Glass Garage Door Transforms Work Space from Storage Area

Interior designers are master craftsman charged with the task of bringing life to the inanimate — four walls, furniture and furnishings that are intentionally selected and placed to influence the behavior, feelings and emotions of those inside. If you walk through DesignPoint’s main offices back to their library you will be greeted by hundreds of books neatly stored on shelves, swatches lining the walls and material samples galore. These are the tools of the interior designer, and the library is their workshop. Interior design is one industry that the technology has yet to digitize and relegate to a one dimensional computer screen. Interior designers must engage the five senses and having physical samples of materials is a necessity. It only bears to reason that good design would define the workshop of the interior designer.

Welcome to DesignPoint’s library. Six months ago it was a typical storage area, a cold and dusty place to keep stuff. As DesignPoint has grown, in staff size, projects and library resources, it became apparent that the office needed to be re-configured. Earlier this year DesignPoint undertook that project as detailed in a previous article (click for details). The keystone of the new library is the glass garage door.

Previously, the space had a commercial, metal overhead garage door. As the space transformed into a library, first with a coat of paint, then with commercial carpet, bookshelf and furnishings, the glass garage door was installed. The functional door allows access in and out of the space, but most importantly it is a striking architectural piece that draws in warmth, happiness and the natural world in through its glass windows. The glass garage door makes the space. Without it, it would be just a renovated, old storage space. With it comes the legitimacy and affirmation that those in the library perform valuable work. It used to be that the office hierarchy was defined by a window in a manager’s office, but as designers we believe that there should be equal access to natural light.

If you have an interior design or re-design project that you’d like to discuss, then give us a call, and we will meet you in our library! DesignPoint, Inc. is located at 54 S. Commerce Way, Suite 110, Bethlehem, PA 18017, 610-807-9670, online at info@designpoint-interiors.com www.designpoint-interiors.com.