Michael Roller

Fresh Coat of Paint

A neutral coat of paint has freshened up the Brutopia coffee shop in Cincinnati’s Clifton neighborhood. Artwork held up surprisingly well in front of the previously bright chartreuse walls, but the cool white they’ve selected looks professional and classic. Go get a great cappuccino this holiday season!

Speaking of holidays, artwork makes a great gift Here are some recent works that I have available, please let me know if you’re interested!

Tags: art, color, interior design

Ziba’s Strategic New Office Space

Ziba recently moved into their new, beautiful office space in Portland’s Pearl District. Lots of writers have already covered the space, designed by Holst Architecture. There’s lots of good coverage by Core77, including this video:

Inside Ziba Design’s New Headquarters from Core77 on Vimeo.

More interesting than the space itself, an inspiring and attractive studio is a strategic move. There are a few drawbacks to a space like this, mainly that the investment might not attract the types of clients and projects they’re looking for, but I’m pretty confident that won’t be a big issue. I’m going to take some guesses here, but I’m pretty sure Ziba created this space for one or more of the following reasons:

• To attract and retain the best design talent (Who wouldn’t want to work in that office?)
• To attract the coolest clients (both new and existing), probably ones who care about a strong aesthetic point of view
• To generate a more consistent and diverse revenue source through the first floor retail space
• To inspire themselves to do their best work
• Walking the talk; showing the value of investing in design to their clients first hand
• To become a more visible part of the Portland community
• Proof of their long track record of successful projects

What do you think of Ziba’s new office? What do you think is the best reason for design consultants to have a good space?

Tags: architecture, consulting, interior design, strategic aesthetics

Aloft

Last weekend, we visited Nashville to see the city, hear local music, eat famous pancakes, and see a Death Cab show. We stayed at the Aloft, a little sister to Starwood’s more well-known W Hotel chain. Aloft is meant to be a more affordable, accessible version of the W. It reminded me of the hotel equivalent of IKEA or Target: modern design at low prices.

We chose to stay at Aloft primarily they allow dogs in the rooms. This is a great example of providing services that consumers value, but don’t necessarily expect. I was impressed with the high level of quality and detail in the lobby, bar, and room. This was not a W, but it felt like one in disguise. We had a huge flatscreen with an A/V box that allowed us to play our portable devices through the TV. The bed was a comfortable king with enough room for the me, my wife, and our dog to sleep as “X’s.”

All in all, we realized that what sets Aloft apart is not their design or service approach, but their real estate strategy. It was about 10 miles away from the urban core but otherwise looked and felt like a modern, downtown hotel. Balancing location, service, and design, Aloft was able to deliver a great experience at only $99/night.

To keep up with Aloft, check out their blog.

Tags: interior design, strategy

Thing One: Trek’s New Design Studio

Trek recently opened Thing One, a new studio space dedicated to inspiring great design work. The press release focuses on the surprisingly rural location for Trek’s new space.

Over 20 miles from the nearest Starbucks, the unassuming town of Waterloo, Wisconsin—yes, Waterloo, Wisconsin—is now home to what is arguably the world’s most comprehensive design studio for all things bicycles.

As the press release states, it’s interesting that Trek has invested so much into a stylish space to inspire design. In the past, style had little value to companies who were differentiating based on price, performance, or features. In part, traditional brands like to avoid differentiating in this way because it’s hard to measure the value of a style. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. Trek President John Burke talks about the value of design. (In fact, I like how he’s broken design down into the specific elements.)

Today, best‐in‐class function is no longer enough to make best‐in‐class products. Shape, form, color, and presentation are integral to making products that can be global leaders. This new design center is Trek’s commitment to leading the future of cycling.

Check out more on Thing One here.

Tags: interior design