensory effects (including bewitchment, confusion, and deprivation), and cultural narratives associated with architectural dread.
Whether it's a double-loaded corridor that compels its user farther down the aberrant symmetry of its walls, the eerie out-of-timeness of an isolated farmhouse, or window sheers that veil views as they waft in an imperceptible breeze—architectural dread exists in the material world, in our stories, and in your imagination. But it hasn't been studied. Until now.
yb architects
james dunlop textiles
If that didn't completely creep you out—or if it did and you liked it—drop me a line. I'm always down to knock around ideas or take book recommendations! If you're into indie music, here's a playlist from one of my radio shows when I was a DJ at KZUU 90.7fm.