Project Name/Client: Daddy O's Hotel, Bar and Restaurant
Design Firm: Balongue Design Inc
Location: Long Beach Island, NJ
Products: Dressed2Kill collection, Lunar Weave

What is Design?
Design is the non-bashful manifestation of excitement about the project and the clients dreams expressed! Design is a feeling that is responsibly articulated through the specification of creative, appropriate, durable materials that remain timeless in their interpretation. Good design should be understood by all types of audiences; when cohesive it will always feel genuine to the viewers’ sub-conscious mind. Good design produces a feel good emotion!

How is Design best illustrated through the project?
Design is expressed through every detail in this project. All materials are consistent with the New York Urban Chic Contemporary design theme. Design was expressed through each of the following:

· The overall color palette; bone, charcoal, red, crystal and chrome. Individual spaces illustrate a variation of the overall theme; i.e. bar, dining room, private dining, wine cellar…each space delights your senses!
· The high contrast of clean materials juxtaposed against each other; i.e. rectangular shaped, stark flat bone tile adjacent to hip patterned 18” square carpet tile; high lacquer smooth columns, soffits and furnishings adjacent to matt highly textured walls and ceiling planes.
· Fixed finishes with brilliant colors, textures and shapes; i.e. carpet tile that embodies the color palette, expresses a contemporary theme via pattern and affords the designer the opportunity for placement that enhances the look and feel we were seeking.
· Unique unexpected lighting – visible and non-visible; expressed with crystals and highly polished metal accents.
· Built-in and freestanding furnishings with distinctive textures, patterns and daring colors.
· Our design team created the brand and graphically expressed it through signage, business cards, gift cards, etc. The brand continued to be expressed through the interior and exterior materials – the overall package was thoughtfully cohesive.

Biggest Design Challenge?
In this particular project, several significant issues challenged the design team:

· The New York urban chic contemporary interior the client desired had to be imported into an 80 year old former beach house with quite the opposite appearance; small choppy interior spaces, poor structure and extremely low ceilings throughout.
· Since the project was a gut and renovation versus a tear down and re-build, the design team had to deal with interior spaces where the floor level was 6” - 8” out of level from one side of a room to another. Specifying flooring was a challenge!
· The structure we renovated was one block from the beach sitting low to the ground on pilings. The ground beneath the building is and will continue to be wet or flooded during 50% of the calendar year. Specifying materials with inherent durability and the ability to stand up to this environment yet look contemporary and creative while remaining financially feasible was a serious challenge!

What made it Innovative or Unique?
Intense focus and high attention to detail was maintained even though the site conditions presented weekly challenges demanding quick resolution. Three dimensional spaces, HVAC constraints and severe field conditions begged for the designer’s extreme flexibility and creative resolution on the fly. This was accomplished and ultimately produced a stellar design!

How did Design make a difference?
Against all odds - severe site conditions, aggressive schedule, challenging budget - the designer’s approach and thoughtful process allowed the clients dreams to come true. The measurable impacts of our work include:

· An aesthetic environment consistent with the brand and that sets the stage for the client’s deliverable product, in this case hip food, beverages and hotel accommodations.
· A high-end look that is extremely durable and easy to maintain; the design has and will continue to look fresh and clean as it endures high traffic and abuse.
· A floor plan/layout that accommodates the daily operation of the client, the bar, restaurant and hotel are functioning well.
· Consistent quality feedback from the client’s customers/general public.
· A happy client which in turn has produced future opportunities for our design team!

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