Assisting a client achieve their vision for their personal home versus their business are two different processes. The basis of every commercial project that I like to centralize my design around is the client’s branding. Just as I get to know my client and their personal behaviors for their home, I like to immerse myself in their company branding and what they stand for as a company. Speaking to a client and their employees will always give insight to general programming and day-to-day needs of the business; but, branding will open creative doors and possibilities to create an all encompassing business entity that won’t go unnoticed by clientele.
This project started out no different, they came to us with great branding and a great message. With this, we were able to create a great space for them to impress clients and immerse themselves in their own branding. As a brand, All Star Concrete is a great growing business helping in a large part with the growing of the Des Moines metro and beyond. It’s modern fast-paced environment, coupled with it’s striking branding development, called for a fun and modern design to match its energy.
More Than Just A Color
The overall color scheme was developed with the All Star Concrete logo design. Bringing in a modern gray tone to compliment their royal blue and white color palette was an easy call. Not only is gray a well known modern color, but it also nods towards their business – concrete. The integration of the blue from their logo can be seen in a variety of materials throughout their office.
Beginning in the lobby, you immediately walk onto a Mohawk carpet square with a hint of blue threading. This plays well with the textured modern twist of a traditional subway tile that wraps the reception desk. And, finally, the backdrop for this stunning, jaw-dropping lobby is the reception accent wall. Painted a vibrant blue that plays along the lines of this attention grabbing sign by Image360. This blue color flows throughout the building and is seen in a few other areas, like the bathrooms and the conference room.
However, this blue would hardly be as pungent if it were not coupled with their branding’s other major color – white. Selecting a bright white for the walls allows their blue color to act as the forerunner of the show while maintaining a bright and open atmosphere. A true icon, the Cambria Skara Brae countertops added visually interesting movement while keeping things light, bright, and white.
Attention To Day-to-Day Details
Thinking towards the future and how exactly all these rooms and offices would be utilized was a group effort. Pooling opinions and knowledge from many allowed us to land on the current design. We were able to give the client exactly what they needed while also not compromising the design and aesthetic of the building.
In the lobby, we wanted to keep the reception desk elevated to a higher level than the offices since it was a more centralized piece to the building. Using these beautiful Windsor15 cabinets from Consolidated Kitchens and Fireplaces allowed us to add locking mechanisms where needed to traditional seeming cabinets. This allows the reception desk to house every sensitive piece it needed to while looking seamless with the rest of the design.
Day-to-day programming also played a huge part in the conference room. The client needed storage and knew of a few extra attention to detail items he wanted to have on hand for his own clients. This led to us integrating a beverage fridge into this custom stack of cabinets, bringing in the same color tones from the lobby into this area. We also left space above for a Samsung Frame TV to work in unison with the smart table when needed, and to look good and display company photos when not. On the other side of the conference room, we integrated a lux modern white board for quick ideas and collaborative meetings.
Layering In Custom Touches
Of course, it wouldn’t be a true EED project without and lot of personal custom layers added on top of beautiful design. Each office had custom designed pieces from All Makes Furniture to maximize storage, functionality, and also work with each individual room layout. A couple great custom layers can be seen in the owner’s office.
Each office got their own set of shelves for employees to decorate as their own and incorporate their own personality into their space. Allowing employees this opportunity is a great gesture; however, to incorporate the brand into the design to ensure it wasn’t lost was a large consideration that we had during this part of the design phase. This is why we had the back of the shelves finished in a faux concrete laminate. This touch towards the business ensures a cohesive design and still allows employees a great surface to express their own personalities.
Another thing designers are great with are creative solutions. This tall cabinet houses a great spot to put taller items such as coats so that they are out of sight. But, it also houses something more important! It’s housing a large unforeseen pipe that had to stay during the construction phase. Something of an eye sore that was made unnoticeable with some creative thinking and customization to the cabinetry.
There are so many factors that go into a design project, especially an office building. Maintaining your brand message in a new space and evolving into a bigger, better office space is a challenge made simple by working with a designer. But, don’t take our word for it. Take it from our client himself :
“I had been impressed being able to see the type of designer work that Elizabeth Erin Designs was doing on several commercial and residential projects that my company was also working on. This only sparked my confidence level to reach out to them to assist me in the design and selection process during the construction of our new corporate office and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome! I cannot explain how easy Lexi has made this side of the project go for me and her ideas are outstanding, once the selections are installed you can stand back and enjoy with a smile! If you are a business owner the pressure that they can take off of your shoulders is unreal and allows you to keep focus on running your respectful business. Thank you for your help EED, All Star Concrete now has an awesome new home!”
If you enjoyed this little glimpse into just one of our recent prpojects than you will LOVE previous blogs like Open Plan Living: A Guide to Ensuring Every Space Reaches its Full Potential and Starting a Kitchen Remodeling Project Soon? Grab Tips From This DSM Award Winning Kitchen. Have a topic you want us to discuss further? Shoot us a message or email and let us know! Don’t forget to check back for new Katie’s Corner blogs here to stay up to date with all of the latest home staging tips and tricks. You can also always reach us at 515-986-1895 or office@ElizabethErinDesigns.com if you need more info!
Have a beautiful week!
