Furniture Objects By Architects Pop-Up #FOBA
In conjunction with the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial, AIA Chicago transformed a storefront on the 3rd floor of Block37 shopping mall into a memorable temporary pop-up of Functional Objects by Architects (FOBA). Inspired by visitor-minded concepts of open storage, architecture in the form of industrial shelving, a straightforward layout, bold wall graphics, and a curated collection of 27 objects, helped transition a generic gallery into a design destination.
Hotel X Design Showcase
Dressing A Showcase in Stone
Materiality plays a big role in the functionality, sustainability, and aesthetic of public and private spaces for home, culture, and play. Designing a Coverings’16 Showcase was an opportunity to play with material goods, disrupt the norm, and highlight stone products to reflect a sense of place and playful spirit in a boutique hotel lobby.
What Keeps a Great Music Venue Great?
Rock ‘n’ roll addicts, we’ve spent many formative and memorable evenings, ear plugs in place, at renown rock venues. The best venues seem to have as Gibson Guitars so eloquently wrote: “…a raggedly dilapidated quality that feels part and parcel of rock music itself.”
So when renovating a venue as we’re doing right now, how do we retain its inherent authenticity, vibe, and heritage?
Playing with Laminate Design
Wilsonart X Me
Hot off the press! Sharon Exley’s touting one of Architecture Is Fun’s favorite products, Wilsonart custom laminates, in full page ads found in Contract Magazine, Design: Retail, Metropolis Magazine and Hospitality Design magazine!
Frost Art Museum
The renovated family gallery is “super chill,” designed to be worthy of a child’s curiosity and adult admiration, demonstrating everyone is hard-wired for creativity. The whiteness of the space serves as a blank slate for artistic expression and media exploration, from new-age technologies, including a Smart Table™, projector and iPads, to traditional art-making. It is an environment rich in evocative objects and commissioned art installations that inspire active learning, choices, and social engagement. Both orientation and terminus, the discovery gallery is “the place” that frames museum visits.
Happy Face Collection
Born In Brooklyn™
We’re thrilled to announce our The Happy Face Collection, part of the Born In Brooklyn Private Label. The collection is produced and sold via Fun Finders.
We see furniture and interactive elements for play and learning as objects of delight; saying to children “this is for you!”.
Playmakers
The summer issue Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago (page 168) perches Sharon and Peter atop the Carson Pirie Scott Building, 12 floors above State Street. Editor Diana Tychsen Bitting nailed our story, photographer Katrina Wittkamp captured the moment and some delicious Louis Sullivan ornament and our city served as our backdrop. Cool!
Weissbluth Pediatrics
Pixar-like, not Disney-esque.
~ Dr. Dan Weissbluth, Weissbluth Pediatrics.
Old-Fashioned Attentiveness, Forward-Thinking Healthcare Design
Pixar-like, not Disney-esque, was the mantra that surfaced from the start of the healthcare design of this pediatric project. Renovating a high-rise office meant rethinking an emerging practice as a branded environment. Patient experience begins online, is enhanced during office visits, and continues by modeling healthy attitudes at home.
Bursting with Color: Architecture Is Fun Wins HUE Award
Playmakers Sharon Exley, MAAE and Peter Exley, FAIA, of the colorful design studio of Architecture is Fun, Chicago, have been named as Benjamin Moore HUE® Award Winners for Contract Interiors. The prestigious award is bestowed annually for a passionate and meaningful use of color in design.
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