Friday 10 July 2015

Wi-fi lounge

I'm always looking for new design challenges and love the freedom of re-designing a space with a fresh spin.

I was approached to turn a couple storage rooms in a residential building into creative and productive spaces for the residents (a large student population).
The main lounge stripped back
Whether composing an essay, drafting a proposal, or just browsing the internet, the space you work in has a huge impact on productivity. With that in mind, I tried to strike a balance with enlivening and tranquil, yet efficient spaces. Taking inspiration from local libraries, keeping the spaces uncluttered, well lit and implicitly motivating. I added subtle hints of color so as to not overwhelm the workers who would be using this space.
I transformed the two rooms into three spaces: a main lounge, a boardroom and a quiet room with study carols. In the lounge, the open casual sectional seating creates differing lounge or work areas while simultaneously accommodating both small and large groups, allowing users to freely discuss project ideas or spend some solo time catching up on readings.


 

The quiet study room has a great accent wall. The motif is an intuitive reminder to stay focused on the task at hand and gives a jolt of color in those moments when you need a creative stroke. 

I continued the same hue of blue into the boardroom, but placed it on the floor - it's that easy, when you use carpet tiles! The overall gray palette offers a soothing muted feel - orderly yet an unstuffy environment. 

 
I took a walk through the space a few months after completion and was pleased to see that the area had been completely embraced by the residents. All the rooms were being used! You could feel the concentration, prolificacy and gratitude for such an indispensable facility in the air. 

And now the only thing stopping me from using the space myself ... What's the wifi password?