Designing with the Brand in Mind

The grand opening of a project is always fun. Months of planning and construction resulting in a finished scene.

It’s not an easy path nor is it always as planned, but this project, conducted mostly long-distance, with only two field visits, is a great success.

Great clients make great projects. It’s a team effort and it helps that everyone is on the same page. The designer is a navigator, lighting the way to get to the end result. It can be a circuitous path. Like all projects, there are decisions and modifications, priorities and compromises.

Arizona Facial Plastics, having created a brand and provided a concept with which they wanted present their practice, sought an interior which instilled confidence, with the refreshing, pampering atmosphere of a spa, but with the aura of a conscientious, progressive medical environment.

In the fast-paced ever-expanding world of aesthetics, it is important to emphasize the quality and experience of service offered. In this clinic the services range from complex surgical procedures (performed off-site) to all of the cutting edge procedures and treatments desired by today’s discriminating clients. World-class products and state-of-the-art equipment and procedures are provided here, in the clinic, with quiet confidence and confidentiality.

To achieve their goals, we first focused on the brand and its style and colors. A crisp, serif-style A underscored with an elegant scroll, warm, soft charcoal compliments the bold cool gradated turquoise set against a fresh white ground.

Selecting finish materials began with the flooring and cabinetry. As is true with all interior projects, it is best to begin with the items that have the least options. There are fewer carpets and cabinet finishes than there are paint colors, for example.

We found the perfect carpet with a broadloom that provided a forgiving pattern, multiple textures and yarn colors. The complex product had an organic pattern of plush cut turquoise pile set in relief from a loop comprised of a grayed lavender and pale green citrine. Having made this selection, we then extracted individual colors of vinyl tile to compliment the carpeting in adjacent exam and procedure rooms. Gradated white porcelain tiles were used at the point of entry set against the contour of the carpeting in the waiting area creating a fluid, curvaceous transition and guiding, directional flow to the interior of the suite.

Once the flooring was selected, the cabinet and counter-top materials were next. A translucent yellow-green citrine engineered solid surface material was selected for the transaction counters at the reception desk and medical assistants’ work area. Dark charcoal plastic laminate was used for casework and select counters while exam room cabinets had a pencil-sketched floral patterned soft green laminate playing across the counter-tops.

An accent of sparkling glass and stone mosaic tile face the reception counter at the point of arrival.

Behind the receptionist, an elevated planter of succulent “sansevieria trifasciata”, regarded for it’s exceptional oxygen-producing properties, is a refreshing organic backdrop. Above, custom drapes filter light from the sloped ceiling atrium windows.

Non-representational expressions of color were selected for the wall art throughout the space.

For the waiting room, we commissioned photographer, Katie Barry Councilor, of Smoketree Photography, to create a custom collection of abstracted body forms in grey scale. We then enhanced each image with their brand’s cool turquoise color, in the negative spaces, creating a series of artful stretched canvas images flanking their logo.

The take-away for clients is a serene, yet reverential experience which instills confidence and promotes relaxation and rejuvenation. The subtle reiteration of the AZFP brand’s turquoise color throughout insures that the clients will be refreshed and reminded of their pleasing experience when they encounter that color even after leaving the clinic.

Hope you enjoy these before and after shots!!

Posted On October 1, 2017 By pattisays In aesthetic medical, before and after, branding in interior design, Color schemes, commercial interior design, commercial remodel, context of interior design, contrasts for balance in design, creative process, custom design interior design, design process, Design Team, design tips, flooring, graphic arts, hiring an interior designer, interior design, interior design trends, medical offices, mosaic tile, photography, remodeling, tile, timeless colors, trends, window dressings, workplace design / 2 Comments

Commercial Finishes – What They Say – What They Convey

When planning a commercial project, how do you separate your personal taste from an objective view of the program for the business? This situation has occurred twice in the last year with my practice. Well, there can be blurred lines. There can be design elements that work in both environments. There certainly are offices that mimic residential living rooms – contemporary or traditional – modern or historic, but it should directly relate to the type of business and the brand of that business. What does the space say with regard to conveying the intent of the business?

