ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers - (Page 35)

to the ﬁre inspectors. It is a true challenge to blend today’s approved product with yesterday’s designs.” Bordeaux typically finds residential grade selections that suit the aesthetic requirements of a historic project, then brings them up to commercial building standards. To accomplish this, she works with manufacturers to ﬂame proof the materials. She finds it best to use the highest, most stringent codes as the minimum standard in order to be safe. With the high ceilings and hard surfaces innate to historic buildings, acoustics can also pose a challenge. Finding creative ways to incorporate acoustic panels is necessary to help p re v e n t s o u n d re v e r b e r a t i o n throughout the space. Beall ﬁnds that reverting to era-appropriate solutions such as area rugs and draperies that meet commercial standards is one way to address these issues. For Rita Carson Guest, FASID, of Carson Guest, Inc., in Atlanta, a project in Washington, D.C., required that all of the lighting and ceilings in the project’s historical sections be designed in character with the original structure. “That meant no ﬂuorescent light ﬁxtures could be visible, and we could not utilize the typical ceiling tile and grid system used in commercial buildings in those areas,” describes Guest. “The ceilings had to look like drywall, and to address acoustical issues we also had to use a special product called BASW Aphon [a mineral-based acoustic system designed for the control of reverberation] that looked like drywall.” Fluorescent lighting was necessary to comply with code requirements, so it was installed in coves in temperatures that matched supplemental incandescent lighting. No matter the challenge that lighting, acoustics and appropriate furniture and ﬁnishes present, designers agree that manufacturers have come a long way in their product offerings to address historical colors and styles. They ﬁnd the Internet to be a great tool that has enhanced their ability to locate these valuable—and hard to ﬁnd—resources. Barsotti references local stores that salvage old architectural materials, magazines such as Old House Journal and Traditional Building, as well as urethane or polystyrene products (that create lightweight duplications of decorative trims and moldings) as valuable resources. The greater challenge is finding the contractors and craftsmen to complete these complicated and meticulous installations. Breathing New Life In the end it is another beginning … while many clients find it easier to see an opportunity where nothing exists, designers have the passion and vision to help them see the possibilities in making something old new again. “It is so fulfilling to give life to an old building, to polish it up and turn the lights back on,” describes Miller. After working on historic preservation projects, many of the designers find they have a much more critical eye as well as a wealth of resources that offer new creative solutions to modern projects as well. Beall used her product knowledge from her historic projects to create an unexpected twist in a modern commercial office project by integrating a tin ceiling into an acoustical tile grid system. The impact of historical preservation project experiences has a lasting affect on these designer’s careers, and Beall sums up the sentiment of those who feel honored to participate in this type of project work: “Hands down, nothing can compare to the charm and atmosphere that a historical building can bring to a project. In the end, that far outweighs any challenges or issues that arise during the process. There is nothing better than seeing a tired, run down space and as a designer breathing new life into it.” ] Jenny S. Rebholz, Allied Member ASID, is an interior designer and journalist with a passion for writing about great design and educating the public on design issues and trends. See the Resource Guide on page 101 for additional resources and information about “Breathing Life into a Building.” This wood ceiling—including its beautiful painted patterns—is original to the 1925 Heritage Award winning Spanish Revival Sunkist building. The light ﬁxture, while not original to the building, was carefully selected to maintain a periodappropriate aesthetic. ASID ICON | NOV/DEC 2007 KATHLEEN BEALL, ASID, CID, BEALL DESIGN GROUP, INC. 35

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers

ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers Contents President’s Message Good to Know Innovations Breathing Life into a Building Designs for Senior Living On the Move Thinking Green Aging in Style Industry Inside ASID Grassroots ASID National Industry Partner Focus Showroom Advertisers Resource Guide Annual Articles Index

ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers

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