For the sixth consecutive year, Designers with Julie Wait Designs of Rogers,
AR have been awarded multiple interior design awards by the South Central
Chapter of ASID (American Society of Interior Design) at the organization’s
annual conference. These awards recognize the creativity and expertise of
interior designers in the three state area: Arkansas, Louisiana and
Mississippi. Julie Wait Fryauf, ASID, Aubrey Mitchell Pate, ASID, Misty
Martin Dennis, ASID, and Leila Pollard, Allied ASID and LEED AP received the
Silver Award for the interior design of the Comfort Suites lobby in Wichita
KS. In addition, the design team also took a Bronze Award for the interior
design of Lewis Epley Band Building located on the University of Arkansas
campus in Fayetteville.
The design of Comfort Suites incorporates subtle references to the
geographical location in the lobby space. Many of the design features
emulate sweeping Kansas skies and windy plains. The design elements and
finishes use undulating curves and vortex shapes to reiterate this idea.
Guests are greeted in the two story lobby with a dramatic custom shaped
resin cloud-like feature in which vortex shaped pendant lights drop through.
The custom shapes mimic swirling clouds and also provide an abstract image
of the hotel’s logo. The large scale of the shapes as a whole is a dynamic
and appropriately scaled design element within the two story space.
The north lobby wall features a collection of 72 round mirrors mounted
together for a focal point and to repeat the scale of the large window
pattern. The mirrors also reflect the specialty painted red wall finish
from the opposite side of the lobby and amplify daylight. This grouping is
flanked by large illuminated floor lamps that add sculptural interest to the
space.
The Lewis Epley, Jr. Band Building Hall of Honor welcomes students, alumni,
faculty and visitors into the band building. It promotes the band’s history
of spirit and serves as a recruiting tool for future band members. Within
the Hall of Honor is the Wall of Honor that displays honors and memorial
tributes given to benefactors, past directors and alumni. Custom stained
millwork with glass showcases provide a flexible way to present the history
and memorabilia of the band. In the center of the Hall of Honor, a modular
seating group mimics the look of a group of tubas lined up on the football
field during the halftime show. It provides comfortable seating for
students waiting to go into practice halls or meeting with friends. A
custom trophy pedestal houses one of the most treasured national awards that
a band can receive. The pedestal was designed to safeguard and showcase the
trophy, acting as the focal point of the Hall of Honor. Track lighting in
the shape of a treble clef floats above the seating grouping and highlights
the seating below and the Wall of Honor.
Designers were given the challenge to show the band’s history through
photos. They chose a mural of historical band photographs to be a dynamic
backdrop for the major circulation space. Designers worked with band
faculty to sift through hundreds of photographs to find the perfect images
to tell the story of the band’s history and spirit. Designers created the
full-scale collage of images which was printed as floor to ceiling wall
covering. Julie Wait Designs, Inc. provides a full range of interior
design and space planning services primarily in commercial spaces such as
offices, banks, health care and senior living spaces, as well as unique
residences.