The selection of materials comes first. The bones of the building – what’s exposed, what’s concealed, flooring, wall treatments, etc…The first project was a medical related business – corporate office for a product line. The neighboring space was a physician’s office and treatment suite. The common space had existing concrete floors. The woman leading the design decisions for the medical corporate offices wanted to continue the concrete into her waiting area and throughout the offices with area rugs in each room. A small-scaled water feature, in the form of a grey box, is located adjacent to the seating and a distressed chest and metal sculpture are also part of the scene. Her selection of chairs were heavy, gold tapestry, over-stuffed and tufted. They were placed around a round table in the center of the room. All I could see was a setting for a Victorian séance. It in no way reflected the clean, crisp, fashionable brand that they had established to represent their rejuvenating medical product line. Rugs invited tripping hazards and the look was in no way speaking the language, of the intent of the business or its brand. It spoke directly of the woman’s home, from which she replicated her eclectic taste in the office.

Next door, nearing completion, the physician’s group was being strong-armed into going the same route with the concrete floors. We love concrete floors in so many applications, but here – in these two spaces, they were existing, did not take the stain well and looked dark and dirty in the final polished presentation – NOT the fresh look of a sleek medical group. Not the finish to convey confidence and cleanliness. Treatment rooms had vinyl flooring for necessary maintenance, corridors and physician’s office had carpeting, but the docs rejected the contrasting finished product in the entry and restrooms and went back to the light tile flooring that was originally specified regaining the professional appearance of the intended design.

Faux wood porcelain boards are a fantastic contribution to the design offerings for both residential and commercial finish materials. Shown here on the exterior of a building by the ocean, the artsy peeled bark variegation of the pattern is striking and makes a commanding design statement.

It is carried through into the interior and back outside on the rear dining patio.

The idea is that a wooden building by a seaside is traditional – this is a stunning twist on that which was once a customary building material revisited with an invincible, high-design version. The use of wood for such a place would have been historically accurate.

The same is true when faux porcelain planks are used on the floors in the produce section of a grocery store – replicating a produce market or barn where fresh produce is collected and sold. Some high-traffic food-service establishments, bars or breweries often want the look of wood floors – to convey a context or scene – but are not durable and therefore not advisable. A home – almost anywhere including the obvious – in the woods or by the shore, with wood flooring might not be practical, but by using the wood planking porcelain, the look is conveyed while the durability and maintenance is made effortless.

Recently an owner wanted the “look.” That sleek modern look of grey porcelain planking. His business was one that dealt with automotive repair and restoration. In evaluating his brand and the nature of the business, real wood floors would never be the material of preference. So to use even a durable, invincible, porcelain version seemed out of place.

Concrete would be more the material of a garage environment. To make a corporate statement, concrete can be dressed-up. Porcelain tiles simulating concrete is an appropriate faux finish option – either way, preferable to creating an interior of grey weathered wooden planks. Watch for the completion of these projects in the coming months.

Adopting the use of materials merely because you like them or they are in vogue is not always the best approach. Consider the context, the intent, the statement materials make – how they “read,” what they say – what they convey.

Posted On September 10, 2017 By pattisays In bars and restaurants, beach, branding in interior design, breweries, coastal, commercial interior design, commercial remodel, context of interior design, creative process, design, design process, design tips, design trends, environmental design, faux finishes, faux flooring materials, flooring, hiring an interior designer, inspiration from nature, interior design, interior design trends, medical offices, patio, practical design, remodeling, tile, trends, wood-grained porcelain tile, workplace design /

It’s Not Quite Right. How Do I Fix It?

