Black-Grey-White Color Scheme for a Working Space Environment

 It seem the black, grey and white color are things that will producing something boring, dull, faceless and characterless. But actually in a three dimensional space composition, this black-grey-white color scheme doesn't have to mean boring. It depend how it combined with other elements of space such as shape of space, lighting, transparency and texture of materials.

Black, grey and white color composition could be nicely elaborated as a minimalist expression to to define an interior space. Pictures are shown here maybe examples of how this color composition is well applied in an office space environment. A simple modern look is obviously elaborated particularly in its integration with various materials such as brushed stainless steel, glass and illuminated surfaces. This is an example how a big impact in an interior space could be created by a minimalist scheme that is simply generated from the black-grey-white colors.

Red-Green-Yellow Color Scheme for a Working Space Environment

This is a design overview for a corporate office in approximately 4500 sqm tenancy floor. Tenancy floor are divided into 3 (three) floor levels. The first two lower floor levels are accomodated for general office area and the remaining one upper floor is dedicated for executive office space and function room.

The office belong to a plantation company. The nature of company business is simply elaborated to become a main design inspiration. There is a combination of three different split complementary colors: red, green and yellow; which are combined together as a corporate design theme. Green is excerpted from the color of leaf, red is excerpted from the color of fruit and yellow is the color of oily liquid that is extracted from the fruit.

Red and green colors are used to differed carpet flooring at general office area. Red color carpet tiles with round geometrical patterns are applied through main circulation corridor at open plan office area, meanwhile green color carpet tiles with similar patterns are applied to main circulation corridor at other open plan office at other level of floor. New connecting stair with wooden treads is built to unify these office areas which are situated and split-off into two different floor level.

These strong color accent on carpet tiles are spread-out to workstation screen pads and also to graphic posters within floral pictures that are applied to door panels belong to enclosed rooms at perimeter areas. Visually, this color composition creates a dynamic ambiance throughout the working space area.

Break-out area is loosely generated by the using some 'natural-look' materials such as lime stone on columns and wooden resilient floor. It combined with strong accent color on particular wall. A row of long high table is provided adjacent to the wall within rich treatment of artificial green leaves that creates an impression of a vertical garden.

There is an executive floor which is situated at dedicated floor level and completely seperated from general office area at lower floors. The executive floor is accessible from a dedicated executive reception area. Executive floor areas are appear in different look and feel. Wooden joinery, marble floor and soft axminster carpet flooring with warm, calm and soft colors are become major material and color appearance. Rich detailing is found on ceiling where wooden ceiling panels are combined with luminous floral patterns. This is a design effort to create continuation of theme that already created at office area at lower floors.

A Simulation Room for a Revitalized Stock Exchange Building

This simulation room is one of some facilities need to be developed as part of a revitalization project for a stock exchange building. The revitalization project itself is required because the latest trend requires trading activities are done remotely by each stock exchange members in their own trading floor in their office building. This makes the provision of trading floor including its operation and maintenance become in-efficient in related with cost and resource point of views. Necessary design and planning studies are done to make necessary relevant comparison about how an conventional trading floor space is revitalized. It look that the case of Tokyo Stock Exchange revitalization project was became a good similar revitalization case of example when this stock exchange revitalization project is initiated.

Simulation room is provided as a part of facility that supports socialization and education programs. Other facilities are stock exchange museum and training or workshop rooms. All of these facilities are equipped with high-end interactive audio-visual equipments to make visitors are easily gather all knowledge about stock exchange activities. Simulation Room maybe a kind of the 'old style trading floor miniature' currently removed.

Originally, project brief required about 50 seating capacity need to be accommodated in the simulation room. Finally, after some design optimization sessions, 40 seating capacity is achieved in an enclosure with a circular plan shape. Basically, this circular plan shape is base plan for a 3-dimensional space in cone-like shape in the middle of a huge double open space.

