BEFORE AND AFTER: OFFICE SPACE

Whether you work in an office or have an office in your home, there is no reason it can't be fun! I've had the pleasure of working on three different offices in the past six months and I'm excited to say -- all 3 are unique and inviting. HMC Advertising asked me to design their creative spaces -- which included a garage bay. Thanks HMC -- it was fun! After pictures by Susan Teare.

So here is the before of the garage bay. This space was occupied by another company before HMC took over. Instead of using it for storage -- this bay was to become the creative/hang out kitchen area for the team.

So here is part of the space now. We used the couches they had upstairs in their offices and I found an old table base and painted it black and a vintage sign I turned over and with duck tape (yes duck tape) created the top. The "BRIGHT IDEA" bulb was created to cover all the electrical panel stuff in the garage bay. My friend Brett built it for me and then I had all the fun drilling the holes and inserting the holiday lights in it. You really have to get that just right to have the lights stay in it. 

So here is what the old renters used one of the office spaces for...kinda boring right!?!?! 

With some clever pieces -- this room turned into a fun and inviting conference room. The table legs are old saw horse legs, the wooden chairs picked up at Habitat for Humanity. The vintage clipboards exhibit the companies work, the metal table top was made by MetalWorks and the live edge shelving and table base I picked out from a local mill. Thanks Brett for making the table for me.  

Sometimes I have no where to go but up...

I'm told that the clients of HMC want to move into their new space :) That's the biggest compliment ever! Using a piece of metal from the scrap metal yard -- baby pictures of the team are on display. The table was made with an old car rack. The couches and chairs where brought from their upstairs offices -- the maple buckets hold greener which soon will stream down the walls, the old door was beefed up and used to create a doorway to the creative garage bay area -- where a vintage industrial table (picked up at Barge Canal) sits with old Singer Industrial chairs on a vintage Persian Rug. Pops of Vermont plaid made from Johnson Woolen Mill wool, add some warmth to the space. Simple, affordable touches, and the space is transformed.

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner..." Okay I just had to say it :)  Anyway...here is how the old tenant used this office space -- this corner is just sad and uninviting and right next to the entrance door -- so it had to have a wow feature.

A little more inviting to get creative! There are two chairs (moved one for the picture). I wanted to do a fun printed wall -- so I had the words picked by the advertising team.  The custom made wood and pipe shelving gives loads of space for the advertising books and movie exchange. 

Creative spaces encourage creative thinking!  Have fun with your own office space.

Big Thank you to Susan Teare, www.SusanTeare.com  for the great pictures!

Thanks! Joanne

Practicing What I Preach...Adding Salvage and Recycled Materials Into Design Work

As I'm about to head off for two weeks -- book signing in Texas, Salvage Design Presentation in Naples, Florida and a hotel renovation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with the TruexCullins Architecture and Interiors team, I'm thrilled to say that throughout these journeys I get to talk about salvage, vintage and recycling...

But I don't just talk about it...I really do it. I've had the honor of working on some pretty amazing designs lately and have a few more in the bucket coming up.  Here are some ways I Practice What I Preach in using these age-old materials into today's modern design.  I hope you follow along for more these amazing ideas in future blog posts for your own home, business, restaurant, resort or office.  Ciao! Joanne

Basin Harbor Club Resort on the shores of Lake Champlain. If you have never been here, you had better mark your calendar for a week away this summer. This resort is in a class by itself. It has been around since 1887 and with over 100 buildings and barns, and a 130 years of -- they never throw anything away -- you can bet I'm having some fun! For example-- these lamps -- once in the cottages or tucked away in the housekeeping building are perfect working order -- except they are a little blah. So I asked the folks to run around to the dock buildings, marine and boat storage shed (I did mention this resort is on a lake) and the bin you see is the collected old ropes (or lines -- for you sailors). Well, with some assistance from my lovely daughter (que the daughter in video) we created some amazing lamps that will go back into the cottages -- this time with a story and a history unsurpassed. Recycling and Upcycling their own things...that's what I'm talking about!

Use old boat lines to upcycle a table lamp.

Next, let's talk about HMC Advertising. If you check out the entire project on my work page, you will see it is filled with upcycled, recycled and vintage material. We reused the couches and chairs they had in their upstairs space that noone used and set them in a configuration that was conducive to team work. Then we add some funky recycled pieces -- an old industrial base turned into a work station table, industrial shelving for storage, old maple buckets for plants, vintage flag, rug, chalkboard and signs add to the charm. Sometimes it is as simple as using rusty old nuts and bolts to create magnets. Throughout the space we used recycled, local or vintage pieces --proving that old stuff is very cool!

You all know about Mad River Barn, where  I pretty much went to town with salvaged and recycled goods! You can't swing a ... well, something, without hitting a recycled piece. But some of the salvaged and recycled goods are not glamorous but just as important. Such as using the left over pieces of plywood and carpet batting made from recycled fibers to create the headboards. Or recycling all the old sinks and then picking up other recycled sinks to take their place. If you want to see the whole project check out their website and my work page. Thrilled it was just named one of the top seven hotels/inns in Ski Country by Outside Magazine! 

Archie's Grill -- a local favorite -- has reopened to a new location across the street from its former spot. I was honored to be asked to design the new restaurant. Working with local talent -- we were able to bring in locally milled lumber and custom pieces. But again, the things that were repurposed and reused, sometimes aren't as exciting as the decor but just as important. For example. All the benches were reused -- with a fresh coat of paint and cover. All the chairs were used again and the tables -- which the bases were sprayed red and the tops wrapped in metal or replaced with a beautiful reclaimed wood top.  It is these small gestures of repurposing and reusing that will change the way we design hospitality spaces, restaurants and offices.

Currently I'm working on a few projects -- a 5000 square foot office, another great office space, a coffee house, a lake house, and three small renovation projects and more Basin Harbor Club. All of them will have unique salvaged and recycled features. The offices will have gorgeous work stations from Exterus -- including recycled fabric to funky vintage pieces brought in for common areas. The coffee house will be filled with vintage barn board and antique pieces and the lakehouse and other projects-- just beginning to dream on those! 

Can't wait to share those. But until then, let's all practice what we preach.  

Ciao! Joanne

P.S.  Having some issues with LINKS -- arrggghhh... will get them in ASAP!