Life on the Edge

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CONTENTS MAY 2004
I
I TEROR
DESIG
VOLUME 75 NUMBER 6
INTERIORDESIGN.N ET
194 HOW SWEET IT IS
by Cmdy Coleman
198 BREAKING NEWS
FROM THE BBC
by Shan Kelly
departments
30 UPDATE
47 NEWS DESK
62 PINUPS
117 MARKET
202 CROSSLINES
by Sheila Kim
Life on the Edge
172
walk-through
76 SHANGHAI BY NIGHT
by Jenny Shears
84 KATE SPADE GOES TO
WASHINGTON
by Lisa An/onelli Bacon
For NeoCon West, six Los Ange­
les firms designed short-term
inslallations lhat were long
on vision.
206 MATTERS OF DESIGN
by Laura Fisher Kaiser
Taking the LEED
Long-awaited ·'green·· guide­
lines for commercial interiors
are coming to an oflice building
near you.
208 CENTERFOLD
by Christine Schwartz Hartley
The Pleasure Principle
Miami·s Museum of Contem­
porary Art welcomes a fanciful
bed installalion by Jean-Michel
Othoniel
213 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
287 FREEZEFRAME
94 X MARKS THE SPOT
by Ian Phillips
288 BOOKS
102 SALON TO THE STARS
by Edie Cohen
307 SNAPS
108 DRY MARTINIS 90210
by Donna Paul
292 BIOS
311 INTERVENTION
workplace
172 AN OPEN OFFICE
by Andrea Codrington
178 BLURRING THE BOUND­
ARIES
by Jen Renzi
182 IN THE SHADOW OF GAUDi
by Monica Geran
186 INVESTING IN LEVER HOUSE
by Sheila Kim
190 CALL IN A TEMP
by Edie Cohen
117
I
I
cross nes
Alyssa Carter
WIRT DESIGN GROUP
Health-care facility
IT SOUNDS LIKE A DESIGNER'S NIGHT­
Gensler, HKS, Interior Architects,
mare: a bland 600-square-foot
and Wirt Design Group-created
temporary installations at the LA
Mart. Manufacturers donated
products, and sponsoring con­
tractors Taslimi Construction
Company, Turelk, and Environ­
What was your intent?
should check out the results of
'West Edge: Spaces of Unlimited
Creativity," a NeoCon West exhi­
mental Contracting Corporation
How did you address those issues?
made it all come together.
By using soothing neutrals-a
lot of white and natural wood
bition and competition sponsored
by Interior Design. Adhering to
design schools and associations
deemed Wirt Design Group's
stains. We also created a curtain
system that's sheer at the top,
the aforementioned parameters,
six Los Angeles firms-Beckson
health-care concept the most
innovative, while HKS's reception
allowing light penetration, and
Design Associates, DMJM Rottet,
space was the audience favorite.
Competitive spirit aside, partici­
box, a slim $25-per-square-foot
budget, and a grueling two-week
build-out. But anyone looking for
proof that brilliant ideas often
spring from strict limitations
life on the edge
For NeoCon West, six Los Angeles firms designed
short-term installations that were long on vision
A panel of judges from local
pants universally found the expe­
rience invigorating-inspiring
them to look at the world a little
bit differently. And encouraging
visitors to do the same,
Meeting the rigorous demands
of a health-care environment
while considering comfort and
privacy for patients and visitors.
opaque at the bottom for privacy.
How did you create value for
the end user?
Ribbonlike canopies offered pri­
vacy to each bed, folding up at
the floor to form guest seating.
What new materials did you
employ?
The ribbons were made from
Panelite's cast-polymer panels.
We also worked with Nemscholf
to develop treatment chairs
From left' Part of "W','.sl Edge, Silo las
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202
INTERIOR DESIGN
MAY 04
r
Steven Heisler
BECKSON DESIGN ASSOCIATES
Entertainment executive's office
What was your intent?
We've had more and more enter­
tainment execs asking for offices
that don't feel corporate-that
don't even have desks. With so
much of their work centered
around media, maneuvering be­
Clockwise fwm tOil: A media
//Jail fabricated from KJlol/'/ex­
tiles's [mago dO/llil/aled lJecksol/
Desig/l Associates's offiCI! fo,. </II
l!/ltc.1ailllllc/lt ~xeclltivl!: tbe
tbcl1IlOplastic ceilil/g pal/cis are
from usc B"ildil/gSystl.'ms, (he
I'el/dl/Illm cbairs fro/ll AI/steel,
Gel/sler's "'amillg eJlUillJIIlIIl.'l/t
featllred Min'a cllllirs fro/ll He,.­
111<111 MiliCI; set offby]olmsollitc
ClIstOIll ,."bber {lool'i/lg, Tile dis­
play also inelllded visitor respome
ctlrds and Polamitls.
tween computer and television
monitors becomes a challenge.
How did you address those issues?
By housing computers, televi­
sions, and other media in a full­
height image wall in backlit
translucent Imago panels from
Knoll Texliles. Voice-activated
technologies liberated users
from their keyboards, allowing
a more fluid way of working.
How did you create value for
the end user?
How did you address those issues?
These days, people spend more
waking hours at work than at
By exploring the process of ex­
changing knowledge. We put a
home, so we designed an office
that people could relax in. Visitors
room full of strangers in a bright
pink box, gave them simple, sub­
responded that they wanted to
stay and hang out. And that they
jective questions that spoke to
rience. The space itself, along
with the activity occurring there,
personal, local, and global is­
sues, and provided a Polaroid
provoked users to walk away
with a new perspective.
wanted a room like this at home.
What new materials did you
employ?
Besides the Imago for the media
when you least expect it.
