Trailer X-Press

by Ryan | Oct 2, 2023

Trailer X-Press

290 92nd St SW
Byron Center, MI 49315

Trailer X-Press is in its second generation of leadership and thriving. They moved from a sliver of property in southeast Grand Rapids to an expansive 83,000 SF building in Caledonia. This move allows them to improve all parts of their business, planning for growth and raising the level of performance.

When we joined the project, there were already so many great things about the building, especially the two-story entry with a prominent spiral staircase that leads from reception to executive offices. The color red was a clear choice in all parts of the design as it is at the core of their brand and marketing.

Combining maintainable services with great aesthetics was part of the brief. The lobby has a beautiful porcelain tile that transitions to polished concrete for some open offices. Concrete-look vinyl flooring and carpet were used for closed offices and conference spaces.

Designing within their brand inspired the team to use diamond plate dimensional paneling on the reception desk, the staircase half walls, and in the parts store.

The two-story entry allowed for interesting uses of decorative lighting, suspended at different heights based on the staircase and overall lumen needs. The result is fitting to the space.

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Vos Glass

by Ryan | Apr 4, 2023

Vos Glass

3800 Stahl Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

The design criteria for this project could be summarized as clean, contemporary, flexible, inspiring, and within the Vos Glass Brand.

The finished product delivered these criteria with some notable features:

Polished concrete floors throughout.
Very well-lit spaces.
Tall ceilings.
Showcasing glass everywhere. Their office area is on display for customers to see a variety of glass installations.
Mindful use of Vos Glass’ brand red color in paint, carpet, and acoustical baffles.

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Midwest Miniatures Museum

by Ryan | Feb 17, 2022

Midwest Miniatures Museum

20 S 5th St.
Grand Haven, MI 49417

Formerly located at Hickory Corners on the grounds of the Gilmore Car Museum, the Museum had been looking for a new location that was much more accessible and fitting in aesthetic to display their miniatures collections. After an extensive search, they were finally able to acquire the historic Nathaniel and Esther Robbins House in downtown Grand Haven.

We designed new display cases and fixtures for the exhibits in a style imitating the interior trim of the home. In addition to supporting the curation of the exhibit, we also managed the execution. We engaged Bluewater Studio to create the exhibit fixtures, and their attention to detail and care for the artifacts made the project a success. We also added new gallery lighting to the historic home and worked with contractors on interior upgrades as needed.

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Grand River Bank

by Ryan | Nov 30, 2021

Grand River Bank

50 Crahen Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525

Grand River Bank brands its bank as a more personal, hands-on bank, offering daily delivery and pick-up services and welcomes face-to-face engagements. They pride themselves on creative solutions to funding and financing. That combination created a design challenge for the new offices, one-part friendly retail, and one-part corporate lending, but both needed staff to have facilities that offered efficient spaces and accommodations to create the best in service.

This exciting project started with Dixon Architecture introducing us to Pat Gill, President, and Liz Bracken, Vice President, of Grand River Bank who had a branch in Grandville in 2019. That team was working on a plan to create a second branch in Ada, and they were looking for design support.

This more than two-year process resulted in a great space that both Grand River Bank and r.o.i. Design are proud of. We are even more grateful for our relationship and the friends we made there.

We started the process with a consultative approach, engaging the Grand River Bank team with a series of meetings to understand the company’s goals, team preferences, and methods. The Grand River Bank leadership team moved the project forward cautiously considering COVID, knowing that they had a sound customer base in Ada. They partnered with BDR Custom Homes of Ada who was the general contractor, a partner, and a potential co-tenant of the building at 50 Crahen. Page Woodworking, a customer of Grand River Bank, created all the custom casework and countertops.

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German Auto Service

by Ryan | Sep 2, 2021

German Auto Service

2189 Avastar Pkwy Suite A
Grand Rapids, MI 49544

German Auto Service was located just down the street from r.o.i. Design for as long as we’ve been on Front Avenue. With the growth their business has seen in recent years, owners Ben and Joe Zeeuw decided it was time to expand. Rather than adding on to the limited space of their existing lot, they decided to build new.

German Auto reached out to Pinnacle Construction, which is also located on Front Avenue, to be the general contractor on this project. Then they contacted r.o.i. Design to design the interiors. Marianne Martz from our office oversaw the design.

The new building is located near the intersection of Alpine Avenue and Ann Street on Avastar Parkway. The team at German Auto wanted to create a space that embraces the muscular architecture of a fully equipped service garage. The intent was not to hide the shop “out back”. From the lobby, customers have a front-row seat to see the service team at work. The customer service area offers a large open floor plan with a large-scale visually striking graphic. Thanks to the design concept, the new facility feels engaging and bright.

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