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PHOTOS: COURTESY ASID
BizDESIGN
Clockwise – Famous Sam’s photo by Robin Stancliff; Sol y Luna photo by Benjamin Cobb; The Venue: Brian Gassel
ASID Top Design Winners By Elena Acoba Interiors In Design and MAR Designs were the top commercial design winners at the American Society of Interior Designs Arizona South gala in September 2019. The awards program recognized work in 21 commercial and residential categories: Famous Sam’s MAR Designs owner and designer Andrea Rodriguez took two first-place awards – singular commercial space and commercial product design – for her work on the new Famous Sam’s sports restaurant and bar at River Road and La Cholla Boulevard. The new restaurant is a relocation of a 24-year-old Famous Sam’s. The owner wanted the design to attract regular
customers who see it as their neighborhood bar while updating the look to attract new customers. An open space allowed for easy views to all sections – pool tables, a gaming area, karaoke stage, 10 televisions, and a center bar surrounded by tables. A wall is painted to look like the sideline of a football field. Long tables accommodate viewing parties. Banks of LED ceiling lights can be changed into sports team colors to add to the ambience. Old-style neon signs continue the neighborhood bar feel. Student Housing The Interiors in Design team – Eva Muzaite, Brandy Holden and Ana Fernandez – earned first place in the cate-
gory of commercial design under 5,000 square feet for their work on the reception area of Sol y Luna student apartments at Tyndall and Park avenues. To soften the expansive concrete space, they used oranges for modern vinyl seating and blue hues for the walls. What they called “grungy” white wallpaper was replaced with commercial grade black and white wall covering that’s easier to clean. The firm’s other first-place award was for a commercial space over 5,000 square feet – The Venue, a student housing complex in Baton Rouge, La. The project included converting a cinema into a study lab, updating a lounge area and using Louisiana State University’s school colors in an upscale feel.
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Spring 2020
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