Workplace Design - ROIDESIGN

Brooktree Capital Management Moves Their Corporate Office

by Ryan | Mar 30, 2022 | Interior Design, Workplace Design

“Brooktree Capital Management seeks to compound client capital and outperform the market averages over long periods of time. We do so by investing in high quality publicly traded businesses via a concentrated portfolio”

We met Brian Ellis and Hunter Lewis through their architect and longtime collaborator, Dixon Architecture, who asked us to support their new office project with interior design services.

Brooktree had been renting a space in downtown Grand Rapids for many years and thought it time to own property based on their own wealth management strategy, as well as creating a space that was more aesthetically consistent with their values. That brought them to Camelot Drive off East Paris in Grand Rapids. And through a competitive process, they decided to build with BCI Construction.

Designing through COVID was tough, everything took longer, and the times between meetings were extended. But our friends at Brooktree Capital Management were patient and consistent.

r.o.i. Design celebrates the interior design overall but especially enjoys a few features:

The overall lighting plan was architectural, lineal, and used more drywall ceilings than we typically see.
In addition to drywall ceilings, the space included wood baffles and exposed ceilings.
From the onset of design, Brooktree wanted wood veneer details, which resulted in the placement of veneer in the conference room, closed offices, and the open office. We used Sanfoot wood veneer wallcoverings and thank H.L. Bolkema for the expert and experienced installation, The ash veneer looks great. A great design depends on its installation.
The cloud detail in the café in contrast to the open ceiling looks great!
The use of the exterior stone in the vestibule ties the exterior to the interior and we continued the colors of the masonry brick to the interior paint pallet.

Notions Marketing is Working Smart

by Ryan | Jan 25, 2022 | Design News, Interior Design, Workplace Design

Notions Marketing is the World’s Largest Creative Arts Distributor.

Creative customers understand innovation, and Notions Marketing inspired r.o.i. Design. We worked with them to create new administration offices within an existing distribution center. When the Notions Administration team began working from home in April 2020, Notions leaders saw an opportunity to achieve a long-term goal to bring all employees together to a single campus. The relocation of the Admin team also opened new opportunities for the broadening of cross-functional team collaboration and value creation.

The vintage warehouse selected for the new office area had wood ceilings and joists, concrete floors as well as all exposed sprinkling, plumbing pipes, and electrical conduit. Working with Architectural Concepts, the space was planned for closed and open offices, as well as an area to receive vendors and customers.

Working with their CEO and Dustin Brown, Director of Facilities & Risk Management, r.o.i. Design knew that the character and brand of this vibrant company had to be incorporated into the space. Elements that assisted with that look include Herman Miller mid-century pendant lights that were reclaimed from the former building, painting the existing wood ceiling, using linear lighting within the wood joists, adding white wood baffles under an accented blue ceiling, accenting walls with bold colors from their brand, and the reuse of some classic occasional furniture from their former offices. To help manage acoustics and to add to the overall interest, carpet tile patterns were added along with the use of reclaimed concrete floors.

“r.o.i. was an excellent partner for Notions through this process. Projects involving old buildings are never easy and r.o.i. continued to impress as they turned limitations to spot-on solutions. We are so excited to welcome our team back to this high-energy environment. As the how and where of work continues to evolve, we know we have a space and a partner in r.o.i. that will continue to adapt to what the business needs”, said Bobbie Medema, Notions’ CEO.

Notions owns a variety of art, collected over the years, that will also be used in this new space as a reminder of their foundation and love of the creative process. Notions also enlisted the help of talented internal creative team members to create a 22-foot-wide mural for the lobby that celebrates their neighborhood, their products, and their legacy.

Longtime friend and furniture vendor West Michigan Office Interiors worked with Notions to create furniture solutions for sales, finance, HR, merchandising, and creative team members. The new open office furnishings use several of their brand’s colors as accents in the systems.

With the oversite of Vander Kodde Construction, the project was completed in the Fall of 2021. We are pleased to have been on this notable team for this innovative customer.

Wilkast Moves into Its New Building

by Ryan | Jan 25, 2022 | Design News, Interior Design, Meeting and Conference, Workplace Design

This world-class die casting company has created parts for the automotive and motorcycle industries since 1979. Tom and Kurt Wilkerson are the second generation of Wilkast owners and they saw the need for facility and tooling expansion to meet the growing demand for their services.

First Companies introduced r.o.i. Design to the Wilkersons, and along with Dixon Architecture we were engaged to design a new building that would house the corporate office and expanded plant.

Like most manufacturers, their processes create dust and debris, so the offices had to be planned using materials that were durable and cleanable. To aid in the effort, the Wilkersons decided to borrow from a ranch-lodge style using rustic woods and natural stone throughout. The floors are all concrete and the corridors and conference rooms have wood panels. An elkhorn chandelier greets you in the lobby. The overall feel is very welcoming, and the shiny Harley Davidson in the vestibule is a nice touch.

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images.

NeoCon Returns in 2021. Some of the Trends We Saw

by Ryan | Oct 20, 2021 | Design News, Exhibit Design, Interior Design, Meeting and Conference, Workplace Design

Scroll down to see photos from our visit.

NeoCon was held this year at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago on October 4th – 6th. Normally the event is held during the second week of June but was postponed because of the pandemic. The 2020 NeoCon event was canceled altogether, but a virtual event was held online. This year, attendees needed to show proof of vaccination (or a negative COVID test), and masks needed to be worn in all indoor areas.

Attendance numbers were low and many of the showrooms were either closed or open only by reservation. This was due both to the pandemic and “off-season” of this year’s event. Hopefully, by next June, the show will return to normal.

While there were fewer attendees at the Mart, there was still plenty to see of the newest products from the commercial design industry. It’s always exciting to see the newest designs, innovations, and trends on display.

