Our "Office Remodel Project" shows readers a unique photography/art display created by printing and mounting art inside glass cabinet doors.
We really appreciate all the kudos and comments!
Check it out for yourself at www.ikeahackers.net!
Form & Function Featured on Ikea Hackers Website
The Office Remodel Project
We've been busy here at Form & Function working on an interesting project. This is a home office for a husband and wife who work from home in photography, graphics, and web design. It's also their home gym. While we started from the ground up painting the walls and trim and installing laminate wood flooring, it also draws from our other methodologies such as redesign, home technology design, and cable management.
We spoke in-depth with our clients to determine what they wanted to get out of the room. They wanted an open, airy, modern space where they could both work. They wanted not a single electrical or computer wire on the floor. They wanted an open space where they can do aerobics, lift free weights, and use their elliptical machine.
A modern, urban-inspired, pop-art style was the way to go. We first painted the room and installed the flooring. Since they don't have any kids or pets, they saved money on a lesser expensive laminate wood floor, which we ran throughout the entire second story. White glossy cabinets and a desk brought light into the room and reflected it around. Wall cabinets added much-needed storage. LED lighting below the cabinets provided an amply lit work area, and additional lights above the cabinets added ambience. Sheer curtains allow light in while retaining some privacy, since there is a restroom and dressing area right off of the office. They also cut the glare from the sunlight on the computer screens. A custom-made set of colorful curtain panels frame the window and bring color into the room. Matching custom-made seat cushions and a chair pillow keep the theme going throughout the room.
A white leather Barcelona chair was put in the back of the room for relaxing and reading with a mid-century modern lamp overhead. The two desk chairs are reproductions of the Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chair. A small locker adds whimsy and provides storage for their exercise equipment. Two removable anti-fatigue exercise mats provide a large 6' x 5' surface for exercising and aerobics. While our clients are minimalists, they do love the giant "WORK" letters, taken from old neon channel signs at antique shops, which we cleaned and repainted and mounted on the wall.
We worked with our clients to improve their wireless technology - increasing their wireless network speed, providing them with an automated backup solution for all of their computers, showing them how to connect their computers to each other on their home network, and bringing in a wireless printer and wireless stereo speaker which will play wirelessly from any of their computers and iPhones. The speaker is also wireless itself, and is moveable throughout the home. The clients didn't want to see a single cable on the floor. All of the lighting cabling as well as the computer cabling is hidden neatly in wall conduit. This helps make the room very easy to clean.
Then came time for the personalizing. From our photography collection, we created digital artwork from five city-based scenes and had them printed and mounted them inside each of the glass cabinet doors. A magazine rack holds 12 of their favorite reads. A magnetic whiteboard strip holds notes, business cards, and other useful and important items. Inside the drawers and cabinets are boxes, bins, and other organizers to keep everything in its place. Custom-designed mouse pads and white matching coasters were just a few of the fun items we added to the room.
This is a lively, bright, light, and inspiring place to work and have a fun time! We really enjoyed helping to create it.
Photography by Pierre Comtois Photography
(c)2011 Form & Function
There's an App for That
Sherwin Williams Color Snap
This is a free app which lets you take
color inspiration from your photo library or camera. It keeps track of your
chosen paint colors.
Behr ColorSmart
This free app not only lets you draw from
your existing photos, it will match the colors from those images. It also includes a paint calculator, helping
you determine just how much paint you’ll need for your project.
iHandy Carpenter
This multitool app has a surface level, a
bubble level, a steel protractor, a steel ruler, and a plumb bob.
Many major home improvement and home
furnishing stores also have their own apps.
Online window shopping is a great way to get ideas, prices, and
measurements of products for your home.
Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Etsy,
Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ikea all have their own apps.
For those interested in design, there are
many good design apps which offer inspiration from photos, videos, galleries,
and blogs. Below are a few.
Houzz – tons and tons and tons of photos
Dwell – slideshows, videos, events,
products, homes, ideas
California Design – the app that goes along
with the exhibition “California Design 1930-1065 Living in a Modern Way”, which
is the first major study of California midcentury modern design. It
contains photos and info about the exhibit.
SRSLY – discover all sorts of interesting
products and browse products in shops near you.
Mark On Call – helps you plan your space
and your interior design by letting you build floor plans, add furniture, make
shopping lists, and add measurements.
Home Design 3D – helps you create a 2D and 3D layout of a room, add doors, windows, and furniture from their object library, add color to the walls.
Color Schemer – lets you browse tons of color palettes.
There are more and more apps available every day. Look forward to future blog entries with
recommendations and reviews!
iDunno...Liquipel
Well, here's an interesting product. Liquipel is the next thing in waterproofing your mobile device.
According to their website: "Liquipel is a revolutionary process that applies a waterproof coating to your electronic devices to protect them in the event of accidental exposure to liquids. It is not visible to the human eye, virtually undetectable and Liquipel will not compromise the look, feel, and performance of your electronics.
Liquipel penetrates the entire device as a whole, including all of the vital components inside and out to provide optimal protection against accidental contact with liquids."
Exhibitions: January 2012 - June 2012
Here are some design-related exhibitions in the Los Angeles area.
Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945–1985)
1/19/2012 – 6/3/2012
Chinese American Museum
25 N. Los Angeles Street Los Angeles, CA 90012
click for info
California Design, 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way"
10/01/2011 – 05/31/2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036
click for info
Proof: The Rise of Printmaking in Southern California
10/01/2011 – 04/02/2012
Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105
click for info
Trouble in Paradise: Music and Los Angeles 1945-1975
02/22/2012 – 04/02/2012
The GRAMMY Museum
800 W. Olympic Blvd. #A245 Los Angeles, CA 90015
click for info
Naked Hollywood: Weegee in Los Angeles
11/13/2011 – 02/27/2012
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
250 S. Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012
click for info
Eames Designs: The Guest-Host Relationship
10/1/2011 - 2/20/2112
A+D Architecture and Design Museum
6032 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036
click for info
Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974 - 1981
10/02/2011 – 02/13/2012
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
152 North Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
click for info
