Progress Report AE1

The Sherlock Holmes experience History of interior design (int 403) By Yasmin El Sayed
The aim of this project is to transform a large Victorian town house into a tourist attraction based on the life of Sherlock Holmes. In order to recreate Holmes is imaginary apartment at 221B Baker Street, I have to research a variety of topics. The topics will range from Sherlock Holmes to museum architecture. Throughout this report I will discuss the different topics I have already researched and the topics I plan to research. I will also discuss the variety of mediums I have used and intend to use. On 28th November I started my research journal, which will contain all my research that I collect throughout the project.

Firstly, I began to research Victorian architecture and Victorian lifestyle with a number of books such as, Victorian Architecture, A History of Interior Design and Victorian Interior Design. I gained valuable information from these books, for example, the types of materials used, the interior design styles, architecture styles, interior spacing and house layouts and that is only mentioning a handful of information I gained. Subsequently, I researched museum and exhibition design, which I found surprisingly helpful. Before this section of research I had limited knowledge about the layout of museums, what to include in a museum and how museums have developed to keep up with technology. For this research I used wide range of books, for example, Second Edition Designing Commercial Interiors, Building Type Basic for Museums and Exhibition Design. Afterwards I focused my research more towards Sherlock Holmes himself. I read a fair amount of Sherlock Holmes books including A Study in Scarlet and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I also watched A Study in Scarlet and the most resent movies directed by Guy Ritchie. The visual side to this research furthered my own vision of how I wish to recreate 221b. Additionally I investigated Sherlock online to better my knowledge and understanding of the great Holmes and his apartment. On Wednesday 2nd January I visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. I found this visit the most useful type of research so far. I took plenty of pictures inside 221b Baker Street and inside the museum shop. This trip gave me a clearer idea of

how I will recreate my own Sherlock museum. Here are a couple of the photos I took at the museum:

The last bit of research I have completed was collecting information on what to sell in the museum shop and I was successful in finding a wide range of categories online and from the museum shop, for example collectables, novelties, edibles and I could even have auctions. I have only touched the surface of Victorian architecture, Victorian interior design and the architecture of museums; therefore I still need to research these topics in more depth, which I plan on finishing within the next month. I will then start thinking about room layouts and the furniture I wish to use. I will also have to go over my research to help me construct the rest of the museum and decide what materials and finishes I will to use. Although I still have a considerable amount of research to do, I believe this is a great start and that I am moving in the right direction to create the best Sherlock Holmes Museum experience to date.

Reference List: - Dixon.R and S.Muthesius., 1985, Victorian Architecture. 2nd Edition.Thames and Hudson Ltd. - Pile, J., 2009. A History of Interior Design. 3rd Edition. London: Laurence King. - Banham.J and S. Mcdonald and J.Porter., 1991. Victorian Interior Design. Cassell. - Piotrowski, C and E, Rogers., 2007. Second Edition Designing Commercial Interiors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. - Rosenblatt, A., 2001. Building Type Basic for Museums. New York, NY: Wiley. - Hughes, P., 2010. Exhibition Design. London: Laurence King. - Doyle, A., 1888. A Study in Scarlet. London: Ward Lock & Co. - Doyle, A., 1892. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London: George Newnes. - A Study in Scarlet, 1933 [film]. Directed by Edwin L. MARIN. USA: K.B.S. Productions Inc. - Sherlock Holmes, 2009 [film]. Directed by Guy RITCHIE. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures. - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, 2011 [film]. Directed by Guy RITCHIE. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.