Tenant Improvements for an Architect Office

When Shelli Mittmann decided to open her office in mid-town Couer d’Alene (CDA), she wanted to make a statement when filling her empty space. The walls were a neutral color but a little darker than what she wanted. Due to budgetary constraints, she opted to paint the walls herself, using a lighter color. Previously, the walls and trim were the same color but she left the trim unpainted and it proved to be a good accent color for the wall paint she selected. The room had a dark low-nap carpet and exposed HVAC ducts. The exposed heat ducts were an excellent complement to the industrial look she wanted. We added a conference alcove with rough pine siding installed on all sides. There is a relight in the front, so that someone sitting in the conference area can see when people walk in the front door.

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These two photos are of the framing and the work in progress installing the rough pine siding on the walls. Before the siding was installed on the wall, we conditioned the face with Daly’s Benite and stained all sides with Minwax stain. The Benite brings out the grain of the wood and reduces blotching. Staining the wood on all sides helps prevent the boards from cupping and warping.

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These photos are of the outside and inside of the conference alcove. All the lines continue all the way around all walls and ends of walls, for that clean, industrial look – no trim boards to interrupt the horizontal lines or make the job look cheap.

You can click on any of the images in this article to get a closer view of the details.

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We did some extensive masking before spraying the acrylic finish on the walls. Due to static electricity created by the HVAC system, there was sawdust sticking to the walls. We swept most of it off and, although there is little overspray in acrylic applications, we wanted to prevent any acrylic “dust” floating and bonding any of the sawdust to the walls. We also set up all the shelving units and individual shelf parts ready for spray. And, we went to work.

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On the right is a photo of the completed conference alcove walls, short wall separating the seating area and wood shelf units. The short wall is attached to the ceiling with two one-inch black iron pipes and fittings. On the left is a photo of the pipe shelf units. We built three of the free-standing pine shelf units and two of the free-standing pipe shelf units. Our client, Mittmann Architect of CDA, Idaho, is very pleased with the tenant improvements and has an impressive office. If you are looking for a home design or other architectural services, be sure to contact Shelli Mittmann. Here is a link to her website – and tell her Idaho Contractor sent you.