by Ryan | Dec 6, 2016 | Design News
Neighborhoods come in all shapes and sizes. And for many, the apartment complex is their neighborhood – complete with dining areas, gathering areas, workout areas, and shared quiet areas.
Forest Glen Community Room, Chantilly, VA.
Wolverine Building Group, Grand Rapids, MI, engaged r.o.i. Design this year to assist them in the final phase design and product fulfillment for the public spaces of their project, Forest Glen, in Chantilly, VA.
This project has two phases and at this writing Phase 1 is complete and Phase 2 is scheduled for a January 2017 finish.
The developer, Eagle Point Companies of Portland MA, wants their residents to feel at home. For us that means acknowledging the locale in the design. r.o.i. Design provided wall art and décor that fits the location of the project. In this case, Chantilly VA is one of the suburban communities of Washington, D.C. Featuring our nation’s capital landmarks was appropriate.
Wall decor in Forest Glen Lobby, Chantill, VA.
We acknowledge the team at Wolverine Building Group, Brian Steinberg and site superintendent, Bruce Soloway whose team work has made this possible. For more information about Wolverine Building Group, go to www.wolvgroup.com
And a shout out to Neil at Eagle Point for his attentive responses and careful consideration of selections and product details.
![2017 Color Trends]()
by Ryan | Oct 26, 2016 | Design News, Interior Design
The 2017 color forecasts are coming out, and r.o.i. Design is seeing a large variety of palettes and opinions. While there are many experts, we tend to look at our favorite paint companies, as well as Pantone.
There seems to be a trend toward “muted, dusty or grayed” colors, but there isn’t one color that is being called out as “the color”. There is interest in blues, purples, green, taupe and grays, but they don’t leave out any part of the spectrum in their predictions. r.o.i. Design knows that these predictions are the most influential for future manufactured products. The predictions of this year, will trickle into products we see hit the market in the next few years.
So whether we like a color or not, some of the colors predicted in these reports are going to show up in laminates, fabrics, tile and other architectural products we will have as options for interiors in the near future.
Here are three reports we found interesting. Find your favorite!
Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year, Shadow 2117-30, is allusive and enigmatic — a master of ambiance.
“Emotional connections with this color evoke nostalgic memories of light on space and color.”
–CARL MINCHEW, VICE PRESIDENT OF COLOR AND DESIGN
Sherwin-Williams doesn’t usually like to play color favorites, but in this case we can’t resist. The color we anticipate defining 2017 is Poised Taupe. Here’s why: This timeless neutral is modern, classic and a beautiful balance of warm and cool.
PANTONE 18-0107 Kale
Evocative of the great outdoors and a healthy lifestyle, Kale is another foliage-based green that conjures up our desire to connect to nature, similar to the more vivacious Greenery. And, just as we see in nature, this lush and fertile natural green shade provides the perfect complementary background to the more vibrant tones in the palette.
by Ryan | Oct 26, 2016 | Construction, Design News, Interior Design, Workplace Design
Triangle Associates has been keeping up operationally with its rapid growth over the last few years. And most recently that meant updating their corporate office interiors.
“Who we are as a company, our values, and our attitudes need to be represented in our workplace. It was time to make our office a more transparent and collaborative space to match our culture,” explains Mitch Watt, President of Triangle Associates.
Triangle has long offered design-build services for their customers and have in-house design, led by architect Aaron Jenks, but wanted interiors help. They called longtime friends and collaborators r.o.i. Design to work with them on interior concepts and finishes.
r.o.i. Design also provided recommendations for material selection that delivered design but offered opportunities for budget savings. Triangle Associates also consults with r.o.i. Design on procurement for their customer projects.
“We were very pleased to work on this team,” says Mary Witte, r.o.i. Design. “Triangle has always been a company with a strong foundation in design. Craig Datema and Mitch Watt are both architects and their leadership has made design one of their core values.”
Other things to know about Triangle Associates:
- Triangle Associates is a client-centered construction company that provides construction management, general contracting, design-build, development, and sustainable building/LEED consulting services across a wide variety of market segments.
- While they have been hiring and training to fill positions that have been created to manage the growth, they managed to already be recognized as a leader. Last December they were named one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® in the country for 2015 by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR). For 12 consecutive years, they have been named one of West Michigan’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For by the Michigan Business and Professional Association.
