Barrel 2 Business
FURN 405 Design Studio Directed Project Prof. Frederic Spector Fall 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRO What We See The Team Brief - The W’s Goal PROCESS Field Research What is missing Target Spaces Mood Board / Collage CONCLUSION Altered + New Our Product Line
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All good stories have one thing in common; they come from and connect with the heart. Design is often seen as a universal language that has very few boundaries and is easy to understand. We fell in love with the idea of design as a language - something that is able to tell a story in its own unique way. Just like words, designs are able to connect with the heart through the story they tell. To tell a story, we must first learn the “language� to understand what it is we are talking about and who we are talking to. Throughout this project we further explored Crate & Barrel and CB2 as a brand to find out what it is they are communicating through their products.
With this project we want to find and tell our story ..
We are millenials. To some, we are just a target group in a marketing report that will, very soon, be the working and buying force in this world. To others we are the tech-geeks of the modern world that are composed by strong individuals and even stronger collaborative groups. But we are much more than that. We are unique individuals, creative problem solvers, open-minded students and we are the designers of our everyday life. We are (left to right): Joel Ax, Cameron Joost, Shannon Donnelly, Emily O’Brien, Francie Lowman, Ashlyn Dillard, Ashley Callaway and Chaz Bregg.
housewares & furniture
exceptional prices
warm / modern
family business
high quality
est. 1962
85 stores
11 stores
est. 2000
modern
fun / happy
young adults
attention to detail
apartment / loft / home
We experienced Crate & Barrel as a modern company with a more classic and warm touch to it. Crate & Barrel attracts a wide range of customers with their various products and styles. They focus on quality products in a timeless design combined with expert guidance at an affordable price. This is also reflected in their online presence across many social media platforms, For example, season related recipes and style guides that provide an all-inclusive Crate & Barrel experience.
Even though CB2 is a part of the Create & Barrel family, we experienced this brand to be more modern and edgier. In our opinion, the products are a little more outgoing and directed towards a younger audience. This does not mean they are not paying attention to detail in a creative and fun way. With only 11 stores, CB2 furniture leads the total sales with 39%, which is a result of their great online presence as well. CB2 inspires modern living through their current design and is absolutely suitable not only for apartment, loft and home but also for the hospitality environment.
WHAT:
Furniture for B2B
WHO:
Small to medium size businesses
WHEN:
Within the next few years
WHERE:
Hospitality environment
WHY:
To fill voids within the B2B line
+ The Goal Our goal for this project is to find existing pieces in Crate & Barrel or CB2’s lines that have potential to work well in a hospitality environment. Then we will find and fill in what we feel is missing with our own designs. Just like we express our personality in many different ways, companies express their personality too. They express their personality hrough values, style, quality and professionalism. They want to bring across a story that tells the consumer who they are and what they stand for. Successful companies always have an interesting and encouraging story that people can connect with. People love to have a personal connection and they choose brands that have similar values or represent their personality well through the products they sell. We want to help show how Crate & Barrel and CB2 can tell their story through theit products. For this particular project we choose the hospitality environment in hotels. Hotels are a unique place that often combine many environments into one. Such as a restaurant, bar, work and relax area and the lobby. Their goal is to create a home away from home – therefore the space should be able to be transformed into many different personalities. Just like us, a hotel has the opportunity to decide who they are and how they want to show their personality. This is mostly communicated through style - which is shown through the pieces they display or the theme they portray. Just like we are changing over the years, whether it is a gradual or dramatic change, hotels change too. This ties into our project by showing gradual changes through altering pieces that already exist in the Crate & Barrel and CB2 collection and to show dramatic changes we have added pieces that we believe benefit and add personality to the space as a whole.
+ Field Research
Savannah
For our field research we went to the Savannah area to interview several businesses such as restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels. This gave us a great insight on how businesses specify their furniture and what they are looking for.
+ Thoughts
+ Inspiration This hotel blends in with the history and the style of the area. We experienced this hotel as a warm and welcoming environment with interesting aspects that tie in with the surrounding area’s history. The preservation and exposure of the original structural columns was something special we really enjoyed. All in all the furniture was oriented more towards classical combined with a rustic touch which we found a little repetitive.
The Bohemian had an art driven and inspired environment that underlines the importance of art itself. This Hotel had a coherent design throughout on a different quality and design level than most of the hotels we have seen. The focus on art was reflected in everything we saw. High quality was standard and visible and we had the feeling of being in a hotel that you could spend a night in if you wanted to.
The Cotton Sail Hotel effortlessly blends traditional Savannah charm with upscale modern amenities. This Hotel was one of our favorites due the importance of quality and the story the hotel was telling. The manager was very helpful and gave us insight on how they specified furniture and designed the place. He stressed the importance of high quality products and how critical it is to understand the story of a building to tell your own story as a hotel.
An outstanding hotel in the historic district with a modern touch to attract a younger audience. This hotel was more of a modern hotel compared to the other hotels in the area. We really enjoyed the long open space with countless high tops and inviting seating arrangements. The overall clean design promoted the ‘come in – find out’ feeling of the hotel and space.
