Freeze Frame

Within 100,000 square feet of essentially open space at Foote, Cone & Belding Worldwide's converted-factory offices in Irvine, California, Clive Wilkinson articulated specific function areas in the sea of workstations. The architect defined the boardroom with 160 custom surfboards, each suspended from a single point on steel cables. Aside from pun value, the treatment imparts a measure of visual playfulness and connotations of creativity. What could be more appropriate for southern California? "Catch the Wave," page 146.

Stephen Kanner upgraded a standard firebox with spiffy detailing at his residence in Pacific Palisades, California. He surrounded the firebox with a 2-inch-wide stainless-steel frame and placed the unit flush with the terrazzo hearth, whose green flecks relate to the color of the wall. This 30-foot-long expanse clad with glass mosaic tile from Ann Sacks is indirectly lit by T5 fluorescent lamps housed in a trough below floor level. At night, the elevation glows. "A Case Study in Reinvention," page 170.

Creative meetings sometimes leave participants bouncing off the walls. At least that's what Graft's team thought when designing the Neue Sentimental Film office in Marina del Rey, California. For a conference room made from two shipping containers, Graft padded the sides with white vinyl and pierced the container with a double-sided bar. Inside the conference room, the aluminum-coated MDF bar—5 feet 3 inches wide, 2 feet high, 2 feet deep—features a hinged front, integral lighting, and a cutout form for the international symbol of first aid. "High Production Values," page 126.