m[E] modern furniture

office building re/DO

our clients wanted to enliven this 60's rundown office complex. the bare bones WAS there and after assessing and repairing all the necessary functional needs [ie roof, gutters, plumbing and electrical]. it was time to let the sunshine on this mid/century beauty. stripping away the old lava rock and tile from the facade, allowed us a clean canvas to work with. we replaced all the windows with reflective insulated bronze solar glass, keeping the integrity of the building's period by leaving & replacing the jalousies which also allowed for great cross/ventilation. designing the new entry system was a purely artistic venture as well as giving 1626 its new personality. from my original sketch to model to production, each step was carefully executed by our masterful crafts/wo/man, wendy and her cohort jose. m[E] also produced the custom metal lighting fixtures & graphics. bringing the artistic metalwork to the inner courtyard planter was the final touch. we always re/utilize and recondition original materials as much as possible & the existing inner courtyard security gates got new life by adding 1/2 circle grills. by coloring the exterior and interior lighting, it gave the building a liveliness heretofore not seen in this neighborhood. the bathrooms were beyond outdated and material[ENVIRONMENT] WORKED OUR MAGIC! besides the aesthetic change, we updated all the systems to water saving fixtures and no flush urinals. the final effort was the landscaping...
we replanted the majority of existing shrubbery to beautify the parking lot and then planted all new drought tolerant plantings in front and in the courtyard. if you are on your way to the LAX airport you can see this beauty at 1626 centinella blvd, inglewood, ca.