Being the wife of an audio house owner has its perks. It means I can flex my creativity in other forms. (And I guess I can record my own album of self-penned ditties free-of-charge if I want to, not that I should!)
I may not have expertise in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop but putting art on walls and applying it to a given space according to a budget is both fun and challenging in a good way. Interior design to me is understanding the business or intent of a space. And then mixing texture with colours and form - and with the results - decorate an empty void to inject personality, meaning, function and a livability into it.
Understanding the Business
Fuse's modus operandi is to do with the playful exploration of sound to create interesting scores, tracks and sound design for their clients, hence their tagline:
Fuse. Adventures in Audio. They also pride themselves on being a family of sound engineers, producers and composers - creative people - whose different strengths contribute to the identity and success of the company.
Working with the Basics to Create a Colour Theme
I drew out the core essence of 'play' and went back to the basics of cyan, magenta and yellow which are playful and cheerful colours in themselves (individual strengths), but as a team (family), form the building blocks of other colours (possibilities).
Cooking the Scheme for the Kitchen
Everyone looks forward to meal times! So what better colour to use on the main wall than yellow which communicates lightness and joy. To complement the wall, a canary-yellow SMEG fridge was thrown in. (Well, not literally.) Meanwhile, beehive-patterned tiles in black and white were used to play off the brightness and create some texture against the plain surfaces on display. To this end, colourful crockery in playful patterns and primary colours were also purchased.
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| Minimalist working stations |
The Working Area
Work stations are where the most time is spent by an employee. With limited space, there was a need to avoid non-functional furniture so that only essential would be used. As such, I didn't do much with the space here except designate the colour blue for the wall, and select the styling of the overhead cabinets as well as the work tables and office chairs.
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| The meeting area plus space divider |
The cyan wall helps to cool down the space and aims to reduce the stress of being at the computer at long stretches.
The same colour was applied to the meeting room which is separated from the other spaces - not by a wall and a door - but by a DIY recyclable space-divider in cream and yellow.
The divider can be pulled open and shut from side to side.
First Impressions
The small tight landing leading from the lift to the main entrance features a black and white graffiti-styled wallpaper expounding love. If you wonder what the love is for, you will wonder no more because the two imposing 5-ft tall 'speakers' in pale pink (okay, it's kind of light magenta) that flank the door will clue you in on the topic of affection.
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| The landing: Pink speakers customised from unused shoeboxes, plastic and foam |
Feature Walls
There are two feature walls to stare at once you've entered the office. The hall features a geometric wallpaper design that provides dynamism. And the adjacent wall (which helps cordon off a small relaxation den from the hall with the aid of a huge book-shelf) features scores of old and new vinyl in individual racks to underscore the owner's love for music. Belo, a turntable sits perched on an old 60's cabinet, complete with scratches from wear and tear that you - ironically - won't find on the records.
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The hall: Retro purple armchairs and magenta-pink-yellow-orange rug.
Note again the art-easel TV stand, this time in white. |
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Music den: Records, records, records and a 60's turntable stand from the Salvation Army.
The little armchair and faux cattle rug in the corner are for relaxation and music appreciation. |
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| Cyan, magenta, and yellow here and there. Note the art-easel TV-stand in yellow. |
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| The yellow studio with the glowing bird-nest light |
The Studios
The primary colours of cyan, magenta and yellow were used not only throughout the office. Different combinations of these colours were applied to the two studios as well.
Wallpaper on the main walls feature fun, frivolous outlines of office lofts and buildings with random splashes of colour (either in yellow or magenta and blue). The opposite wall would be flushed either in yellow or cyan, depending on the studio.
Armchairs and cushions and rugs in the other primary colours (with some cream to offset the chestnut-brown furniture) are used to play off the colours in the wallpaper and painted walls.
Painting the Space with Furniture and Decor
Meanwhile, the choice of furniture and decor is an eclectic combination of retro and modern. By modern, I mean TV stands customised to look like art easels, a SMEG fridge, yellow bird cages, etc. (By modern, I also mean affordable but modules with clean classic lines from the reliable IKEA like the rugs, office chairs and work tables, reading chair, cuboid stools and studio cabinets.) Because of space limitations, the number of pieces was kept to a minimum without giving off an overly sparse feeling that suggested a 'sudden death in budget'.
To optimise the budget, the decision was to purchase 1 or 2 expensive items (read: desired piece) for each different segment of the office. Example: Retro cabinet and oval coffee table in the hall, SMEG fridge in the kitchen, oval coffee tables and retro armchairs in the studios.
Meanwhile, the decor ranged from quirky yellow bird cages to an old white 60's TV (on a stand), porcelain birds; and feature lights in bird-nest styling that help punctuate space with the warmth and cosy suggestion of home.
The Website
The
link to the website here leads you to the old website prior to the launch of Fuse's new branding of 'Adventures in Audio'. The website is under construction and I'll update the link here soon. The copy was provided by me while the styling and images are courtesy of Kevin Lee, a web designer based out of KL.
You'll notice that the references and tone used in the copy reflect the concept of out-of-this-world audio. The use of quirky humour is deliberate and meant to show off the audio house's playful nature.
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| The landing page: Choose the avatar on the right or left to begin navigating through the website |
Here is copy done for Fuse's revamped website.