You know things are not quite right…at a glance, it all looks good – but something is not quite right… too loud, too quiet, bland, boring, just not interesting, not working, not quite right – but you can’t put your finger on what is bothering you or why. I could be talking about blind dates – or the significant other that everyone thinks is terrific, but you know that it’s not what you want or need right now. Can you fix this? The similarities are astonishingly comparable to observations you might make, or discomfort you might feel, in your interior environment. Replay that list of disappointing observations you might find, in a would-be he or she, and apply it to you interior. See how funny/similar it can be!!

Fixing people is not quite as easy as making changes in your property. But the similarities, in evaluating, being uncomfortable and not being able to put your finger on the exact problem and making the decision(s) necessary to rectify things, are. Identifying the problem is often the roadblock.

Maybe you’re just tired of it and you want it refreshed. Do you want something new? Do you want to change it around – rearrange? Can you do that? Do you need to start over or can you salvage the best parts and improve others?

Having scrambled all of these people-personality traits and interior features, let’s focus on the subject at hand – interiors. This conversation occurs often. Someone will bring to my attention something that either bothers them, or an idea that they think will improve their space. More times than not, I realize that the objective view will notice that the items identified or ideas offered are not at all what is wrong or, by changing, will improve the space.

Case in point, an appointment scheduled to discuss large windows in a great room. The client thought that the room needed draperies. It would have been an expensive installation regardless of the cost of the fabric – just due to the area to cover. I have used this example before, because it is so prime. My first questions were: Is this for sun-control? To which she answered that no, she faced east and had a generous overhang on her patio. Is it for privacy? No, she assured me that nobody lived east of her and that was not a concern. Is it as a decorative element? Her answer was cautiously enthusiastic that yes, she thought that a decorative drapery treatment was just what she needed to improve the look and feel of the space.

I scanned the room seeing the tired, stained carpet, poorly arranged furniture, toys strewn about and piles of papers on every surface…and I knew that draperies were not going to improve this scene. Because it was their primary living space and they were obviously hard on it, I suggested that she trade her carpet for tile and a large area rug, I helped her rearrange her furniture, suggested toy bins, and advised against the draperies. She had the good fortune of a relative in the flooring business and so I helped her select the tile and carpet to be cut into a rug and her installation was quickly completed, at far less cost to her than window treatments would have been. With paint to refresh, the end result was so successful that she could not stop talking about how the transformation made her feel so good and that she just couldn’t see it – hadn’t bee able to decide what needed to be done.

Feeling good about your interior spaces. Your private space needs to make you feel good for so many reasons…security, comfort, relaxation, motivation, joy, inspiration, identification…Times change and styles change, some things are classic and some are fleeting and trendy. Your interior responds to your place in time. Refreshing it is a natural response to changing times and life stages.

Recently I was asked to look at the walls in a kitchen. They were a medium sage against a natural blond wood ceiling. We had just lightened the walls of an adjacent room. She said “I think I want to change my wall color – don’t you think it’s too dark?” So I looked around and pondered…it’s a cozy room, the color is neutral and contrasts well with the wood ceiling…I wondered, is it too dark? How will it change if we select a new color – specifically a lighter color? I knew that they enjoyed spending time in this space, more-so in the winter as they had many wonderful outdoor areas to spend time in the warmer months.

So I thought about the room in winter…the dark walls gave it a close, soft, comfortable, cozy feel. But upon gazing around the room, I noticed that the cabinets had a modern, flat, radius design, worn in several places, were blond wood (when the rest of the doors and trim throughout the house were raised panel and all white), and in no way seemed to reflect the interior design theme of the rest of the home.

I offered that maybe the cabinet doors and drawers should be replaced with new raised panel versions. The boxes and hardware were in fine condition, the replacing of the doors and drawers would be less costly and intrusive than replacing all of the cabinetry. She expressed shock at this observation. I was suggesting keeping the wall color, refreshing the cabinets, painting them white and voila – a new, brighter kitchen without lightening the walls. It would retain the cozy feel, but with a fresh look! And I have since considered that the island might be another color – yet to be determined.

We have recently done a similar fix to existing cabinets – and the result was amazing.