+ Inspiration
+ Thoughts Weekly lunch and Sunday brunch spot appropriately named after the iconic New York City neighborhood. We found Soho South very unique and charming. As one of the top brunch locations in Savannah, its eclectic charm attracts tourists and its interior is reminiscent of the local artists and historic style. The large space provided accommodation for hanging strings of light and fake trees that made it seem like an outdoor cafĂŠ. The bar area of the restaurant was much more classic and cozy, the furniture used helped make a statement and make the space trendy. Collins Quarter offers a local, fresh and bright farm-to-table menu in a casual cafe environment for all. We experienced this bar/restaurant as a brunch hotspot for locals and tourists alike. The furnishings provided a mixture of classic (with marble 2-tops) and eclectic (with the mixture of green and red upholstery) that gave the environment a trendy atmosphere. We appreciated the sense of community the furniture and layout provided.
Come in to experience the new definition of Southern style, service and hospitality. This Hotel was very classic in a dated way. It could have used updating and features to accent the downtown Savannah location. There wasn’t much about the space that was unique, but its large spaces and nooks provided for clusters of furniture and gatherings that, when updated, could be very functional and interesting spaces.
The Brice was like a home away from home that gives you a warm feeling of being part of a family. We liked the feeling and the environment of this hotel a lot. It had a warm and modern touch to it and seemed very up to date. It was full of textures and interesting colors which gave the whole place an energetic feel to it. The furniture they choose conveyed that as well.
+ Conclusion In our research we found out that businesses in the hospitality environment strive for uniqueness and something that makes them stand out. This is often related to personal stories and the surrounding area. Many businesses are limited when it comes to specifying furniture and designing the interior. Most hotels provide catalogs from which the designers can choose the pieces of furniture that work best. Rarely theses designs are not budget driven, however, companies are willing to spend more money on long lasting, high quality products to save costs in the long run. Therefore, finishes not only play an important role in personalization but also in durability and cost-effectiveness. Companies are looking for furniture that is customizable or variable in terms of design to fit their design needs best. We also discovered four overall main design aesthetics that were repeatedly used throughout the businesses and different fields such as hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes. These are: + CLASSIC FORMAL + RUSTIC & INDUSTRIAL + ECLECTIC + MODERN
+ Target Spaces
In this section we are examining products from the Crate & Barrel and CB2 line that we see as a perfect fit for the hotel environment. Pieces that fit within the four design aesthetics found through our research. Each style will be portrayed with inspirational images and the existing products that match each style, as well as a collage of our designed pieces that also match each style. We choose to focus on the entrance area which we found to be the most used area in a hotel. It inhabits three very important target spaces: + Bar & Restaurant + Lobby + Lounge area
RUSTIC // INDUSTRIAL
ECLECTIC
CLASSIC // FORMAL
MODERN
+ Altered & New From our four categories (classic / formal, rustic & industrial, eclectic and modern) we then chose seven areas in hospitality furniture we thought could use alternations or completely new designs. Light fixtures are important in any collection it adds to the ambiance and helps to create an atmosphere. When looking into lighting we noticed that in both CB2 and Crate and Barrel were lacking in choices of wall sconces. We decided to use some existing lighting for inspiration to create other pieces. Inspiration also came from furniture pieces. One of the new additions to the light collection is a piece that is able to be transformed into different sizes and shapes with adapters. This light is versatile and can be used in many venues from bars to down hallways. The adapters make it easy to adjust the light fixtures to already existing case goods. Through observation and research, we discovered that our generation is more and more moving away from working at fixed stations and places that are designed for the working environment. Due to technology, we are able to work almost anywhere at any time. Mobility and the freedom to work anywhere comes at a cost, we often face problems of short battery life and no or limited access to power. For this type of furniture, we came up with the idea of not only providing outlets but also incorporating a light fixture into the piece. This indicates the use of power and allows multi-functional use such as working, studying or eating. The low light gives an intimate and warm feeling to the piece. We choose to work with a bar-height which enables the piece to not only become a center piece in the coffee/bar/restaurant environment but also provides an interesting interaction. On top of that, it could also be used as a buffet table or a meeting/conference table that provides lots of seating and space. The hospitality industry, with as much technology as there is today, needs physical storage space. Hotel reception, lobby, and various spatial dividers were seen during our research phase as a necessity to the spaces and the people interacting in them. The Panel Shelving System serves as a unique solution to shelving and storage. It provides division of space while still maintaining openness throughout a room. The modularity of the unit allows the user to create a system ideal for their space. The unit can be expanded to any size and height and can also be freestanding or wall-mounted. Hostess stands are the first impression when you walk into a restaurant or lounge area, therefore they must reflect the story the restuarant is trying to tell. Here we have four styles of hostess stands that help round out our four styles.
+ Lobby + Lighting + Charging & Bar Tables + Dining + Booths + Space Dividing Storage + Hostess Stands
+ Ideation
+ Lobby
+ Lounge Chair
+ Bench
+ Lighting + Sconces
+ Pendant
+ Chandelier
+ Multi Configurations
or
+ Adapters
+
+
+ Charging & Bar Tables
+ Dining + Oxford Collection
+ Elke Collection
+ Hackney Collection
+ Roadhouse Collection
+ Classic Bistro
+ Booth Seating
+ Space Dividing Storage
+ Hostess Stand
+ Scene Renders
+ Sconces / Pendants / Chandeliers
Our Product Line
+ Chandeliers / Booth Seating
+ Dining / Bar Tables
+ Dining / Bar Tables
+ Dining / Lobby
+ Charging / Bar Tables / Hostess Stand
+ Storage Shelving System
“design is where silence & art break even
“
- Mieke Gerritzen