[All photos by BUILD LLC]
In Part 1 of the creativeLIVE SF coverage we reviewed the reception area, studios, and workrooms. Today’s post takes a close look at some of the vital support spaces. The creativeLIVE San Francisco studio hosts expert instructors from all over the world and brings in a new audience for each workshop. All of those individuals plus the talented crew required to film, edit, and distribute the sessions around the globe, adds up to a healthy (and hungry) crew of people. Subsequently, the kitchen and lunchroom spaces are always buzzing with activity.
Two primary ordering mechanisms play an important role in the kitchen and lunchroom areas. The information datum band (whiteboards & flatscreens) and the acoustic datum band, both covered in Part 1, wrap the walls and guide the placement of cabinets, door headers, and clerestory windows. While the untrained eye may not notice all the subtle alignments at first glance, it all adds up to a quiet visual harmony. Much of this is owed to Acoustic Interiors, who did an outstanding job installing the screened acoustical panels throughout the entire space.
A key feature of the lower datum band is a composition of airplants provided by Flora Grubb in San Francisco. These dirt-less little aerophytes are perfect near the kitchen as they keep things clean and fresh; they also continue the landscape them started in reception and ending in the rooftop terrace (more on that in the upcoming blog post). As visitors enter the lunchroom, these plants take the seriousness down a notch by bringing some playfulness to the common area. You can read more about the Tillandsia xerographica airplants here.
The clean lines carry around to the kitchen area where 42 linear feet of cabinetry makes for a kitchen large enough to handle catering, gathering, and serving. Europly panels are applied with three different treatments relating to the Place, Time and Form concept. The Special Projects Division cabinet shop kept the panel edges exposed to show off the clean engineered profile of the material and the entire package was carefully installed by the sharp team over at ESA Construction.
Four spacious 32” Frigidaire FPRH19D7L refrigerators fit smoothly into the cabinet package, all while providing plenty of space to feed the troops. Stainless steel countertops with an orbital finish line the countertops and include an integrated sink basin and backsplash. The professional grade Hansgrohe Axor Starck faucet is paired up with an Insinkerator instant hot and cool water filter — all installed by Incom Mechanical, Inc.
Furniture at the lunch room includes reclaimed hardwood tabletops fabricated by Special Projects Division with steel frames by Modern Metal in Seattle. The lower tables are equipped with Trendy Edge Bentwood Stacking Chairs while the taller tables use the bar version. The perimeter bar seating is a collection of Bernie Bar Stools that get the job of providing overflow seating done without competing for attention. The lunchroom and furniture layout is all about meeting new people, bumping into old acquaintances and, most of all, sharing.
Lighting at the kitchen and lunchroom is made up of RAB VP Pendants painted red with a bit of help during the day from those big, beautiful windows. LED puck lights by Hera mounted underneath the kitchen upper cabinets supply a healthy dose of task lighting. Jepsen Electric, Inc. provided the elbow grease on the electrical package.
Just because this is a brand spanking new tenant improvement for a first-rate startup, doesn’t mean that we can’t be scrappy and resourceful with the design strategy. When we found a series of aluminum sliders on site from the previous tenant we recognized the value and put them to work in the new space. The bronze anodized aluminum sliding doors fit in nicely with the new design and do a great job of separating the break-out spaces from the lunch room and kitchen. The re-appropriated doors were salvaged, repaired and integrated into the new design by K.C. Glass, Inc.
Each of the four break-out rooms takes on the color and texture of a season; refer to the concept post for more background on the imagery. The wall images were purchased through Shutterstock and printed by Stella Color; each photo conceals an acoustic panel in addition to providing an exciting burst of color. Adjacent to the lunchroom, the summer and fall rooms provide bright backdrops while offering built in laminated seating by SPD for meetings, phone calls or a bit of quiet time. Lighting at the break-out rooms are the ceiling mounted 15” diameter Neptune Sconce H-62230-B painted red and supplied by Hi-Lite.
Mirrored on the other side, at the workroom, the winter and spring break-out rooms provide space for meetings, conference calls and brainstorming. Furniture at these rooms includes the Sail Chair by Andreu World in red purchased through Inform and Sprout Tables by Bludot.
While supplementary to the main functions of creativeLIVE, the kitchen, lunchroom and break-out rooms carry significant responsibilities as support spaces. In addition to their functions, each develops a specific personality to provide visual diversity and liveliness to the interiors package.
Stay tuned as we take a peek up into the creativeLIVE lofts, mezzanine and roof deck next.
Cheers from Team BUILD