an addition to a library

on monday, i got the chance to walk through one of my projects that is just finishing up.  the scope of the project was to add on to the existing middle school library and re-layout the offices.  i was very happy with the end result.  here are some before & after pics.....

BEFORE

AFTER

in the after photo below, i was standing in the existing library.  we puched through the existing window {that has the red curtains in the before photo and in the after photo the opening is between the yellow and green column} and added on a space that doubled the existing library.

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

this photo is looking into the new library addition.  we added huge windows that look out over the country side where you can see the beautiful mountains.  this space will soon serve as a computer lab with tables and computers.

AFTER

i was able to design a custom circulation desk that accomodates up to two computers and it also has a book return slot.  the circulation desk is located in the center of the library so that the librarian can easily observe the entire library.

for this space i chose to use 5 different carpet tiles that are repeated throughout the space in different width stripes.  4 of the carpet tiles are made up of the same colors, but simply have different patterns.  the fifth carpet tile is the red which serves as an accent color and is the school's color.  since this space was deeper than it was wide, the horizontal stripes really help break up the space.

AFTER

below is one of their old circulation desks

BEFORE

by making the circulation desk have taller "walls" you can hide a lot of clutter.

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

this is the reception area in the school office.  we were able to give them built-in desks instead of random desks that were collected over the past 30 years.

BEFORE

AFTER

this was their *lovely* before flooring....

BEFORE

a little bit of a difference!

AFTER

this is a perfect project that shows how an old, out-of-date space can be revived.  unfortunately i don't have before photos to share.....boo on me! i found before photos!  yay!

enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!!!



Back to School Madness

Back to school has a different meaning to me than it does to probably most people.  I don't have children and I don't work at a schoold.  So there are no "first day of school" outfits or "first day jitters".  For me back to school means that all of my school projects are coming to a head and HAVE TO BE DONE for the first day.  School projects are always super crazy b/c they can not start until school is out in May (unless it is an all new, ground up building) and they have to be completed by the first of August, when school starts back.  And if you are doing work in the classrooms you have to be done in time for teachers to actually move ALL their stuff back in.  So, needless to say come the end of July/first of August, our office gets crazy busy.  We are fielding calls from the contractors, doing punch lists {where you walk through the project and write down everything that still needs to be done}, and trying to avoid any last minute problems. 

I want to share one project with you that is almost complete.  We took an old gymnasium and turned it into an Early Childhood Center that has 3 classrooms and a large activity space.  One of the classrooms is their reading room, complete with a "Reading Treehouse".  This is something that I came up with in Sketchup {a 3D redering program that we use}, sold it to the client AND THEN had to figure out how to build it.  Here is the Sketchup Rendering:

Once the client approved the concept then it was on to figuring out how it all goes together.  Many people get the idea that interior designers simply choose paint colors and carpet, which we do, but that is not all.  Here is the next step in the process....Construction Drawings:

Construction Drawings tell the contractors what to do...it's their map.  You have to call out every last detail because they can't read your mind and they won't call every 5 seconds with questions.  Everything from the carpet, wall base, the metal on the treehouse roof, it all has to be specified.

Here are some more renderings of the ECC space...

Classroom

Classroom

Art Classroom

The client wanted the space to be welcoming and kid friendly.  I think we have accomplished that.  There is nothing worse {in my opinion} than a big white box of a room....white floor, white walls, white ceilings, cold, cold, and cold! 

So, check back for finished photographs....they are almost complete and it is looking AWESOME! 

project update

last month i had a post talking about my job as a commercial interior designer and i posted some pictures on one particular job that is currently under construction. 

well, last week i had another site visit, so i thought i would show you the progress that has been made....



***for those just tuning in...or to remind others...this job is a school that will house lower elementary age students.  the original school building burned down almost a year ago and at that time was about 100 years old.  the new school was to resemble the old school on the exterior.  the interior is full of color and pattern...not your typical white walls with one or two accent colors.***

it's still a mud pit...no progress there

but i did come prepared with better shoes unlike this day...snow boots can work in the mud, right?

love the rock and brick combo...no one would ever know that this is actually a metal building...

the tile is up in the restrooms and the countertops are the correct laminate.  can't remember if i mentioned last time or not, but when i walked through last month i noticed that the countertops were all installed with the wrong laminate.  we had tried to work very closely with the millworkers but they weren't returning our calls.  so usually when a mistake happens i am more than willing to work with them if it looks okay and the client doesn't mind the change.  this time i was not in the mood to work work with them.  they had two options...#1 replace all the counters with the correct laminate #2 refund money back to the client...they chose option #1.  don't they look good?

they have started staining the concrete floors.  there is a combination of 4 different colors, dark brown, light brown, blue and green.  this picture shows two colors.  the final step will be sealing the floors which will make them shine and bring out the colors even more...can't wait!

here you can see that they have got the light fixtures installed.  there is still a lot of work to do.  the bottom portion of the walls will have a vinyl wallcovering and there is still lots of painting to be done.  the circles hanging from the ceiling will actually be painted a color.

this week they were starting on the carpet and vinyl wallcovering.  i am planning on going back out next week, so stay tuned!