Over the 25 years that I've been designing in Charlotte County, I've found that most business owners never get a chance to really take a look at their offices or retail establishments. They're busy doing business! But, what they're missing is what the customer/client sees. Especially first time customers' first impressions.

      If you have a professional office, your clients will spend some time in your lobby. Are the chairs comfortable? Is the carpeting tattered or showing wear patterns? Is the paint on the walls fresh and clean? Does the color palette coordinate with your

Exterior & Lobby palette coordinate

business? (Soothing colors for a therapist's office or vibrant colors & graphics for a Pediatrian's practice.) Does the interior coordinate with the exterior? Is the overall look of the space inviting and up-to-date? This could be a direct reflection of how client's perceive how your business is doing.

      For a retail space, is it inviting customers to come in and browse? Are displays fresh, vibrant and dust free? Are the displays spaced to allow walking through without bumping into the items on each side? Breathing space between racks can make a store or showroom feel bigger than it actually is. One of the most underused retail spaces is high side walls and the ceiling. If your product can be displayed tastefully (or creatively) from these positions, you can increase your display area expotentially. Don't overdo it. Just as in floor space, you need to allow space here too!

      Of course, in commercial projects, as in residential, it's important to design around the function of the room. "Form Follows Function" is a designer's mantra. If a room is fabulously beautiful but doesn't fulfill the function of the space, it's basically a failed project! 

      The project featured in this month's photos is the Charlotte DeSoto Building Industry Association (CDBIA) building. It's been a few years since I coordinated the interiors when the building was built, but time has shown that the selections work very well.

Meeting Room - Floral "camouflage" flooring

When the carpeting for the large meeting room was first shown, some of the members commented that the green and tan floral leaf pattern looked like "army camouflage". That was exactly the idea behind the pattern/color choice. (Not the "army" part, but definitely the "camouflage"). The room was going to be used as a classroom, dining room, meeting room and whatever else the local construction industry members needed. It had to stand up to a lot of hard use. Again, the color/pattern was chosen after it was decided that the type of fiber, the finish and the installation would also hold up to the use. Flooring in the public areas of the building is tile. A basic textured commercial carpet was used in the offices, but in this area, we needed to "soften" the look and sound. As an active member of CDBIA, I'm often in the building and can see that everything is holding up really well...as planned!

     Since the "snowbirds" are gone and business is in Summer mode, take the time to walk through your front door with a client's first time perspective and see how it looks to outsiders. Is it time to spruce up and fast track your business?     

Have a wonderful month,

Carole Ponzio, CAPS, CGA