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i saw design: cool office spaces

via the cool hunter

via the contemporist

via chictip.com

via this aint no disco

via open-a

If only all offices look like these, it would be more enjoyable to wake up early and go to work everyday.

For more fun and inspiring office spaces, check out This Ain’t No Disco.

Hope you all had a great week and will have an even better weekend!

space matters: an architect’s office

If you want to become more productive, start improving your workspace. Take a clue from this stylish office of Gerard Lico, Ph.D., an architect, professor, author and director of the Office of the Campus Architect (OCA) in UP Diliman. He was the one who spearheaded OCA’s major makeover which we featured in one of our earlier posts here.

I’m sure, a space like this is enough to inspire you to go to work everyday, right?

More about Gerard and his design style as we take a sneak peek of his home next week.

(This entry is dedicated to Ana who will be starting her new job today. Yipee!)

objects of design: a very spatial christmas wish list (part 1)

Channeling The Secret, the Design Folder team thought of coming up with an image board of what we want for our fave space this Christmas. Who knows, this might actually work! So, if Santa Claus is reading, here are our wish lists.

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Ms. CFO is wishing for a clean, stylish, and professional office:

“I spend most of my time in the office, doing work and accommodating consultations with the staff. I chose pieces mostly in black & white because I want a clean and organized work environment, helping me focus and not be distracted by any visual clutter. I also went for crisp designs to create a professional image for my space. There are also a couple of interesting pieces, like the colorful bookshelves and table lightbox, to add a bit of fun and make the room less stiff.”

[image above, clockwise from top left: desk from Bo Concept; cabinet from Dexterton/Kartell; photo frame from Umbra; visitor’s chair BenQ; de table from Umbra; shelves from Heima; divider/shelves from Bo Concept; tape dispenser from tinted mint]

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Ms. Creative Director is wishing for a stylish nursery showcase:

“With the new baby in the family, the nursery has now become the most used space in our house — a room visited by every member of my family at least three times a day, a room which friends and guests also frequent, and a room where we all congregate. At the moment, it’s not just a nursery — it’s our family room. It would be nice if the space was not only functional but stylish as well.”

[image above, clockwise from top left: enamored whale print by alberto cerriteño from etsy $20; monkey, bear and elephant by kay bojesen for rosendahl from enfant terrible; zippy zebra light shade from bed-e-byes; the place of the games (3 meters x 1 meter) by enzo mari from enfant terrible; antilop highchair from ikea $25; eames plywood elephant by charles and ray eames from vitra; alphabet zoo onesie by sara lee from threadless $12; vivienne riding her bike print by matte stephens from etsy $35; rill modular shelving unit by maria yasko; lillberg rocking chair from ikea $125; block clock by george nelson from vitra]

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I’m supposed to do my own image board also but my internet is letting me down.

I’ll just post my wish list next time.

space matters: idea!s creatives office

Five friends (Rhea Alarcon, Bernice de Leon, Dan Matutina, Marielle Nadal and Dang Sering) formed the social enterprise, Idea!s Creatives, in 2006 to pursue the same goal: provide creative communications solutions to mission-driven organizations. They produce multimedia work — websites, publications, animation — that help different advocacy groups get their message across. Learn more about them at http://ideals.ph.

Two years ago, they moved to their current space from a more cramped unit.

With a bigger space, they have room for a meeting area and have wider walls for putting up acrylic writing boards.

They wisely chose a neutral off-white color for their walls. This is the perfect blank canvas for their artwork, knickknacks and furniture which they describe as having “Bioman-inspired multi-coloredness.”

Their collection of toys and books, which are housed in custom-made shelves, also add to the colorful atmosphere.

Since they wanted their space to be playful and relaxed, they also installed colored decals (or wall stickers), which were designed by their creative director, Dan. Some of these decals are humorous icons representing members of the group.

Work and play usually don’t mix but the Idea!s Creatives office proves there’s always an exception to every rule.

*photos courtesy of Dan Matutina and Idea!s Creatives, Inc.

spacelift: office of the campus architect

First up on design folder’s makeover list is UP Diliman’s Office of the Campus Architect (OCA).

Summer of 2002, my friend and I had our apprenticeship in OCA. Sad to say, OCA used to look like our typical government office—office meets storage with an inefficient layout, in a background of two-toned blue and beige walls, blue green cabinet-partitions, very strong exposed fluorescent lamps, and old (and often damaged) furniture pieces. It’s nothing but utilitarian.

It is far from looking like a design office.

But I don’t blame them. Lack of money to improve its facilities is the main culprit. Remember, UP is still a government entity so they have no choice but to make do with what they have. 

Last year, in line with the UP’s centennial celebration, OCA hosted a project entitled “Designing Diliman”. It was a photo-exhibit of the Diliman campus through its 100 years.

Since their office will also be the venue of the said exhibit, they were given the chance (and the funds) to improve their facilities. The renovation was headed by OCA’s incumbent director, Arch. Gerard Lico, together with the rest of the design staff.

The project started with the repainting of the corridor walls using a strong red color to act as the vibrant background for the black-and-white photo displays during the exhibit. It instantly gave the space with an edgy, designer-like character together with the blown-up photos on the walls.

One problem of the main architectural/engineering office is that the space is too congested. Logically, the improvement began with having additional staff offices at the adjacent building to relocate some of the personnel from the main office. This allowed them to adopt a spacious and more efficient layout for the area.

They maintained the open plan layout but divided it into two spaces. The smaller space is the more public conference area which is directly accessible from the two entrances of the office, and is partially screened off with a set of varifold display modules from the exhibit. The larger space, on the other hand, is the more private area for the individual workstations. This layout allowed them to have meetings with contractors, suppliers and clients inside the office without disturbing the rest of the staff.

Apart from the improved layout, the rest of the design strategies are fairly simple. Lighting was improved using fluorescent lamp on recessed housings with louvered diffusers for a softer general lighting. A better color scheme was also adopted using an earth-toned palette of warm olive-tinted beige for the walls and ceiling, maroon accent for the columns, and dark walnut finish for the existing cabinets and partitions.

The timely upgrade of their computers, from the old tube monitor to the new lcd monitor, also enhanced the clean appearance of the space.

On top of these basic improvements, a focal point was also introduced in the form of the spruced up conference area to add a rather corporate character to the office. The area features an accent wall in textured charcoal gray ceramic tiles, a new conference table and a set of new black leather chairs. To add more color and visual texture, a maroon lamp drops at the center of the table and a pair of gold-themed paintings hang from the wall.

The end result is an efficient, confident, and corporate-like, design office.

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[Have you given your space (or furniture) a makeover? Share it with us! Email us about it with before and after pictures at mydesignfolder@yahoo.com. ]