We were given a list of very basic
plastic ceiling panels and Allsteel's
tics will playa bigger roll in
workplace interiors.
Yvonne Colaclon
GENSLER
Educational facility
What was your intent?
To approach the classroom and
workplace as extensions of each
other-both address variables in­
volved in learning. Educators and
~
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employers need spaces that sup­
port individuals and whole com­
o
munities while fostering curiosity
"'"
and collegiality.
S
is unique to an individual's expe­
ideas-proof that learning occurs
wall panels-showing how plas­
I
Knowledge is personal. Meaning
What new materials did you
employ?
wall, we used USG Building Sys­
tems's undulating Topo thermo­
r
camera. Visitors were forced out
of their comfort zones to share
How did you create value for
the end user?
materials, so we decided to use
them in novel ways. Doug Mock­
ett & Company's wire managers
became a light sculpture. John­
sonite's custom pink rubber floor
added impact.
.....
Naomi Asai
with textured panels from Joel
Berman Glass Studios To create
DMJM ROTTET
Retail concept for jeweler
curiosity and draw guests inside,
Lynn Nakamura
we designed a succession of three
curved walls that, along with
What was your intent?
sheer curtains, helped soften
the look.
Evoking curiosity and drawing
public interest, without being
trendy, We also struggled to
accentuate the space with the
available track lighting.
How did you create value for
the end user?
spots with lower-wattage bulbs
Design is a necessity for Lynn
Nakamura, because her jewelry
epitomizes a similar architectural
process. We created an appropri­
ate backdrop for her collection,
and utilized cross-directional
positions to soften the wash.
and sparks interest.
How did you address those issues?
We switched out the track-lighting
one that supports her aesthetic
Additional light was reflected
by mirrors in the central display
case and backing a niche lined
What new materials did you
employ?
A display case in the entry was
hung from Carl Stahl DecorCable
Innovations's suspension system.
rDouglas Giesey
HKS
Reception space
What was your intent?
Creating a space with soul in a
windowless box surrounded by
hundreds of other little boxes.
Designing an environment with
a serene presence, one that
makes guests very aware of their
surroundings. People tend to ex­
perience reception spaces in a
transitional manner instead of
staying in the moment.
How did you address those issues?
I was inspired by 18th-century
Paris, architecture that's exquis­
different perspective. This
space could have been for
itely detailed yet relies on simple
an office or a boutique hotel.
means to achieve depth and sub­
stance. I moved beyond austerity,
the guests.
infusing modernism with color,
texture, and light. And a sense
of surprise-for the top of the
What new materials did you
employ?
reception desk, we used a rippled
Joel Berman product that guests
Wilsonart International's Velocity
flooring, which we wrapped up
mistook for water.
the sidewalls in the main room,
and USG Building Systems's
How did you create value for
the end user?
204
INTERIOR DESIGN
MAY 04
I think that ambiguity excited
beveled metal ceiling panels,
Visitors seemed to linger, look
which continued onto the back
wall. It was so sculptural-most
at details, leave, and come back
again. That was the whole idea:
people had no idea it was a ceil­
ing tile. In a number of places,
getting people to think about
what they're seeing, to take a
we also used a lacquerlike
Lamin-Art plastic laminate.
Clockwise (yom lOp: In Ihe reel'l'­
lioll area 17)' HKS, Anigado lex­
lured glass troll/joel Beml'//l Glass
Studios topped a desh clad in plas­
tic lall/ill lte; USC belle/ed lI/el,,1
tiles slllfaeed tIJe ceiling lind rear
wa/l. A b<ll,queftl' cOlI/prised {ille
/Jrel(ord siool c/lsbiolls, removed
(1'01/1 tlieirbases. .lu a cO/leept bOIl­
litlue (or jeweler 1.Y/l1I Nllkllll/nm,
DM]M Rottel hllng a display etlse
Slabl DecorCable llIIlOvtllions, All
ac/),Iic-IOP/led ebolly case lenlli­
lIaled at a Paoli wingback dMir
upholstered ill (/ ;\IlalN/mlll co/lon­
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looms
rFrancisco Jove
INTERIOR ARCHITECTS
Corporate office
What was your intent?
Rather than trying to solve
issues related to corporate
design. we treated this as an
exercise in creating a unique
space in a very small footprint.
Tllva LOOlll5 by Bloomsburg Carpet IlIdwtrie5, Illc.
What new materials did you
employ?
1.800.575.8084 • www.btoomsburgcarpeLcom
NeoCon@ Booth #8-G226
Circle 126
Recent introductions like Abet's
How did you address those
issues?
plastic laminates and Bentley
Prince Street carpeting. The ex­
We created a street-level scene
ception to the rule was furni­
ture, which was mid-century
leading into an office-building
lobby, complete with a revolv­
ing door and a faux elevator
opening into a penthouse suite.
'Windows" in the penthouse's
back wall were printed with
city scenes. giving the impres­
sion that the space extended
beyond the confines of the box.
How did you create value for
the end usel'?
It was a respite from outdoor
activity. A virtual "fish tank"­
really a TV monitor playing a
loop of an aquarium video­
enhanced the serenity. Theatri­
cal lighting showcased new
technology and emphasized
how light alone can change
the mood of a space.
modern: Florence Knoll tables,
a Harry Bertoia bench, Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe chairs. Clas­
sic designs juxtaposed with
today's flJaterials. -Sheila Kim
Frolll 101); FIIIIX elev.lIor doors
opelled 01110 a pelll/lOllse sllite
by Illterior Arc!Jilects. Llldwig
A/ies vall de" Robe's fin/a cbai,s
joilled by Florellce KJlo/l's lable
(//ul credellW.
clean, classic woven carpets
de,.igned by 5ttzalllle tick