Below the Stairs
Home plans are being squeezed. Every bit of space is scrutinized for its functionality. And as more professionals are setting up shop in their home, their work area may share the same space to pay bills, schedule household events and leisure activities. And, don’t forget about our stuff. We definitely have more stuff these days. Consequently, finding room for our stuff is competing with every square foot of the home. So, the squeeze is on!
But, some are finding it possible to sneak in a workspace here or a storage area there, no matter how spatially-challenged a room may be. For our client, Commodore Homes, the solution was a flexible design; a multipurpose space “below the stairs.” It was an opportunity to offer more options with greater functionality without expanding the overall foot print.
To get this point across, Cummins Design created 4 visuals that demonstrate the flexibility of the space. Starting with the clients CAD designs, we created 3D virtual models to generate high quality, photo-realistic images. The final presentation: a 79″X54″ banner to hang from the wall of dealer show homes (see banner). It includes:
- The stairs – We started by modeling out the environment, such as the stairs, walls, flooring, trim work, etc. Some of the modeling work was done in AutoCAD and some in 3ds Max. From that point we built materials, set up light rigs and cameras in 3ds Max with Vray to serve as the lighting environment. The studio was set up and ready for action!
- The fireplace – The fireplace was 3D modeled with a flat screen TV, tile, logs and a simulated fire (3D as well) to serve as the focal point.
- The hutch – This particular scene was rendered to print at a real life size (79″H by 54″W) banner. We rendered this at a lower resolution (150 dpi). But, for banners, this met the printer’s requirements. Total image size is 11,850 X 8,100 pixels. See Banner
- The Bench Seat – A space to relax, read and store items. To cozy it up a bit, 3D pillows, books and wicker baskets were added to the scene.
- The Office Desk – The laptop screen served as an accent color to draw focus to the center of the desk. The narrow vertical end table with plant and a mirror helped to occupy some of the dead wall space and provide balance.
One space. Four options. Each meets challenges and creates opportunities. This project was successful because it took a solution oriented approach. And visualizing the final product served a big part in effectively communicating and ultimately selling those solutions.
