by Mary | May 27, 2014 | Design News, Home Design
Clutter is a nuisance, but in preparing to teach a course on decluttering for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at Aquinas College, Mary Witte quickly realized that clutter is more than just sorting things into pretty baskets.
Here is a link to the presentation. Clutter
What creates clutter? There are typically events that kick off our bad habits (downsizing, retirement, loss of a family member, remodeling, hobbies, inheritance…) but the inability to deal with clutter may be more personal. We may be blind to clutter, the longer it is there, the more natural it becomes. We may call clutter by a different name like our to-do pile, or future project, or we just describe clutter is how we organize.
No matter your excuse, it is time to de-clutter! Get on it!
More information about OLLI here.
by Mary | May 7, 2014 | Design News, Interior Design, Retail Design
Dentists of today are a sophisticated group of business people who are engaging their customer in new ways. Promoting preventative habits and healthy diet as well as educating their patients on how dental health impacts whole-health, are just some of the examples of how modern dentistry is gaining an important role in family health. But the most significant trend is the increased care and concern to provide comfort and a great experience while at the dentist. Some of that comfort is coming from the improvements in technology and consequently, faster and less invasive visits. While dentists still specialize, they are trying to make referrals easier and offer more services to minimize the need for patients to go to three different offices to finish a procedure.
Reception Counter. Click for larger view.
r.o.i. Design, as retail specialists, were asked by Rockford Construction to assist them in the planning and interiors for their dental customers with the goal of making the experience as comfortable, professional and enjoyable as possible.
Treatment Room. Click for larger view.
Some of the things that we have seen be the most successful in our projects this year are:
- Spa-like feel and color palettes
- Extending the comfort of the lobby through to the exam, hygiene and procedure rooms, no more scary rooms!
- Integrating the greeting and reception experience with the entire service; no more sliding doors at the check-in desk!
- Promoting the office “brand” and expertise of that particular office through design.
Stone Wall with Copper Tiles in Niche. Click for larger view.
by Mary | May 6, 2014 | Branding, Design News, Interior Design
There is a short walk between design and marketing. They are neighbors, and like good neighbors they share with one another.
No one wants a trendy design that will require a remodel before the bills are paid. No one wants a corny theme, but everyone wants a look that fits them and lasts the test of time. When branding a project, r.o.i. Design makes sure to include these steps in their process.
1. First understand the people who are going to use the space. What is their relationship to the brand? Is it their space, the place they work, their favorite retail store, their place of worship or the place to weigh-in for Weight Watchers?
2. Understand the message that the owner of the space wants to convey. We often hear words like professional, comfortable, efficient, welcoming, motivational, safe and casual. We want to provide those things and more. What attribute of the business or the owner can we share that is of interest and illustrates how this space is different from other places?
3. Be authentic. The details that extend a brand are meaningful and lasting. They can sometimes become iconic but don’t necessarily start that way. Quite often, our customer will relate these details as “fun” without being silly. They often are subtle or integrated in a way that is so natural that, “of course that detail would be there”. For CPA’s Baker | Holtz, who didn’t want to appear “shy” about their profession, we found little ways to make them smile and gave them landmarks in their space so they could give an interesting tour of their office.
4. Be addictive. When the recipe for a design works, the nuances of the “brand look” are happily continued by the users of the space. For a while, r.o.i. Design called themselves “Design Dogs”, happy to follow the customers lead. We saw ourselves so differently than the aloof cat-like designer stereotype that for a while we had dogs on the backs of our business cards. People started giving us dog sculptures and other dog-related stuff, on and on.
We worked with Spin Dance in their downtown Holland office space. We tried to understand the complex service this technology group offers to their customers and we tried to understand the name. We offered to them that perhaps they could illustrate data spinning, so quickly, so precisely and to the point, like a spinning top. It stuck. We want all spaces that are important to you to be significant and tell your story. You shouldn’t have to borrow a cup of sugar from “marketing” to make it that way.
