Rayanne Rzepka - ROIDESIGN

Hudsonville Vision Care Upgrades Its Patient Experience

by Rayanne Rzepka | May 29, 2024 | Interior Design, Lighting Design, Medical Design, Workplace Design

Doctors Walt and Gammage joined Hudsonville Vision Care in the 1980’s and are preparing for the next generation of leadership, which has already started with Dr. Wustman, who joined in 2017. Subsequently, this meant enhancing the interior, with expanded offices and exam rooms, and new finishes throughout.

Keeping the family-friendly focus, Hudsonville Vision Care improved the reception and waiting areas, expanded the eyeglass showroom, and made the testing area more efficient and modern with new technology.

Those returning to the space might say the biggest change is the increase in light. Lighter wall colors, better LED lighting, and a lower ceiling section over the selections area. All the eyeglass displays are new with interior lighting to showcase the frames even more.

Keeping things neutral, they added interest by adding wood to the back wall, and stone accented by shiplap to the reception desk. The frames display has wood storage, but light frames with maximum mirroring.

Additionally, they added offices so the front desk and the basement were relieved of administrative work. The administration is closely positioned near the doctor’s offices for improved communication.

For more about Hudsonville Vision Care see: www.hudsonvillevisioncare.com

© Photos Courtesy of First Companies, Inc.

For more of our medical projects click here.

Beacon Hill Creates New Breakroom Space for Employees

by Rayanne Rzepka | May 29, 2024 | Interior Design, Procurement and Purchasing, Workplace Design

Working with seniors, whether independent or needing special care, requires a caring staff. That staff also needs care and nurturing, and sometimes just a quiet place to take a break.

Beacon Hill at Eastgate focuses on creating a culture that supports its hard-working team. To that end, they are investing in creating new break rooms that offer comfort and restful aesthetics.

The first breakroom was converted from an older, unused breakroom being used as a storage space. Since it had an existing kitchenette, the rough plumbing was already in place. The room needed new finishes, new lighting, and a new layout.

Beacon Hill started as Michigan Christian Home in the 1950s. The facility has grown over time and changed ownership. Beacon Hill was established in 2010 to become five buildings; memory care, and nursing care with more than eight dining rooms and restaurants, a chapel, exercise, theater, and game rooms. The buildings have been modernized as needs have grown. The most recent apartment building, “The Vistas” set the stage for a contemporary hospitality look and feel that leadership wants for all spaces going forward.

This break room features restaurant-style tables, booth seating, and lounge soft seating, procured by r.o.i. Design. Light levels vary from very bright to soft lighting to accommodate a variety of uses. New flooring such as luxury vinyl planks in the eating area and carpet in the lounge area were installed. The room got all-new paint, graphic wallpaper, cabinets, and appliances, creating a non-traditional break room.

r.o.i. Design looks forward to sharing more with its readers on upgrades to Beacon Hill at Eastgate. For more about Beacon Hill, please visit: beaconhillgr.org.

Click on thumbnails below to view larger images.

How to Make Your Property Rise Above the Competition

by Rayanne Rzepka | May 3, 2024 | Procurement and Purchasing

Utilizing contract purchasing to provide FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment, or another version is FF&A, Furniture, Fixtures and Accessories) is not only convenient but creates value.

While not a permanent part of the building structure, they do add value both financially and aesthetically. The FF&A selection and procurement process is typically not included in most architectural services but is handled outside of architecture in the interior design process. This final stage of selection and procurement of the items that complete the space is one of the services offered by r.o.ii Design.

Especially for multi-family housing, a strategic design plan that includes furnishings and accessories will provide years of return on investment.

While multi-family housing (apartments, student housing, vacation rentals, and senior living properties) are residential communities, they require the function and durability required of a commercial environment with the aesthetics of residential design.

When making design decisions, there are several things to consider.

- - - The budget for a furnishings package varies based on the level of finishes, the quantity of accessories, the quality of the artwork, and the related costs in design, coordination, storage, and setup.
    - The demographics of the target residents impact the choices made in location, laying out the physical space, lighting, and amenities, can all influence the overall design.
    - Strategic use of color and texture combine to create an inviting and comfortable space to gather. Elevated amenities and spaces that promote social gatherings and interactions are desirable in today’s market.
    - Marketability attracts prospective residents.
    - Good interior design can help your property:
      - Stand out in competitive market
      - Attract tenants
      - Maintain high occupancy
      - Increased functionality and durability; reduced wear and maintenance cost
      - Positively impact the bottom line

In the multi-family real estate market, the value of aesthetics sets one property apart from another. Balancing the aesthetic needs of a diverse tenant demographic requires a specialized knowledgeable team.

