We've focused on interior design this month to give Amy Schluessel, our commercial Interior Designer, a little time in the limelight! It also is a great way to highlight the diversity of project types Firm Ground works on. Environments for living, working, playing, and now we can add travelling and healing.

This month we feature one of three hotel projects we have been working on in Burlington, Iowa. It is a boom town and there are lots of opportunities for creating reuse projects along the Mighty Mississippi. Please contact Jeff or myself for more information.

The other project, 5555 Boone Avenue in New Hope, is our 8th project with People Incorporated and the first one we have done together that focuses on the mental health of our youth. A very special project for an outstanding customer. People Incorporated's Artability Show is the coming week and we have included information about that as well. This is our second year as a sponsor for this great event that proves art can heal the soul. We hope you can check out the show!

-Tom

People Incorporated

Artability

Once again, Firm Ground is supporting our client, People Incorporated, by participating as a sponsor to their annual Artability Show. The Artability program is a celebration of the creativity and contributions of people with mental illnesses to our community. A series of art and writing workshops lead up to the multi-day Artability Show & Sale held each fall. Artists may sell their work at the show and receive 80% of the profits, with the remaining 20% going back to support the Artability program. Writers also contribute their creative work to an anthology available for sale at the show. We hope you will all attend this year to see why it is and event very important to us and to our client.

Artability Show & Sale: October 28-29 at the Great Hall in St. Paul 180 E 5^th Street St. Paul, MN 55101

New Facility Opening

One of the first steps in designing any space is to determine the function; once the purpose is defined it creates a boundary for the evolving design. There are lots of factors that play into designing a space such as material selection, color psychology, figuring out the most efficient layout and lighting arrangement to just name a few. For the newly opened Juvenile Mental Health Facility in New Hope, color psychology was a key component in influencing behavior. Soothing shades of pastel blue and green were carefully selected as a way to calm and not stimulate the students. Each color has a different effect on humans whether the end goal is to create energy, increase communication, provide harmony or be comforted there is a color that suits every environment!

Holiday Inn Express

This past year we have had the privilege of working on three hotels with DesignWise and Great River Entertainment in Burlington, Iowa. Holiday Inn recently refreshed it’s environment after it underwent an interior remodel that affected the lobby, breakfast area, pool, business center and guest rooms. The new colors and materials created a fresh and crisp interior that can be easily maintained while making guests feel at home during their stay. The inlaid carpet and contrasting colors of the floor tile provide visual interest and help differentiate conversation areas from the main corridors. The deep, rich espresso stain on the floating ceiling provides a level of comfort to contrast the existing white coffered ceiling. This stain is also repeated on the barn doors leading to the breakfast area and on the chair frames, repeating this design element helps lead your eye around the lobby. This remodel helped update their look by opening up and expanding their existing lobby space and modernizing the layout to make it more functional for guests and staff.