Webster
Category
INmulti-family
Description
Firm: Susan Marinello Interiors
Project Name: Webster
Project Statement: The Uptown neighborhood of Oakland, CA is alive with cultural energy, a massively important art scene, not to mention the heartbeat for social justice. We were immediately struck by the significance of not imposing something that felt like an outlier – yet – new and modern to address our clients’ program. Likely, we took this too seriously as we often do as designers. The weight of arriving at “appropriate” as a solution is real for all of us in design. Yet, we try - humbled by developer vision, ever-present budget realities, and construction timeframes, we hustled like never before and prioritized art as the connector.
The project site is located at the downtown core, a place of intersection both physically and culturally. Institutions such as the famed Fox Theater exist only blocks away. The interior design reflected that energy with materials, patterning, and intentional geometry created through materiality and placement. The designed spaces utilize the abundance of natural light provided by ample floor-to-ceiling windows and the direct connection to outdoor spaces. Warm colors and materials were used to evoke the upbeat and welcoming feeling of home. The interior design plays off warm wood tones in natural white oak, splatted natural maple slabs, terracotta hues and is balanced in the space with select hits of soft cool tones. The ceiling height is graciously high at the rooftop level to allow the feeling of truly being in the sky, connecting with the incredible 360-degree views. However, with such high ceilings, a sense of intimacy was challenging to create. The interior design uses a play on pattern and reference to the artistic inspiration found throughout the building to mitigate that challenge. The large geometric tile was selected to create a piece of art that reached toward the ceiling plane, which was then capped with a ceiling planked in warm wood. The wood canopy then stretches out beyond the façade, further reinforcing the connection between the indoor and outdoor experiences.
Challenges:
The interior design was developed in record speed for a project of this size, due to the late departure of a previous firm. The interior design project started fresh, with no reference to the previous design. Typically, this type of effort is realized several years later. Instead, this happened in less than a year. The beauty of this challenge is that the design effort brought the entire design studio together with intense design sessions, thoughtful yet quick decision making, and effective teamwork.
Our overarching challenge was to honor the local art scene with a collection of local artists that all have ties to either Oakland or the greater Bay Area. They were (all) serious participants in each of their commissions and together the collection not only honors the place, its story but the ever-changing landscape of urban living in this very vibrant city. The interior design serves as a backdrop for this effort and wraps you up in the art in a myriad of ways that creates comfort and a sense of home.
Susan Marinello
Principal - Design Director
Kathleen Elliott
Project Interior Designer
Dena Mammano
Project Manager
Jordan Cresap
Interior Designer
Deveopment and Constuction | Holland Partner Group | |
Deveopment and Constuction
Holland Partner Group