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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Nicolai Diamant North America

by Ryan | Aug 9, 2023

Nicolai Diamant North America

3990 44th St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512

Nicolai Diamant is a world leader in the production of tools for polishing and finishing stone materials and marble slabs, with facilities in Italy, Russia, and the U.S. They purchased a building on 44^th Street in Grand Rapids, and it required a complete interior remodel. The goal was to open the space completely and create a modern, European look.

A key partner in the remodel was Haworth, the office furniture giant, whose president, Franco Bianchi, is also a friend of Nicolai’s CEO, Miller Ganapini. Bianchi gave us personal tours and advice on the Haworth products that would provide a forward-thinking, modern look. Working through Haworth’s dealership, Interphase, the new headquarters uses full glass wall systems for offices and the conference room, and a new introduction of moveable systems furniture that allows rotation of desks to provide options for collaboration or independent work.

The interior design was intended to be minimalistic: white, gray, and black. This is seen in the carpet, case goods, and framing selections. The lounge seating added a touch of the new “turquoise”. A few accent colors can be found along with the artwork.

The overall lighting was created by strip lighting hung 8 feet above the floor in a 10 feet tall space. There are a few decorative feature lights. All light fixture selections were inspired by styles by FLOS and other European designers.

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BH 92 Trucking Inc.

by Ryan | Apr 4, 2023

BH 92 Trucking Inc.

440 W Boughton Rd Suite 200c
Bolingbrook, IL 60440

Returning Customer FCC Construction and their project manager, Beau Byerly, contacted r.o.i. Design to work with their customer BH92 Trucking to make selections for their new building in Byron Center, MI.

This 20,000 sq. ft. building houses its operations, which include corporate offices, dispatch, fleet maintenance, leasing, and LAV truck repair. An adjacent duplicate space was built for another tenant or future sister company.

All finishes needed to be very maintainable but BH92 didn’t want to compromise style. The overall palette is a sophisticated blend of warm grays and blacks.

Interior features include:

Decorative wood wall in the lobby
Durable luxury vinyl tiles in varied colors and patterns
Black doors and trim
Concrete-look porcelain tiles

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Notions Marketing Offices

by Ryan | Feb 17, 2022

Notions Marketing Offices

517 Crofton St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507

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

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.

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.

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.

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Wilkast, Inc.

by Ryan | Feb 17, 2022

Wilkast, Inc.

9100 Byron Commerce Dr. SW
Byron Center, MI 49315

This world-class die casting company has created parts for the automotive and motorcycle industries since 1979. Tom and Kurt Wilkerson are the second generations 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.

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