OUR SPACE BEFORE

Nothing speaks of creative artistry more than James Cameron’s Avatar.  This became our very ambitious theme for an exhibit at The Next Cool Thing event. Rather than copy the mega-blockbuster movie, the concept was to create an “Avatarization” of Atlanta.  It soon became known as “Avatlanta.”  Who wouldn’t want to travel to the magnificent land of Pandora?  We decided to present a living room that might be found in this fascinating world.  To create the illusion, there needed to be a blending of both 2 and 3 dimensional elements.  Here is the result. . .

COMPLETED EXHIBIT

Here are the 8 elements that made it come to life:

1)  The mural.  A beautiful room begins with a beautiful view.  A huge 10 foot by 20 foot canvas mural stretched on a curved wall offered the perspective of a vast vista for the background.  Details were carefully scaled and designed by muralist, Megan McKeithan to give the illusion of looking over the edge of one of the Hallelujah floating mountains.  Familiar landmarks of Atlanta were incorporated like the King and Queen building of Perimeter Center and the Chattahoochee River.

2)  Dimensional Branch.  The transition to a 3 dimensional experience began with a textured faux tree branch on the mural.  This element was complete with the appearance of twisted bark and knots.  It was fitted into the mural at the studio but actually attached when we arrived at the exhibit space.  As a final touch, moss and botanicals were added for even more dimension.

3) The path.  The exhibit space had concrete floors.  Large stepping stones were created on pieces of laminate.  Additional shadowing was incorporated for the illusion that they were dimensional.  This provided a durable path to lead visitors through the environment.

4) Custom Furniture.  Rafael Fernandez of Upholstery House Plus designed and created innovative furnishings that were consistent with the theme.  Once fabrics were selected for the seating, the details of the color scheme were fine tuned.  He also fabricated the graceful leaf table that was finished in  textured bronze to compliment  the trim on the chairs.

5) 3D Leaves.  The innovative craftsmen of Malone’s Design and Fabrication assisted with more of the custom 3D elements.  The basic concept was, “If they can build it, we can paint it!”  The large graceful leaves brilliantly set the scale for the exhibit and camouflaged support columns in the front of the space.  Special touches were added to each of these 49 leaves (some over 5 feet long).  Three colors of  reflective texture were tinted and blended to replicate the colors of the seating.  They had the appearance of shimmering silk that everyone wanted to touch.

6) Flying dragon.  Malone’s talented sculptor, Frank Yokulan, was also responsible for the hanging mountains, the illuminated fiberglass cypress knees and the flying banshee that came to be known as “Fred”.  This element made a dramatic entrance as it broke through the picture plane of the mural into the exhibit.  The 3D and 2D elements of Fred were painted  to combine an effect that every visitor wanted to examine. Mounted on a fulcrum behind the wall, it came to life as his head moved in the breeze.

7)  Foliage.  Anything that sat still long enough was fair game to be painted!  Andy Schwartz of Labs Inc. provided all of the foliage and custom flowers.  This was the finishing touch that gave the appearance of an exotic tropical forest.  He graciously allowed me to scavenge through his warehouse to create fantasy flora and fauna.  Armed with cans of spray paint, metallics, multiple colors of interference and plenty of hot glue, my mission was to use parts and pieces of botanicals to create fantasy flowers that would only be possible on Pandora.

8)  Floating seed pods.  Paint brushes and trowels aside, what would Avatlanta be without those mystical seed pods from the tree of souls?  Simple elements were engineered and assembled in a not-so-simple way.  The process took over my dining room!  Illuminated with fiber optics, over 200 of these wonderful little creatures floated gently throughout the space.  Catch one if you can!

I have never worked so hard but had so much fun.  We had an incredibly talented team.  It was an opportunity to utilize our skills and travel beyond what we are traditionally asked to do for our clients.  Imagine what we can create for YOUR special projects like a theater room, wine cellar or play area?  My mind is already exploding with  ideas for next year’s event!  But for now, all elements of Avatlanta are safely stored and available for purchase.  Contact me for more information.  770 777 7020

My Partners:

Megan McKeithan of Visionary Mural Co.  www.VisionaryMuralCo.com

Rafael Fernandez of Upholstery House & Plus  www.upholsteryhouseplus.com

Andy Schwartz of LABS, Inc. botanicals  www.labsinc.com

Frank Yoculan and Geoff Markiton of Malone Design/Fabrication  www.maloneinc.com

Special thanks to Barbara English of To The Trade Only  www.tothetradeonly.com for creating and organizing The Next Cool Thing.  For more information about this event visit: http://www.nextcoolthingevent.com/

Sometimes, a small space can create large challenges.  In this newly renovated foyer the ceiling is low and the shape is irregular.  The goal was to create a welcoming statement of traditional elgance.

Great care and attention was given to the exact layout and scale of the design.  Planning the layout was critical.  It was important to visualize how the pattern would “direct” the eye and influence the traffic flow of the space.  Colors were determined by the adjacent wood tones, the furnishings and accessories.  The result is a visual invitation to experience the unexpected details within the classic design of this home.

The Design Process:

We began with new wood floors.  There were 3 strong visual references in this space . . . the walkway to the kitchen, the center of the curve along the stairway and the front door.  Scale and proportion were also taken into consideration.  Pay close attention to how the pattern leads your eye in the right directions from every vantage point.

When working with raw wood and stains, you only have one chance to make it right!  Many rolls of blue tape allowed us to first determine the pattern.  It is more important that the design is visually correct rather than mathematically perfect.  As a result, we were able to minimize imperfections such as crooked walls or uneven trim.

The  colors were chosen to compliment the surrounding wood finishes.  Care was taken to prevent “bleed under” of the stains.  Each line is absolutely crisp!  Once completed, the flooring specialists returned to apply all of the top layers of polyurethane.  This provides added depth and dimension to the appearance.  Aso, it ensures that our work was protected.  Beginning with raw wood is more labor intensive.  But, the results yield much higher durability than trying to adapt previously finished floors.

Once completed, the pattern on this floor greets you with a statement of attention to details.  Every visitor is cleverly guided to enter and tour this home to experience all of the visual surprises inside.

An old idea with a new twist was applied to the renovation of this vintage kitchen.  The ceilings were only 8 feet high.  The objective was to create a focal point that would draw the eye downward.  Over the years, new hardwood floors had been installed in the adjacent rooms.  None of them were the same color but this is the point where they would all come together.  The solution was to apply a classic design that would be interesting and visually compatible from all vantage points.

The Design Process:

Designs such as these are challenging since the pattern must be an appropriate scale for the space and also line up geometrically correct.  Equipped with a measuring tape, knee pads and a calculator, one full day was spent making sure the layout was perfect.

This floor began as raw wood.  Five colors of stain were mixed to blend with the adjacent colors of wood flooring in the adjoining rooms.  Specific techniques must be followed to keep the different stains from “bleeding” and make sure each line is crisp.  During the process, no one was allowed on this floor without protective footgear.  Scratches or dirt would not be erasable!  When the design was completed, the flooring specialists returned to apply 3 final layers of polyurethane.  Since each color was carefully matched, only water based products were used to make sure the floor would not yellow over time.