Simulation room base plan is enclosed in a circular plan with approximately 14 meters diameter. Totally, simulation room clearance height is approximately 9 meters. Maximum ceiling height to the simulation room is determined by the existing ceiling that are retained in its existing interesting triangular geometric shapes. Actually, the existing ceiling is the remaining iconic element from the old trading floor need to be retained and become a kind of 'historic preservation effort'.

Conceptually, this simulation room is fully enclosed with a curved glass enclosure with a dedicated air-conditioning system. But for some reasons, simulation room finally provided in an open circular space enclosure with low glass divider.

There is a huge corporate logo is attached at simulation room ceiling. It appear in strong color and shape. This object is almost visible from every sides of the stock exchange multipurpose space at the lower floor.

At the lower floor, this simulation room itself is surrounding with an multipurpose open space for gathering, ceremonial stage, small museum and a theater. At the upper floor, simulation room is surrounding with other facility such as control room, TV broadcasting studios, cafe and viewing galleries. From a camera view during a a stock exchange broadcasting program at TV studio at upper floor, the glimpse of this new simulation room looks become a new iconic object.

An Unforgettable Trip to Four Seasons Sayan Hotel at Ubud Bali

I think travelling is important for an Interior Designer to experiencing about many places he or she never visit before and then may gather some design ideas to be further explored. Surely, visual and spatial experiences that are gathered during many memorable trips to some great places will then 'zipped-in' into the memory and ready to be generated as creative inspirations in a design brainstorming process.




A trip to Four Season Sayan Hotel at Ubud Bali, is one of my memorable and remarkable design trip. A trip I have done 10 years ago in the heartland of Bali. It was a time when digital camera is not common yet, this was the reason why the pictures I have enclosed in this blog post are not perfectly recorded.



I never have any idea about this hotel before this trip. This made my trip to this hotel was creating many surprising moments., because I never see and experiencing a built enclosure like this before. The ultimate journey is begun when I was walking on the connecting blue steel bridge over a small valley try to find the hotel main entry that is situated in the middle of a big pond. And the entry opening finally found as a remarkable grand stair that leads the visitors through a hole in the bottom of the pond's basin. The entry gate itself is a kind of tranquil 'porte cochere' in the middle of the pond that floating in the middle of the valley scenery. Surprising smooth entry transition and procession is actually happened when the visitors walk through the stair from the pond upstairs and the suddenly found a lobby downstairs with its different inviting atmosphere.

The walkthrough session then continue try to find the hotel rooms through a long corridor with continuous water feature that creates a strong sensation of small river side path way. The smell and voices that come from the flowing water feature is transmitted through all the room corridor sides and provides tranquilize ambiance.


The hotel room I have visited was a compact two-storey suites room that was consisting of a nice small lounge upstairs and bedroom downstairs. A small void and a nice connecting stair make the upper and lower spaces are well-interfaced. A king size bed is placed directly facing to window with huge view to the outside tropical scenery where paddy field is outspread, coconut trees are waving, frangipani trees are well-growing and a glimpse of river basin is slightly visible at the far-end bottom side of the valley.

I think I have found an example of timeless and everlasting design. A sense of luxurious is naturally explored from the essence of tropical nature elements that are blended together harmoniously. No wonder if most of the major parts of the building both its architectural and interior detailed design are currently remaining in its appearances when I took a visit here about ten years ago. The design is still there and no longer obsolete. I always take a great respect to The Architect and Interior Designer who worked on the designs of this naturally wonderful place.

Idea Sketches October 2010

Graphic Poster in Interior Space as Spatial and Visual Accent

Visual accent in a room can create specific spatial ambiance. What is the definition of visual accent? Accent simply refers to elaborate minor part that gives significant impact to the major part in a certain room or other type of artificial space environment. Visual accent could be described as a kind of detail that visually creates significant impact to the whole appearance of the room.