Salvage what makes sense and spruce up/replace what needs it. Need help deciding how to know what to do and what not to do? Call your favorite interior designer!

Posted On July 1, 2017 By pattisays In creativity, custom design interior design, design, design tips, flooring, hiring an interior designer, interior design, joy, kitchen, lifestyle, practical design, re-purpose, remodeling, window dressings /

Don’t Be Afraid of the DARK!!

For a while in the world of design trends, dark colors intimidated. Bold designers dared to apply dark eggplants, chocolates, charcoals and black to surfaces of their projects, but only a rare few clients would take the leap. Now it seems that we are seeing people accept the dare and more dark surfaces and intense envelopes of color are appearing on the scene. I have often been asked – “Won’t it make it small?” or “Will it be too dark?” and the reason I am making the suggestion is because I already know that it won’t!!!

I’ve blogged about small rooms with dark walls in the past, but two recent projects featured my recommendation for dark cabinets. Not dark walnut or the market-saturated “espresso” which is the trendy generic for “whatever the wood – or pretend wood, we’ll make it dark brown” – very dark.

In this first case, my client – friend after many years of consultations – brought me into their home that they had occupied for a couple+ decades. It began with the “pickled” wood cabinets that were in vogue at the time – stained red oak with a white-wash that resulted in a peachy finish. When we first did a “punch-up” we added steel cut-outs of Mimbres designs affixed to the soffit. We also added a black table and chairs with a splashy fabric as a valance in bold colors intertwined with black. The drama lifted the anemic peach theme to new heights.

Fast-forward another 15 years and my dear client was ready for a change. She called and brought me into that familiar kitchen scene and announced that she thought she wanted to re-purpose/paint her cabinets white. l looked around the adjacent family room and beyond and pondered this request.

What you might like in a magazine spread or a Pinterest post is not necessarily applicable to your context. I visualized the dramatic change. Looked at her floor (oh, we had upgraded to a large format stone-textured porcelain from the original 8×8 glazed ceramics in the last 15 years – perhaps a decade ago), looked at her family room furniture and finishes and said “I’m not so sure that’s where you want to go.”

I knew she was fairly thorough in her investigations and would not have called me prior to doing quite a bit of research and trend monitoring so I tread a bit softly when I said “I think you should go black.” And her response was EXACTLY what I expected as she repeated the color in complete quizzical surprise.

“Yes” I said and continued to explain why. She loved her fabric that had been hanging over her breakfast nook window for years. The table was virtually unused and the steel cut-out art was one of their favorite design elements. Black was a natural. “Don’t be afraid of the dark.” I laughingly said.

Black on oak gives a wonderful moiré effect to the grain texture as it reads though the painted surface. It’s a bit exotic, rich in texture and interesting to boot. So with a bit of hand-holding and massaging the description of the intended finished effect, she took the leap – husband in cautious adgreement – they braved this bold departure from the norm.

We first selected a granite to coordinate with the floor tiles and the soon-to-be black cabinets. A swirly geology of glorious goop featuring the rose-clay tones of the mottled stone floor with black tracing through and clear quartz for pizzazz. We then set forth creating the back-splash which began with her love of glass – but to depart from the off-the-shelf 1×1 offering we cut away sections and punctuated it with 2x2s and some 1×1 domed bullets that added further interest to the multi-toned field.

With those complimentary materials selected, we began the process of painting the cabinets. Boxes in place and door and drawer fronts finished off-site. All flawlessly sprayed, with many coats of conversion varnish tinted black, the transformation was dramatic.

The second example, of this fear of the dark when it comes to finishes, was another kitchen which was a small galley-styled golden walnut stained oak 70s model. To which, we added a rough iridescent slate floor to complement the existing stone fireplace – of the same material – only in boulder form. Seemed at this point, for this sophisticated bachelor, the perfect complement to the handsome slate would be striking black cabinets. In this case – new, without the character of the oak in the previous project, as the cabinets were completely replaced and the new selection was made from a factory fabricated series. Similarly dramatic, the sleek black was perfect against the slate’s rugged grey/golden iridescence.

