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An orange banquette, upholstered
in Ultrasuede® is one of the functional yet comfortable features of Red Sky's
"café." |
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SchappacherWhite's orange Ultrasuede®
beanbags are designed to be dragged wherever they're most needed. Note the lime-green
bench, also covered in Ultrasuede®. |
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Photos: © Andrew Bordwin |
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E-businesses have their own workstyle,
one that's somewhere between life on a space shuttle and a high-tech dorm. Architect
Steve Schappacher and designer Rhea White (of SchappacherWhite Ltd.) understood this
when they took on a 7,800 sq. ft. project for Red Sky, a New York-based internet
professional service provider, but they had no way of knowing that was only the beginning
of the challenges they faced.
Shortly after the new space had been leased, the firm learned that one of the floor's
main attractions-an array of light-giving windows-was about to be blocked by construction
of a new hotel. Undaunted, Schappacher and White devised a design that not only ensures
unobstructed sight lines to the remaining windows but also brightens the space with
bold swathes of lime green and orange, including custom-designed furniture covered
in Ultrasuede®.
"I considered other fabrics," Rhea White confesses, "but only Ultrasuede
had exactly the colors I wanted. Plus Ultrasuede is perfect for a clean modern space.
It has a nice finished look yet it's also soft and plush."
Practicality was also a major consideration. "We custom-designed beanbag chairs
that the Red Sky people can drag around on the floor," White adds. "When
they get dirty, they can just pop the coverings in the washer."
Besides the beanbag chairs, Schappacher-White also used orange Ultrasuede® for
a banquette in the Red Sky's "pantry" or "café" and lime
green Ultrasuede® for a long upholstered bench that sits near one of the firm's
much-valued windows.
"We knew they were going to eat, drink and even sleep on everything we designed,"
Steve Schappacher says. And Ultrasuede® is one fabric that stands up to all the
punishment e-kids can dish out. |
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