- Triangle’s newly constructed Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management was recently awarded at the AIA 2016 Honors Awards. Triangle thanked both the AIA Grand Rapids and their partner TowerPinkster for the keen eye towards quality workmanship on their Facebook page October 18, 2016
- Triangle received a 2016 Excellence In Construction Award for Hudsonville Public High School Project from the Associated Builders & Contractors West Michigan
- Triangle received a 2016 Excellence In Construction Award for Standard Lifters from the Associated Builders & Contractors West Michigan: New Construction $1 – $5 Million
by Ryan | Sep 21, 2016 | Design News
We at r.o.i. Design like to explore the fabrication of decorative elements for our design customers and their environments.
We were recently inspired by the Starbucks at UNIQLO in Chicago, and wanted to create our own art using wood panels. (Image: Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
This summer we created our own “art on wood”. This is a very popular decorative trend and there are a variety of options to get your design on wood. But after budgeting options, we thought there had to be a cost effective, local way to achieve this. So with some patience, testing and research we were able to deliver two projects.
Campus View Apartments, Allendale, MI
Campus View Apartments had an entry hallway of painted concrete block. They wanted to get rid of the look and thought the only way to do that was drywall the entire corridor. Based on other elements in our redesign of the lobby, welcome center and offices, we introduced the idea of a plaid pattern on birch panels to cover the block. Plaid is popular now in interior design, so by using one color – black – on the birch we aimed to create a classic finish.
Wolverine Power Supply Co-op Custom Service Map Wood Print
Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative completed their new offices using our interior designs. One design criteria was to bring the outdoors in, and another was to foster more inter-company communication. So, as part of the overall art design, we created a custom “map” of the areas they serve, rendered artistically and then executed on wood. The impact met the customer’s expectation for “art”.
We love creating custom elements by using all of our skills. Ryan Bright, our creative executive, can graphically design anything – from playbills, to signage, to original art. Doug Pettinga, our resident “jack of all trades”, is up for most projects that require lumber and fastening. Mary, Mary Jane and Ronda introduce ideas to customers. We have a small shop, a warehouse and a creative-curious culture.
Custom Scrabble Wall Art, Spin Dance, Holland, MI
Custom Painted Mural, Crystal Center, Crystal Mountain Resort, Thompsonville, MI
Custom Wall Mural, Hutchinson, Grand Rapids, MI ©Tiberius Images
by Ryan | Sep 20, 2016 | Design News, Interior Design, Meeting and Conference, Workplace Design
Advantage Label says they “label with a purpose”. They work with their customers to create labels and packaging that present a quality product and promote sales. r.o.i. Design’s experience of Advantage Label was just that, they perform with purpose and wanted their office to show them as a place of quality, efficiency and pride.
Wolverine Building Group contacted r.o.i. Design to support their design process and we were asked to review lighting plans, select finishes and lighting, and help make the break room more of a restaurant than a cafeteria.
Using the red of their logo colors (which was also an accent color on the exterior of the building), r.o.i. Design added charcoals, blue gray and orange to the overall scheme to create depth and variety. The use of planked modular carpet tiles allowed accent colors to be introduced within a consistent field of carpet, without added costs.
For more about Advantage Label, CLICK HERE
by Ryan | Sep 13, 2016 | Design News, Interior Design, Meeting and Conference, Workplace Design
Wolverine Power Cooperative is a bold company, with big goals and a humble history. While r.o.i. Design enjoyed every aspect of our time with the group, what is lasting for us is their commitment to their customers, their hopes for their employees, and their desire to do the right thing.
Those values translated into a desire to make their new work place a space where collaboration, communication and innovation would thrive. That meant their new offices and employee culture would be making landmark changes in how they work. Their directive was to allow the space to be as transparent and as inclusive as possible, but also provide an inspiring environment for their business.
Rick Skendzel of Architecture Technology in Traverse City, MI, engaged r.o.i. Design to provide interior design services that included interior details, lighting design, light fixture selections, specialty millwork design and finish selections. Our close work with Skendzel, Wolverine’s Dawn Coon, and construction manager, Apex Engineering’s, Steve Steimel, was a dream team. We all were focused on the same goals, compromises were almost effortless.
Highlights of our design contribution include:
- Bringing a natural rhythm to ceilings in open areas with planes of wood and color, helping to organize a large space without adding walls.
- Highlighting the sense of innovation with a curved entry wall, LED lighting, textural surfaces and recessed niches to display historical elements.
- Using a “birds nest” pattern (symbolic of nature) into details at reception, café and board room.
- Adding dramatic lighting in café and open areas.
- Creating intimate arrangements of furniture to foster collaboration and interdepartmental socializing.
The history of their cooperative is inspiring and you can learn more about that here.
