Tuesday, September 29, 2009

134 North Dickason Boulevard

The Colonial Carriage Works showroom project consisted of two buildings. 134 & 140 North Dickason Boulevard. The building 140 being the larger of the two was used for the bowling lanes and bar. The space located at 134 North Dickason was divided into a number of rooms used for parties, pro shop, and storage.



Today I am focused on the 134 building. It was the smaller of the two consisting of about 2,500 square feet on one level. This is a shot of the rear storage area prior to the start of construction.



This is the other side of the storage room. As you can see this space was a bit on the rough side.



This room was located in the center of the building as was used as the pro shop. There were three distinct divided areas in the 134 building with three different floor elevations to deal with. Once we gutted the space one of our first jobs was pouring a new concrete floor throughout the entire space.



We literally gutted the building. All that remained was the original masonry and roof structure along with the patchwork of concrete that made up the floor.



The front of the building was completely opened. I will show details of the exterior of the project in an upcoming post. At this point we sandblasted the walls to expose the historic brick masonry which we wanted to be the predominant wall finish throughout the building.



This is the rear corner of the 134 building. The existing floor was removed in this corner to rough in plumbing for the new rest rooms.



Here we have jumped ahead several weeks. Well in reality probably not all that many as this renovation lasted eight weeks start to finish. The room built out on the left is Todd’s new office. The rooms built out on the right are a new men’s and ladies rest rooms. I selected three colors for this building interior plus the ceiling. The wall and trim colors consisted of two shades of brown along with a dark burnt red accent. Click photos to enlarge.



And here we have the 134 building completed as it is being used today. The new concrete floor now in place works perfectly for our use. I incorporated substantial amounts of metallic surfaces to reflect light and add a contemporary feel. The majority of the lighting in the building is track with a row of traditional industrial fixtures down the center. I loved that lighting fixture as they were of a large enough scale to fit the space and in the silver tone blended with the contemporary elements.



It works perfectly as a display space for our carriage business. Our actual walk in traffic is really pretty light but most people that visit are customers so it is important to us to display out product in it’s best light. Watch for more details about this project in postings to come.

Live Creatively!
Cheryl Frey

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Colonial Carriage Showroom Redux

Here is one of the most enjoyable projects that we have ever had the opportunity to complete. I have here a couple of before and after shots for you. You will be seeing much more of this project over time on this site.



We purchased the former Bobbie G’s bowling alley in June of 2007. It had been used as a bowling alley business for close to fifty years. The photo above was taken of the bar and entry area shortly after we closed on the property. The bump out in the corner were the rest rooms.



This was the bar area. The typical scenario with drop ceilings and paneling on the walls. My husband Todd and I teamed up as he did the architectural and construction management of the renovations. As he did that I pulled together creative design elements along with the interior finishes, lighting, colors and fixtures with management through their completion. Click on photos to enlarge.



Here is the same space today. This project was a blend of historic industrial with contemporary new features. I love to work in those venues. The classic features of an old building such as this just come alive when paired with modern attributes. We chose to use corrugated steel siding in a number of areas in this project. It’s texture and reflective qualities are really eye catching especially in combination with brick.



The floors were newly poured concrete and the overhead doors serve as a room divider between warm and cold display spaces. Watch for much more about this project. We had an extremely tight schedule. The building is about 8,500 square feet and we completed the renovations start to finish in two months. It was a fast and furious project. There were days that made our heads spin trying to stay ahead of everyone involved but the final results were outstanding.

Live Creatively!
Cheryl Frey

Retail Design Experience

Upon the relocation of our carriage showroom we moved our interior and home decor retail store into 152 West James. With nearly ten years in the retail interior business my experience in product selection and staging is extensive.



Furniture, decor and interiors being the core of this retail experience gives me a real advantage in helping you create that unique interior in your home.



Coordination of lighting, colors and textures can be an interesting challenge especially in a retail setting.



Add new wall color to breath new life into your home. Sometimes those choices are challenging for a home owner. Let me make those decisions easy for you.

Live Creatively!
Cheryl Frey

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

152 West James Street

Welcome! One of many passions for me is interior design. Much of my interior work over the years has been on our own properties. My first example is such a property. We purchased this building a number of years ago with the intention of using it as a showroom space for our carriage business.



152 West James did fit that use for approximately three years. In 2007 we expanded our carriage showroom into our current location just around the corner on Dickason Boulevard.



When we purchased this historic building in Downtown Columbus it was showing some age and had fallen victim to some modernization. At least on the lower level as you can see in the photo. This is a before shot of the facade.



After renovations were completed we selected traditional historic colors for the exterior treatments. Please click on any photo to enlarge.



The interior of the lower level had been used for a variety of retail business operations. Most recently as the local St. Vincent DePaul store. Carpet of orange shag blanketed the floor. Circa 1970 wood paneling covered the walls and the original wainscot ceiling was covered by a contemporary 2x4 suspended ceiling. So the first project at hand was removal of all of those materials. Once we were down to the original core of the interior it was quite intact. The original hardwood floors were refinished, plaster walls and original ceilings were repaired and painted in contrast.



The second floor had not been touched and looked much like it was originally intended. It was designed to be a meeting hall but had been used for storage in the most recent years. We loved this space as it was open, intact and grand. The ceilings on this level were also wood wainscot and in excellent condition. Being a meeting hall the space had never been inhabited and was not finished as such. So we took the main meeting room and created an open concept great room, kitchen and dining area.



The front rooms had a very traditional feel with all of the original woodwork, transoms and hardwood floors all intact. We left most everything in place and complemented it with much needed paint of historic colors. The lighting was updated and floors refinished.



I enjoy incorporating unique textures into our projects. In the forefront the bar top was constructed of maple and polished steel. The interior of the entertainment center straight ahead was lined in galvanized steel siding. Finding unique ways to blend modern style in historic surroundings is one of my most interesting challenges.

Please contact me if you are looking for a change of pace with your interior spaces either commercial or residential.

Live Creatively!
Cheryl Frey