Some of the Trends We Saw

The future of the office wants to be “happy”, flexible and accommodating; there was a definite reference to the ’60s and ’70s in colors and textures and a sense of the eclectic was a welcome surprise.

Colors:

Much warmer colors and lots of soft colors. Pinks, corals, teals, yellows, and blues.
Sherwin Williams introduced their color of the year projecting we were going to love Evergreen Fog.
Benjamin Moore also introduces their Color of the Year 2022, October Mist.

Textures and Finishes

Lighter woods, including the casual use of OSB and plywood.
Felt was everywhere!
Lots of interesting wall dividers, screens, and room dividers using all kinds of materials.
Fabric folks were exploring retro patterns with lots of colors.

Products

Many mobile products were there as they try to accommodate changing work styles; carts, desks, even rooms.
Many exhibitors have introduced small rooms that you can purchase, like a piece of furniture, to create spaces for employees to take private calls or have ZOOM meetings without bothering co-workers.
To deal with the spread of sound in an open office environment, there were acoustical wall panels and dividers, acoustical pendant lights, acoustical décor, and more.
Carpet manufacturers have gone all out to be “clean” and “green” with recycled products. They are also exploring patterns and colors giving us the hope of more than 10 shades of gray.
The return of woven rattan (vinyl) in commercial seating is making a comeback.
Technology and lighting impacted many designs. You can buy your conference table with built-in table lamps and ports for your phone and computer.

The Merchandise Mart had taken the time during the pandemic to update corridor finishes with new carpet, lighting, and wall accents. Most floors had their own particular look but in general, the lighting was greatly improved. This may have been in part because of the new exhibit space, Fulton Market, that is now competing for exhibitors and visitors. Herman Miller/Knoll has relocated their showroom to Fulton Market, a trendy location with an energetic urban vibe.

The world of design is alive at NeoCon and we were grateful to be a part of it.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge photos from our visit.

r.o.i. Design’s Remodeled Offices

by Ryan | Sep 22, 2021 | Design News, Interior Design, Procurement and Purchasing, Project Management, Workplace Design

r.o.i. Design moved to Front Ave NW twenty years ago into a building that needed a lot of repairs, but it had a lot of historical charm and a great location on the fringe of downtown. Over the years, we were continually surprised at how much our visitors liked our space, and while we saw the worn carpet and furniture, they loved the charm. So, keeping the charm, this year we started a refresh.

Our goals included overall cleaning, repairs, updating finishes, responding to COVID space planning, improving lighting, technology, and air quality. So now our seven-person firm has 3,500 square feet of office space (some just for meetings), 3,500 square feet of warehouse space for furnishings and a small workshop, and 2,000 square feet of library space for samples and materials.

The remodel/refresh started with a design plan in 2019. That plan included replacing flooring, some new wall paints and wall coverings, additional lighting, and some new furnishings. Plus, the building needed lots and lots of cleaning. Like many plans in 2019, COVID asked us to slow down, so we moved some projects forward in 2019 and 2020, but in April 2021, we decided it was time to “get it done”.

We moved out of our offices for 10 business days and organized the remodeling trades during those two weeks. We realized that it takes a lot of people, patience, and planning to make it a success, and because of the expert help and focus of a lot of people, we didn’t miss a day’s work!

We would like to recognize our interior designers Megan Hoekzema and Marianne Martz for their selections, carpet layouts, and furniture layouts.

We thank our procurement manager Ronda Geyer, for the constant reminders before the remodel to purge, organize, and get ready.

And we couldn’t have done this without Rachel Barszcz our studio manager who kept us on task.

And in alphabetical order, a SPECIAL THANK YOU to:

Action Plumbing for replacing the 20-year-old toilet. Just in time so we could get new flooring in the common space restroom.
Don Hampshire for rebuilding our steps to the garage, so they could be carpeted.
Excel Electric for upgrades in 2020 and timely responses to our power needs at the last minute in 2021.
Floorcovering Engineers LLC, John Quillan and team, for the expert installation of a complicated floor pattern in record time!
For the great support of our carpet reps, Ryan Morton from Patcraft, and Patrick Coulsen from Shaw. The carpets look amazing and it is a showroom of different applications and styles.
Huyser Asphalt for surfacing the parking lot. (Thanks for prioritizing us in a crazy COVID year!)
i3 Business Solutions, for moving our computers (twice!), lending us cable, keeping us all “online”, and overall moral support. And thanks too for upgrading our phone systems at the same time, retiring our dated desk phones and introducing us to VOIP.
Northwest Kent Mechanical for the updating of our four systems with air filtration and ion cleansing systems that protect us against so much stuff.
Office Furniture Details LLC, Joe and Team, who moved our furniture at least twice, installed new furniture systems and retired a lot more.
West Michigan Office Interiors, Jenna Henderson for fine-tuning our layouts, and Dean Clement for helping us keep on budget and on time.

Like all projects, ours is not quite done, and the budget is under review.

We celebrate our progress and the results so far, it is amazing! Let us know if you would like a tour!

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge images.

Grand River Bank Branch Opens in Ada

by Ryan | Sep 22, 2021 | Design News, Interior Design, Meeting and Conference, Retail Design, Workplace Design

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.

During the design process for Ada, we helped Grand River Bank decorate a leased office in Cascade that temporarily housed lenders. We also assisted their Grandville offices with COVID screen designs and resources.

Design elements in the new facility we celebrate include:

Ceiling clouds and lighting in the retail and corridors space – capturing light and creating comfort.
The reception desk and teller casework design, with its warm wood and white marble textures – very residential in feel.
Warm and engaging finishes and wall art.

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.

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 needing staff to have facilities that offered efficient spaces and accommodations to create the best in service.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge photos.