Contact us to set up a consultation to see how we can help you maximize your budget and stand out in a competitive market. Rondageyer@roidesign.com or call (616) 272-5302.

Open Offices Bring Acoustic Issues

by Rayanne Rzepka | Apr 24, 2024 | Design News, Interior Design

With the onset of the open office and shared spaces comes great efficiency and improved collaboration, but also brings acoustic issues.

Acoustics are the science of sound control, addressing the reflection of noise between and around spaces. Very rudimentary sound waves act like a ping pong ball in a space, rebounding off hard surfaces. Ideal reverberation time, referred to as T60, signifies the time it takes for sound to fade by 60dB (decibels) within an enclosed space. The faster the fade, the better it is. r.o.i. Design approaches the issues of acoustics in most jobs where we consider absorbing, blocking, covering or diffusing sound.

Absorb

The absorption coefficient of materials controls how much sound reverberates when they hit those materials—a higher coefficient means they absorb more sound. Therefore, absorptive objects reduce ambient noise. A favorite solution is one that also adds design are decorative baffles made from felt, wood, or fabric.

Block

The amount of sound blocked by a wall or other obstacle is called sound transmission loss—or attenuation. For example, screens, panels, and doors also help block sound from traveling between spaces. r.o.i. Design often adds partitions and window coverings to block sound.

Cover

If you can’t absorb or block sound, you might have to cover it. Carpets and acoustical ceilings, as well as efficient HVAC systems, can conceal sound and lower background noise levels. A popular solution is sound masking technology, much like a sound system that is designed to create a consistent pitch to cover other sounds.

Diffuse

In some environments, proper acoustics involve scattering sound uniformly throughout the space, in other words, diffusion. Too much absorption makes it difficult to transmit noise properly— for example, people may need to hear others talking over a long distance.  Back to the ping pong ball, imagine it trying to bound off a textured wood wall; the bound is diffused.

While r.o.i. Design is not acousticians, we are very capable of specifying products that absorb, cover, block, and diffuse. For projects that we added acoustic solutions, click on the links below:

Mailoux Dentistry

Cedar Animal Hospital

Notions Marketing

Funky Buddah

Lifestream Church

The Role of LED Lighting in Interior Design

by Rayanne Rzepka | Mar 27, 2024 | Design News, Interior Design, Lighting Design

With the introduction of LED* lighting over ten years ago, the world of lighting and lighting design has exploded. Now, more than 80% of all lighting is LED. This is mostly because of their high efficiency and low power consumption as compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. LED doesn’t just allow for creative light fixtures but also expands the possibilities in lighting solutions and environmental control.

One outcome is the ability to control the light’s color, imitating a variety of experiences. That color temperature is measured by Kelvins. Low numbers are warmer, and high numbers are cooler. To make something feel “homey” we use lower numbers. When we need a clinical effect, we use higher numbers. Have you ever heard someone say, “It feels like a hospital in here!”. That is likely because the space has a high Kelvin measurement when it needs to be lower. Interior designers can match the environment to the Kelvin for the most comfortable experience.

Another aspect of LED lighting is size and flexibility. Since the lumens come from a chip, that small chip can be put into a variety of housings, making it easier to find lighting for every situation; whether it’s architectural, theatrical, or practical (see photos of examples).

At r.o.i. Design, we work with lighting engineers to assist in specifying fixtures along with their colors and lumens. We used to use a measurement called foot-candles to describe the amount of light in a room. Now the industry uses lumens, specifically lux, which is one lumen per square meter. Not only is the color of light important, but its brightness is critical in creating comfort for the user.

Interior design is highly affected by light. All finishes look very different depending on the color of the light. We can be leaders in interior design by providing expertise in lighting design.

(*) LED stands for light emitting diode. LED lighting products produce light up to 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LED, and the result is visible light.

Below are some examples of interesting LED lighting we have used on recent jobs. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.