If you've been following me along this journey of my office project in downtown Jasper, Alabama, then you've seen Phase One completed. Now it's on to Phase Two!
This office will house a local personal office. The client wanted separate offices, a conference room, a reception area, restrooms, a kitchenette, and a loft for entertaining. These are all important spaces to include in a functional office. After all, you spend just as much time here as you do at home.
This is a nice sized office project. With something this size, you need a good plan. I start by making an initial sketch by hand while talking with the client, and then I refine it by drafting it on the computer once it is approved.
To get the results we needed, all of the existing walls and fixtures had to be taken out. We actually did not even realize the potential for the loft until the demolition. What a nice hidden treasure!
Even with a plan in place, changes are inevitable. In this project, when we finished the demo, we saw a line on the original brick wall where a staircase led to the loft area at one point in time. Undoubtedly, that line did not follow current codes as far as the slope of present day stairs. So then we began the brainstorming session of how to retain the most usable space with a staircase that meets code. During this process, we did a mock-up of a staircase in the space.
It took up a lot of room, and didn't give the client the look he was going for...so we moved to Plan B. We commissioned a spiral staircase from a local blacksmith. A spiral staircase, though less functional in some spaces, gave us a lot more usable area in this specific application. The installation was a real task, but this great crew was up for the challenge.
The final product is a standout addition to the space: a beautiful conversation piece and a true work of art!
Another exciting surprise that we found after demo were the amazing rafters in this space. Once cleaned up, they add so much character.
This is the build out of an office. We kept the ceilings at a standard height to ensure noise control and privacy. But, we also salvaged the view of the rafters in order to maintain a sense of the original space.
With so many different areas in this office, it was important to keep the design cohesive throughout. When you are picking out so many finishes (paints, wood stains, cabinet finishes, countertops, concrete stains, the list goes on!) you have to make a plan ahead of time. One detail can either accentuate or detract from another. When choosing the floor stain, I always have samples stained on the existing floor, especially if they are not new pours. The stain color on the color chart does not always look the same on the actual concrete.
Working with existing items and finishes brings interesting texture and color to a room. This existing tongue and groove was repurposed in the loft area. We found just the right color for the cabinets to accentuate the hidden layers of paint in this wood.
As with the concrete stain, I always do a test area with wall paint. The lighting at the paint store, or at my shop, is not necessarily the same lighting in the end space. So this is a very important step in determining the right color for a room.
This oversized subway tile has a texture to it, and i love how it creates a wall of art. I used a monochromatic scheme in the bathroom, which was broken up with the color of the wood stalls.
We did also create a pop of contrast with the shower floor tile. Although it is still gray in color, it is a darker shade, which creates interest.
In the loft area, we sanded the floors down many layers until we found the original wood color. Then it was clear that we needed to only seal the floor, as it was so interesting and once again, original to the space.
The railing was installed and then painted to match the spiral staircase. I love using local craftsmen whenever possible.
This was such a fun phase of this project! It was challenging, yet very rewarding when finished. I love working with older buildings and getting to repurpose materials and items.
Please continue to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. I have a video reveal of the space coming soon! I'll also keep you posted as I move to phase 3 of this job, and continue to revitalize Jasper.
-Amy