In January, Funky Buddha Yoga Hothouse opened its fourth location
in the exciting new Studio Park development in downtown Grand Rapids. Anna
Baeten, Executive Director, and Michele Bookie, Operations Manager, see this
new location as the opportunity to align the look of their facility with their
updated clean brand that’s on their website and marketing.
“It was time to become clear with our brand; we are intentional
and simple in our approach. We believe in Growth through Practice. We want our
spaces to reflect our values: Respect, Integrity, Intentionality, Caring, Honesty, and Humility,”
says Baeten.
With that
direction in mind, r.o.i. Design assisted in developing an interior that
minimized their previous scheme of tropical fruit colors to a neutral palette
of black, white, gray, cork, and wood. With touches of greenery and a focus on
cleanability, there was still room for some “funk”.
A variety of shapes of wood shade lamps hang in the lobby. The desk and retail area are built from reclaimed pallet wood from Grand Rapids Pallets. Their diamond logo is featured in the tectum acoustical panels applied to the yoga studio’s ceiling. Indirect lighting was added to the waiting area as well as the studio.
We thank our
collaborators Jon Blair from r2Design for architecture, First Companies for
construction, and Ken Kearney for specialty millwork build-out.
For more about Funky Buddha please visit their website.
Doctors Daniel Bolt and Thomas Bouwens had outgrown their existing Holland, Michigan office. With the help of Dixon Architecture and T2 Construction, they agreed to design a new building. r.o.i. Design was invited to the project by Ken Dixon, and we set out to create a space that met the needs of both doctors and patients.
When r.o.i Design learned that, between patients and family members, the practice could see up to 500 people a day, we began to understand their energetic approach to dental care. We also learned that they wanted to remain a “kid and family-friendly” environment yet avoid a theme-park-like feel.
Many pediatric dentists overlook the opportunity to create a calming and comfortable space for busy families. With these factors in mind, our goal was to take their West Michigan caring brand forward, which meant keeping a more “Montessori-approach”. This calming approach intentionally included a plan to create smaller, focused areas of interest for young patients. r.o.i. Design happily developed the interior design, lighting design, and furnishing finishes for the new location.
In addition to the interior finishes, we assisted in introducing the practice to an experienced Lionel train expert, who designed the new miniature train that winds throughout the space on a raised track.
We also designed their new logo and provided many of the key furnishings.
Some of our favorite details include:
Decorative acrylic at the reception and checkout desks
Dark blue board and batten wall treatments
Accent carpet and painted wall “stripes”
Fun light fixtures throughout the space
Acoustic wall panels in the open exam area
Lit ceiling details at the checkout
We are grateful for the opportunity to work on this project and wish West Michigan Pediatric Dentistry the best as they settle into their new space, which opened on February 3, 2020.
For more about this practice, please visit their new website!
West Michigan Pediatric Dentistry provides specialized dentistry for infants, children, and adolescents, including those with special needs. As their practice grew, so did the need for a new dental office. Currently located in Holland, MI, at 844 Washington Avenue, their new location is being built on 16th Street near Lighthouse Insurance. r.o.i Design was brought on to design the interiors of the new building, along with the project’s architects, Dixon Architecture.
At the beginning of the design process, the suggestion was
made to also look at redesigning the practice’s logo. We offered our graphic
design services, and West Michigan Pediatric Dentistry asked us to create some
concepts.
Through the graphic design process, we supplied them with a
few ideas that they narrowed down for further development. One of the featured
elements of the new office design is a scale model train and track which winds
throughout the waiting area, hallway and open operatory spaces. They decided
that it would be fun to incorporate a train into the logo. We went back and
forth a few times with ideas and finally landed on a simple, but fun, circular
logomark with the train motif.
The construction of the new office will be wrapping up soon,
and we are excited to see how the whole space comes together. Be sure to look
for a post with photos of the space in the near future!
Old Logo
For more information about West Michigan Pediatric Dentistry, please visit westmipeddent.com.
When the logo, the architecture, and interior design all
align, a brand appears. At r.o.i. Design we strive to be engaged in all parts
of the design to achieve a cohesive brand appearance to create the “return on
investment” look and feel that delivers results for our customers.
We have designed logos for a variety of types of identities,
including medical practices, restaurants, and more. A logo typically includes a
mark of some kind, and then words that are seen in particular fonts and styles.
It is quite common that a logo tries to do “too much” and we
spend a lot of time pruning and editing a message, so the final logo can last
over time.
In the case of View Point, we collaborated with Campus View’s marketing staff, going back and forth with ideas until a concise visual was realized that included the “peak” of the building but also connected with the View of Campus View, the corporate brand.
Other logos we have designed recently include ABC Pediatrics, Van Haren Dentistry, Wok & Mortar, and HealthBridge.
For r.o.i. Design, the View Point project allowed us to use all our skills and resources. In addition to planning and interior design, we took on the challenge of adding the finishing touches to a warehouse-loft-look by designing, procuring and installing décor. We used numerous reclaimed items, along with new items to complete the look.
We shopped Pitsch Wrecking and came away with some old
windows, bikes, and a few feet of chain-link fencing. We stripped the bikes and
painted them in their entirety, and then hung them from the ceiling. We disassembled
some of the bikes and just mounted their painted wheels on the wall. We cleaned
up the windows, made them shatterproof, and arranged them in the lounge area.
We wanted to use some old warehouse doors but couldn’t find any.
So, we built them in our shop and faux painted them to create the look we wanted,
then installed them in key areas.
We found an artist who had some great “old sign” graphics
and asked them to change the verbiage and design to accommodate some Grand
Valley State University words and icons.
And with the addition of a few IKEA mirrors and some faux
painting by Michael Pfleghaar, the warehouse-loft-look took shape.
Campus View, a major player in student housing in Allendale, MI, wanted to create a different housing option for the student who wants a private personal space but still needs to be connected to a community. They own the building formerly housing “Brian’s Books” near Pierce Road and 48th Street just south of the Grand Valley State University Campus. They decided to turn this 20-year-old retail space into View Point, with 24 small studio apartments, an open lounge area, a common kitchen, an exercise room, and a laundry room.
They called in TJA Architects and r.o.i. Design to help them conceive and execute a plan to create View Point. We developed a hipster design criterion, while still providing top-notch amenities.
Keeping the basic architecture of the building, we had to conceive an exterior finish that would separate it from its former retail storefront look. One of the main front gables was minimized and the face of the building was sided in three different colors of metal panel to create random vertical stripes. We highlighted the entrances with a dramatic asymmetrical face of dark siding contrasted with warm wood planking around the entry doors.
These design criteria resulted in some fun details in the interior common areas:
Oversized, 24-inch tall apartment numbers stenciled on the walls
Funky wicker woven corridor light fixtures
Planked and octagonal modular carpet patterns in random patterns
Custom canvas art using iconic Grand Valley State University names and places
Found and repurposed items for decor
View Point offers its residents a well-appointed one-room apartment with a full bathroom. Each unit includes a small kitchenette area with solid surface countertops, study area, sitting area with a wall-mounted TV, and a bed with trundle storage. Just outside each unit is a lounge area with seating, a huge TV, and a spacious common kitchen with an 18-foot island and personal storage for each resident.
