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steel n ink
By : optima design
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Interior Design
Categories : Commercial Space / Commercial Space ≤ 1,600 sq.ft. (≤ 150 sq.m.) : Silver Certification
Our mandate for this project was to develop a space where creatives could let their imagination run – all the while creating an environment to that felt welcoming to clients of all walks of life. We also had a pinpoint focus on ensuring the design of this space was cost efficient as it will be rolled-out in coming years across North America.
The client: Steel n Ink – tattoos & body piercings has offered top quality body art and jewelry since 2005, with multiple locations across Canada. They house award-winning tattoo artists and body piercers that have the passion and creativity to bring any respective project to life. They are one of the first tattoo and piercing studios to be welcomed into major Canadian malls. Their primary goal is to create a safe space where a client – no matter the gender, age or background can come in and feel comfortable.
This project is located in a new development located in downtown Toronto, the Well; an amenity-rich, urban streetscape and a vital, fully functioning environment that puts the things people want most within easy reach. The Well is a green project, requiring tenants to use sustainably sourced and noble materials. Getting inspired by the industry and research of sustainable materials that could still bring a funky twist, we set out on designing a space to please both the artistic and practical sides of this project. Our main goal was to create a space with clean lines, fun and eco-responsible materials, and a play on street art – aiming to leave a gap for the artists’ imaginations all the while providing inspiration, and a space for everybody to feel welcome.
When starting out the design process, we focused on four key steps: inspiration, materials, lighting, and design development.
Inspiration: We turned to the roots for inspiration; researching the history of tattoo, how it has now evolved into a form of self-expression, similarly to street art. We came up on a specific style of street art that incorporated roman statues – a representation of the first tattoos, and graffiti – one of the most recent forms of self – expression. This was the first puzzle piece to the concept.
Materials: With a specific focus on cost-efficient and sustainably sourced materials, we searched for a monochrome palette of materials with variable textures. The black and white base would not only allow the mental space for the artists to be creative but also once again inspired from the origins of tattoos.
Lighting: Lighting was an essential factor in making the space feel welcoming to anybody. Our goal was the elevate the space and increase comfortability by lighting the space completely with indirect lighting, allowing for the space to feel more intimate and less clinical. We collaborated with a local supplier and North American manufacturer with a commitment to sustainability to work through and attain the desired effect.
Design Development: Working through many phases of conceptual, three-dimensional planning, we were determined to create an immersive environment using indirect lighting, a combination of monochrome and pops of colour, texture, and detail to attain the end goal; a clean-lined and welcoming creative space.
The main design elements we incorporated to achieve our project goal were; materials, custom millwork and lighting.
Artwork: Wanting to create a distinct image for our client, we developed artwork in house to be displayed throughout the space. Incorporating both the history (roman statues) and evolution (self-expression) of tattoos, the artwork serves as inspiration and color.
Lighting: we turned to lighting as our main resource to make the space feel cozier for both the clients and artists. Using only indirect lighting to light the entire space allows for it to feel more intimate and less clinical.
Color: we chose to go with a monochrome palette of materials with variable textures. The black and white base would not only allow the mental space for the artists to be creative but also once again inspired from the origins of tattoos.
Texture: we decided on corrugated and perforated metals as bases to be used throughout the space as they noble and sustainable materials. They also provide fun textures to the space, are great to wall wash and extremely resilient and functional for this type of project.
Collaboration