The galley footprint was greatly expanded, by carving out of the garage work-bench area. And again, the transformation was daunting. Here we selected a mosaic of horizontal stones and glass for the backsplash – one of the stones was exactly the same iridescent grey-golden slate as the original fireplace and stunning new floors throughout.

Be bold, be brave and consider your context. You might just find that black is your best bet to transform your cabinets into stunning statements.

Posted On October 8, 2016 By pattisays In artistic expression, before and after, color forecasting, colors, context of interior design, dark colors, design, design tips, design trends, drama of color, flooring, interior design trends, kitchen, mosaic, mosaic tile, painted furniture, practical design, remodeling, stone, tile, updating /

Fe Fi Fo Finishes

I have resisted faux wood porcelain tile, without good reason, just for the sake of installing something new. I have believed that it is great for a Long John Silver’s fast-food place attempting to convey the look of a wharf, fish shack etc…it is also good for a grocery store produce department – again, trying to depict a grower’s market with barn-wood floors while all the time being easy to maintain and virtually indestructible. But for a home (unless it too needs to be indestructible), chic restaurant, office lobby – I find it way too cold and faux.

Furthering the disdain for the material is poor specification and poor installation. Having grout joints accentuate the tile making even less believable than it already is – is the worst.

But as usual, if you wait long enough the trend will either fizzle or bloom and bloom it has- check out these really fun porcelain pieces of plank in colors – yes colors on purpose to exaggerate the idea!!! Now this is a trend with which I could have a little fun!!!

The first generation of the faux wood porcelain planks took themselves too seriously and so did the designers who used them (except in the smart applications aforementioned and perhaps an ultra contemporary beach house desiring an ease of maintenance flooring material). Not to mention, they were not the finest examples. But with all embracing this trend and using it everywhere – walls, floors etc…I found myself in boxes of cold wood-like tile – fun? I think not.

The evolution of the product has advanced its aesthetic and applications. Inserting shocking contrasts of grain and color just for the sake of design. Yay!!

So yesterday we had an all-day continuing education marathon. It was comprised of several independent courses on a variety of interesting subjects well delivered by entertaining and informed speakers, a trade show of great design sources, a lovely lunch, and finishing with a festive cocktail hour. During the course of cruising the trade show along all the vendors’ displays, I stopped at a familiar one presenting tile of all manner – including wood-grained porcelains. I engaged in conversation with one of the reps and specifically about the tired over-use of this trend. We were in perfect harmony regarding our agreement on this subject. While there I did admit a straying from the natural integrity of the materials that I generally embrace when recently I specified a vinyl wood flooring material in a residential application. This particular installation was prompted by the desire to have the look of wood flooring but with the resilience, durability and soft cushion that this unusual product offered. We had wet area conditions right off the pool area where traffic patterns to the restroom and kitchen were constantly traveled by adults, kids and dogs. The pliable product installed with a tight tongue and groove detailing and the remarkably beautiful faux wood-grained finish had great color, texture and dimension. To further belie the true content of the material, we placed stunning hand-knotted wool rugs on top of it making it more believable to the eye of the beholder. We have successfully fooled everyone to date while offering a water and dog toenail impervious, super easy to maintain floor!!!

So there is a time and place for nearly everything…just don’t settle because the trend is set-forth. Take each material and make decisions for the right materials in the right places – and never shy away from having a little fun!!!

Posted On June 4, 2016 By pattisays In design, design trends, faux flooring materials, flooring, natural integrity of the materials, practical design, trends, wood-grained porcelain tile /

flooring

Designing with the Brand in Mind

Commercial Finishes – What They Say – What They Convey

It’s Not Quite Right. How Do I Fix It?

Don’t Be Afraid of the DARK!!

Fe Fi Fo Finishes

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