By Trang Ly
The lobby in the CBRE
Building in Newport Beach was renovated about 4-5 years ago by Gensler. As you
first walk in, the lobby is open to the building’s 25’-30’ high ceiling. The
use of columns and materials brings your eyes up to the skylight, which fills
the lobby with lots of natural light. The entrance’s flooring material is a
textured stone. We believe the material to be granite, with a flamed finish.
There are ramps
alongside the windows and steps that lead to a seating area. As you move to the
upper floor, the flooring transitions to a different pattern. Using the same
granite, the pattern is arranged at different lengths and finishes: flamed, semi-glossy
or matte, and glossy. The granite and finishes show a durable characteristic
and scratch resistance, which makes this product excellent for the commercial
space. It was also very easy to walk on and non-slippery.
[Entrance
flooring] [Upper flooring] [Red-orangish granite]
Other products used in
the building include a red-orangish marble on the rectangular columns, steel on
circular columns, and wood on the panels of the lobby’s second floor facade. We
don’t encounter many interiors that use marble and wood together like the CBRE
lobby, so we speculate that the wooden panels replaced the previous material to
update the building to a more modern style. These materials together bring a
modern and formal environment.
One of the interesting
things we noticed was the wall of the area leading to the elevator. The wall
has glass tiles, from the previous design, which are hidden by chain mails
after the renovation. It doesn’t look very heavy in visual texture to overwhelm
the area. The chain went with the design yet stood out on its own. It was an accent wall with LED wall washing
the material. The chain mail has a hard touch, but it wasn’t stiff as a whole,
which contrasted the other materials mentioned for an accent wall. It was a
creative idea to cover the glass tiles rather than using a textile. It really
adds to the sophisticated look brought throughout the lobby.
The lobby itself was an
interesting case study and it had definitely brought on innovative ideas for us
to possibly add into our designs. The project really helped us to think more of
looking at the material, how it’s used and lasted, how to create zones in the
space without using walls through transitioning, and how the materials are used
together as a design material and esthetic.
9:17 PM
Unknown
Nekter Juice Bar is located in Orange on
Chapman. It recently opened a few months ago, and today was my first time
visiting. I’ve been to other Nekter locations and they are all different. This
one in particular I didn’t find too impressive. The floors were a shiny light hardwood, with
similar colored tables scattered across the inside for customers. The walls
were a plain, light grey color and some inspirational 
The newly built Mendocino Farms
restaurant in Brea, California opened April 7, 2016 in the La Floresta shopping
center. It’s a gourmet sandwich spot that uses organic and locally grown
ingredients. This location boasts a clean and unique aesthetic that blends
materials such as white marble surfaces and artificial turf on the walls and
ceiling. The exterior of the building features a simple and contemporary design
complemented by off white and powder blue paint framed with detailed exterior
trim, stainless steel accents, and reclaimed wood above the door. The outdoor
seating area is well lit with festive string lights and a turf area to play
games. The tables and chairs on the patio have an eclectic farmhouse style finished
in a bright cerulean color.
On the inside, you are greeted with
reclaimed wood walls as well as bright white geometric floor to ceiling tile
walls behind the counter. A tile floor mimicking wood adds durability for the
heavy use of a restaurant atmosphere. The grey undertones in the flooring
complement the grey streaks in the white marble counters and tables. Grey
tufted leather benches and powder blue farmhouse chairs draw attention to the
black, intricate cast iron table legs. Near the kitchen, the white marble bar
seating with waterfall edges along with the solid wood tables with raw edges
are grounded by a detailed blue and white mosaic floor tile. Tufted leather
stools in a powder blue color tie the materials in the bar area together.
A nook in a corner of the restaurant
is home to a more intimate seating area that is disconnected from the rest of
the seating. Green artificial turf covers the walls and ceiling. Large, modern
windows throughout the building let in ample natural light to create a bright,
cheery ambiance. The vivid blue paint combined with the reclaimed wood on the
walls ties in the flooring and outdoor furniture to create a cohesive space.
Exposed wiring, ventilation and structural details create depth and give height
to the ceiling. A drop-down reclaimed wood ceiling centerpiece creates a
dramatic frame for the two glass bulb chandeliers.
Walking into the new Kate Spade store at South Coast Plaza you get the sense that this store is
styled after Kate’s older, more sophisticated sister. The interior embodies
everything that I usually expect from Kate Spade– a quirky, fun, kitschy sense
of humor, while also feeling like an upscale New York socialite would shop
here. 
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