by Mary | Sep 30, 2013 | Design News, Exhibit Design, Interior Design, Project Management
In 2012, a friend of r.o.i. Design, Tim Chester, introduced us to the Grand Valley State University’s development office project- the Bill Seidman Timeline.
Bill Seidman on the Cover of the “National Journal” 1990
GVSU has had a busy year, with the opening the new library (Mary Idema Pew Learning Commons) on the Allendale campus, and the L. William Seidman Center (School of Business) in downtown Grand Rapids.
As part of the L. William Seidman Center’s presentation, a prominent 20 feet section of wall space in the lounge was dedicated to honor the life and achievements of Bill Seidman. While GVSU has thousands of curated works of art, a complete in-house marketing department, expert public relations and communication experts, their experience in creating a museum quality exhibit was more limited than they were comfortable with for this important assignment.
Larry Hutchinson, center, Mary Witte, left, September 23, 2013
r.o.i. Design, Mary Witte, was hired to manage the process of hiring the designer, managing scope, budget and timeline. Through this process r.o.i. was very pleased to meet Larry Hutchinson, Hutchinson Studio, who designed the exhibit, (casework and graphics) and (along with r.o.i.) researched the content.
To support the process, r.o.i.’s Ryan Bright provided graphic design for the media presentation that Springthrough (local media and marketing company) compiled to create a multimedia touchscreen experience.
Visitors can learn more about the exhibit, scroll through a timeline of Bill’s life, and watch vide0s of Bill speaking.
Pioneer Construction, who built the L. William Seidman Center building, built the casegoods that house the exhibit.
(more…)
by Mary | Aug 7, 2013 | Design News, Interior Design
In 2011, we received a call from Gaylord, MI. Scott and Janice Lampert had purchased property in their hometown and wanted to create a landmark spot on the site.
“We have been so blessed by the land, we wanted to give back to the land” , reported Lampert. “This site is so amazing in its intimate northern Michigan way that we wanted to make it available to today’s recreational and educational user.”
Very influenced by retreat centers, spas and boutique resorts they have visited, the goal was to create a resort that would compete on the highest level for aesthetics and experience. “There is definitely a spiritual side to this place,” Janice Lampert explained. “Partly because of its history and the hundreds of visitors who came to this spot since the 1950’s, but by far, it is the soul of the land and nature that lives here that gives it it’s spirit”. (more…)
by Mary | Feb 28, 2013 | Design News
Our friends at Hooker De Jong Architects in Muskegon, MI asked us to get involved with this unique health care project in 2010. Now in 2013, we are working through the management of furnishing purchases and FFE receipts to fulfill the requirements of the staged openings of the new facility.
Meadow Brook had a vision to create a residential care facility that organizes around smaller household groups verses the more clinical “halls” and “floors” of the traditional mode. This is best described by excerpts from the Antrium Review posting on the Meadow Brook web page, as seen below.
Posted: Thursday, January 26, 2012 3:00 am Antrium Review
A series of articles regarding nursing homes in Michigan that ran in the Detroit Free Press in mid-December reported some good news for Meadow Brook Director, Marna Robertson, and her hard working staff. …a recent evaluation by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (reported) …Meadow Brook was ranked within the top ten percent among the state’s 428 licensed nursing home facilities.
…None of this comes as a surprise to most of the people who have witnessed first-hand the care a family member has received at Meadow Brook.
That care can only continue to get even better with the culture change planned for Meadow Brook that will create what Robertson characterizes as “person centered care,” designed to put residents at the center of decision making in a more home-like environment. While that concept has already begun with simple things like extended meal times and a wider variety of food selection, the concept will only be fully implemented with the completion of planned construction of a new three story building and renovation of existing facilities that will house residents in private rooms clustered in small household units that will give them the privacy they desire while providing the opportunity for the social interaction they need.
At the time this was especially important to David Layman, President of Hooker De Jong, who had just gone through the process of trying to select housing for his mother and came away from the experience stunned that there wasn’t more hospitable and residential options in senior care. “Why can’t it feel like home?” he insisted.
r.o.i. Design agreed with that sentiment and began the work of making Meadow Brook a place for seven households each with either The European Bungalow and the Vintage Farmhouse or Woodland Cottage Theme. “That meant three groups of selections, three groups of finishes and furnishings” reported lead designer Mary Jane Caster. “It looks great on paper, we can’t wait to see it come to life”.
The phased openings begin April 2013 with the new three story addition and then over the next three years the remodeled existing portion of the home will be completed.
by Mary | Feb 5, 2011 | Design News
The gang who are connected with “The Hope of Design” often ask this question. What is our customer looking for? What do they really want from us?
Our list gets shorter every year so not listed by any importance or interest, here it goes, for 2011:
What do they really want from us?
To get a deal; find designer furniture & accessories at discount prices.
They don’t want to invest the time to figure out the formula for a project and don’t want it to be “wrong”. So they are willing to throw a few bucks our way.
They feel like they are creative, just don’t have all the tools, and want a designer to give them accessibility to resources so they can design it for themselves.
(more…)
