Gallery – Page 5 – ROIDESIGN

Nicolai NA Moves their North American Headquarters

by Rayanne Rzepka | May 24, 2023 | Interior Design, Workplace Design

Miller Ganapini, CEO and President of Nicolai Diamant NA, reached out to r.o.i. Design after seeing the interiors of Pennell CPA, which r.o.i. Design had just completed at the time.

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.

Ganapini purchased a building on 44^th Street in Grand Rapids, and it required a complete interior remodel. Unique to this space was that the walls were all a cabinetry system that went up to the ceiling. 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 Ganapini’s. 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.

We learned a great deal working on this project with Ganapini. There was never a final selection until the best pricing and sourcing were confirmed. We coined a phrase for Ganapini, “No worries, I got a guy!” We did help them find a project manager who worked alongside his trades and staff to complete the project.

Congratulations Nicolai NA and Miller Ganapini!

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r.o.i. Design: The Experts in Contract Furniture Styling

by Rayanne Rzepka | Feb 28, 2023 | Branding, Procurement and Purchasing

Recently, we have been posting blog articles about our expertise in contract furniture, regarding comfort and maintenance; Comfortable Seating and Durable Casegoods.

Our contract furniture customers are interested in how we can provide style and durability and our manufacturers are responding.

Our customers are furnishing lobbies, hotel rooms, break rooms, and a variety of lounges in corporate spaces. They are looking for a “hospitality/residential” look with the added advantage of durability that commercial furniture provides.

The industry is calling this style resi-mercial, which means creating homelike environments – where we truly enjoy spending time.

Corporate environments continue to work towards bringing employees back to the office in order to build teamwork and team culture, and the current strategy is to create home-like settings to support that. Those settings also require a sensitivity to lighting and finishes, but the tactile experience of furniture is very important.

So, resi-mercial today borrows from the current residential trends that include a combination of modern, Scandinavian, mid-century modern, mission style, Art Deco, Victorian, contemporary, and industrial, just to name a few. These popular furniture styles are those that people have used and loved long after they were first created.

Acoustic Solutions for the Open Office.

by Rayanne Rzepka | Feb 28, 2023 | Design News, Interior Design

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As the open office concept gained momentum, solving the issues of acoustic privacy became a real concern, especially post-COVID.

r.o.i. Design has attended NeoCon for the last three seasons, and the number of companies that are offering acoustical solutions has grown exponentially. Furniture companies have acoustical systems, as do wall covering manufacturers, laminate manufacturers, and even lighting manufacturers.

When we work with our clients who have acoustic concerns, we survey the types of materials in the space. How many hard surfaces are there? Carpeting will absorb sound, while tile, LVT, and wood floors may bounce sound. Are there any textures on the walls? How tall are the ceilings? All these factors can contribute to the acoustical quality of a room.

We suggest a layering of solutions. Wall panels applied from 30” to 72” off the floor are likely to be the most helpful. In some cases, office system panels can provide sound absorption. For rooms with taller ceilings, we suggest hanging solutions, such as baffles, planks, or ceiling clouds made from traditional acoustical tile grids.

Manufacturers are working to make their applied surfaces more aesthetic by offering custom designs, printed graphics, sculptural textures, and more to make solutions more than just practical.

We have used several manufacturers, and they all are excellent options. We can help you find some inspiration for any type of solution. Let us know how we can help your space be more comfortable and healthier with acoustical solutions.

Commonwealth Engineering: A Partnership in Design

by Rayanne Rzepka | Feb 28, 2023 | Design News, Interior Design, Workplace Design

r.o.i. Design works for a variety of architects and contractors who need interior design at a variety of levels. Robert Pomeroy, Senior Vice President and Principal of Fishbeck Architects and Engineers, reached out in 2021 during a reorganization of their interior design department and asked us to finish up three projects for them.

“Finishing up” meant working with the architects and project managers to assist in delivering the project as designed. This included answering questions, working with vendors, reselections of materials for budget or lead time issues, responding to submittals, managing FFE (Fixture, Furniture, and Equipment) taking meetings, and overall holding the thread and integrity of the design. And, since this was during COVID when most of us were working remotely, it was especially challenging.

One of those projects was Commonwealth Engineering in Jackson Michigan, which was completed in late 2022. This was a remodel of a historic bank into their corporate office. In this project, we worked closely with their facility manager and senior management in selecting furniture and furniture finishes along with coordination of construction details with Fishbeck.

The first floor of this project has many mid-century features that Fishbeck’s designers embraced and complimented with metal, leather, and wood details along with beautiful architectural finishes. The lower-level houses meeting and conference spaces, one of which is in the old bank’s vault.

Congratulations to Fishbeck and Commonwealth Engineering on a successful remodeling project.

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Comfortable Seating: Our Expert Advice

by Rayanne Rzepka | Jan 26, 2023 | Design News

r.o.i. Design has been supplying clients with furnishings for more than 20 years and the need for comfort in seating is crucial, especially when you can’t test out the sit.

Here are some helpful tips we have learned when shopping for comfortable seating.

Upholstered Seating

Something to look for in comfortable upholstered seating is the dimensions. The overall height plus the depth of the seat needs to total 38” to 40”. So, if the seat height is 19”, then the depth of the seat needs to be 19 to 21”. If the seat height is 20”, then the depth of the seat needs to be 18 to 20”.

Some other items to consider are:

An older person may need a taller seat height and less seat depth. Arms are essential for helping a person get themselves up out of the chair.
A younger person is more likely to sit at a lower height but may need the option of a back cushion.

In a commercial setting, it is important to use durable fabrics. Technology has come a long way and r.o.i. Design recommends using Crypton woven fabrics or vinyl-coated fabrics. We recommend no less than 30,000 double rubs (an industry standard of wearability), but we specify fabrics closer to 100,000 double rubs for our projects.

Break Room Seating

While most companies want their employees to be comfortable, don’t plan on break room seating to be used for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Chairs with a poly shell that has some movement in the back improve comfort.
An upholstered seat in a wipeable fabric is nice but take into consideration how it changes the seat height (see the note above on dimensions for upholstered seating).
A chair with a metal sled base will be easier to move and more likely to keep its structure than a four-legged chair.
Four-legged metal chairs are more stable when built with stringers (metal rods that go between the legs).