This visual accent could be something two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional object. This article is trying to explore the related matters about two-dimensional visual accent particularly in associated with the application of graphic poster.

Currently, digital technology enabling various possibilities for image development in high-resolution source and produce it in high quality print-out material in various type of media. Large size poster could be made in full-height wall size with almost perfect photographic quality, and we can use it as powerful visual statement in the wall (or other room elements). Now, to hang a conventional painting with pretty frame on the wall is not enough anymore, I think we can make another visual statement to be created in more creative and contemporary way!.

Selection of correct images is the first main consideration. In a corporate office interiors such as Bank for example, it is very common that corporate graphic poster works are widely and carefully used as visual communication tools to define corporate identities. Graphic posters in a Bank offcie spaces are carefully developed and selected for certain purposes for example, they are used to lead the customers easily identify particular areas such as Retail Banking area or Priority Banking Area.

Image themes in graphic posters could be used as simple reflection of specific messages that a company or institution want to visually transmitting to the room user such as message of togetherness, openness, fanciness and other values. A series of posters in reception area of petroleum company could be nicely displayed their onshore and offshore activities. Or maybe in sea freight company, a series of wall posters are utilized nicely to visually inform their business lines by capturing daily harbor and container yard activities.

 Consideration in related with graphic poster details such as color composition, size proportion, its combination with text messaging and other detail treatments are important aspects need to be carefully taken further. In overall appearance, the graphic posters application should become integrated part in the interior scenery.

 

Other consideration is related with how this graphic poster application should be placed in the interior scenery. If this becomes major visual accent, a clearance observation spaces should be properly provided to make it strongly visible. Other interior treatments such color s and other strong detailing selection should be well managed to avoid any potential visual distractions.

When The Room Suddenly More Digitally Interactive!

Digital interactivity maybe could be simply defined with terms “look and feel” that is associated with an interface of user with a digital intelligent device, more often is related with computer stuff. Term of “look” is associated with its visual design appearance and term of “feel” refers physical interactivities. Physical interactivities may refer to every possibility for the user to experiencing or even exploring the tool for a certain activity.

In my previous posting in this blog, I have tried to define an interior space as an artificial 3-dimensional environment. If ‘mathematically” 1st dimension refers to lines, 2nd dimension refers to areas and 3rd dimension refers to volume, how if we put and insert this interactivity ideas as the 4th dimension element in a 3-dimensional environment?

Since this interior environment basically is a habitable space, it will be more convenient to have every components are become user friendly and encourage user to have positive interactivities in line with its specific room functions. In line with current technology development, in a home a user could be easily turn-on the TV by the using of remote control or maybe turn-off the notebook by the using of hand phone. In an office meeting room, a group of persons can have audio-visual teleconference with other members remotely at another place. If needed the meeting room could be darkened by dimming the lamps and roll-down the motorized window screen by the using of remote control to get certain level of comfort.

Maybe the above explanations are common examples of simple digital interactivity functions that could be happened in a room. Yes, ‘functionally’ digital interactivity makes user life getting easier and more comfortable.

But how if these technology possibilities are explored not just enable functional purposes? It is interesting to explore the ideas in related with the application of digital technologies to create interactivities in next further levels: “entertaining and creative levels”?

In The 2008 World Expo in Zaragoza Spain, Sensacell Corporation have demonstrated these interesting possibilities. Sensacell have provided a product they called as Interactive Floor System that enable various visual effects could be projected and alive on the floor surfaces. Now, the floor is not just ‘ordinary surfaces’ but it will become alive, it could be explored to create more interactivities in ‘entertaining ways’. A video here that excerpted from www.sensacell.com shows that there will be so many creative ideas could be explored by the using this Modular Sensor Surfaces Technologies. It really makes the room become alive, when it becomes more digitally interactive!

Of course, the content of the idea will become important aspect, it will determine level of its interactivity. Creative approaches are always needed to make the technology could be well implemented and meet with the user expectations.