The Coveted KSA Marketing Award

At KSA, we have introduced a funky little incentive for encouraging everyone to use their marketing minds in all sorts of creative and effective ways!!  Those who punch up their marketing skills especially well WIN the coveted KSA Marketing Award each month! A true honor around these parts! Make sure you ask to see the award in person next time you come by our offices.  It is full of personality from adornments attached by each winner.  Keep the creative juices flowing out there - they make life that much more interesting!!

Celebrating the 2010 Interior Design Excellence Awards!

The Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Virginia /
West Virginia Chapter of the International Interior Designer Association (IIDA) hosted the 2010 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) gala event on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia. 
 

Photo by Chris Anderson

In the months leading up to this event, the KSA Interiors team was hard at work, with the many other volunteers and sponsors, preparing the Bollywood themed decorations including colorful paper flowers, custom cupcake stands to serve as table centerpieces with delicious cupcakes from from a local shop called Two Sweet, festive "bling" for the sponsored "Bling Booth" complete with bangles, bindis, and temporary henna tattoos, and much more.  The RVA Hoop Lovers also made an appearance at the Awards gala, positioned throughout the space to perform hoop dancing to bollywood themed music playing in the auditorium and corridors.

   

Congratulations to all of the awardees including the six students awarded for their entries at this year's event.  Lisa Tucker, professor at Virginia Tech and current ASID VA Chapter President, was recognized for supporting her students to enter the competition. There was a record number of student entries this year and ASID / IIDA hopes to see this continue!

 

Photo by Al Wekelo

KSA Interiors received the First Place award in the Government Contract category for the interior design of the Farmville – Prince Edward Community Library in Farmville, Virginia.  This new community library was designed to provide a creative children’s area, comfortable and sophisticated adult spaces, and community meeting areas within the library environment. The design solution takes advantage of views to the adjacent lake and the connection of nature is brought in with large amounts of natural light and the use of natural materials. The children’s area has design elements reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. The judges commented on the environment and how it encourages imagination and creativity for all ages, “What a library should be!”  A First place in the Government Category for the design of the Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library in Farmville, VA was awarded to Lorri Finn (CID, IIDA, LEED AP), Mary Katherine Crouch(ASID, LEED AP), Sara Lasseter (CID, ASID, SEGD, LEED AP), and Joanna Yates (Associate Member IIDA, LEED AP) with KSA Interiors in Glen Allen, VA. Architecture by The Design Collaborative.

Photo by Philip Beaurline

In the Institutional Contract category, KSA also received a First Place award for the interior design of the Midlothian Campus Phase II Building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, VA.  This award was accepted by Lorri Finn (CID, IIDA, LEED AP), Brandy Collins (Allied Member ASID), Sara Lasseter (CID, ASID, SEGD, LEED AP), and Joanna Yates (Associate Member IIDA, LEED AP) with KSA Interiors. Architecture for this project was done by Burt Hill Architects.  This entry in the Institutional Category was for a 60,000 square foot education facility containing a variety of laboratories, a student library, student lounge, and campus bookstore for a local community college. The judges commented on the materials and furnishings that provided a more comfortable setting as well as the inspiring color palette.

Photo by Christopher Good

KSA Interiors received an award in the Custom category for the Signage and Wayfinding Graphics Package for the new MWV Foundry Park Headquarters in Richmond, Virginia.  For this project, the design team was asked to create the signage and wayfinding package for the new headquarters building. Utilizing the design concept of the “fold” in package design, the designers created super graphics for the stairs that folded around the walls as well as a fold element as part of the room signage. The barcode concept was used in the garage to support the floor numbering. Custom signage was also developed for key destination areas in the building and was named to support the site location, Iron Works (for the gym), Riverside Café, and Foundry Perk. The judges commented on how well the signage package supported the color scheme and design package for the facility. An Honorable mention in the Custom Category for the design of the signage package for the MWV Headquarters building in Richmond, VA was awarded to Christopher Good (CID, ASID, LEED AP), Sara Lasseter (CID, ASID, SEGD, LEED AP), and Erin Riggan (Allied Member ASID, LEED AP) with KSA Interiors in Glen Allen, VA.

We would like to thank all of the Sponsors and Volunteers once more for their invaluable assistance in making this year's IDEA Awards gala a spectacular event!  We look foward to seeing you there next year!!

For more details and posts about the awards, visit the KSA Interiors Facebook Page.
**(You can link to the ASID Virginia and IIDA Facebook Pages from this link as well!)

 

Project Spotlight! Branchlands Retirement Community

A true compliment to the beauty and history of Charlottesville, Virginia, Branchlands Retirement Community mirrors the appearance of a historic plantation or a high-end hospitality resort. This beautiful independent-living retirement community is located on 26 landscaped acres that provide walking paths, a lake, flower gardens, and a fishing pond for residents and visitors.



Photo by Heather Croy

 "I felt a sense of history when I first walked through the doors,” said Mary Katherine Crouch, ASID, LEED AP, Project Manager, and Interior Designer for this project. The refurbished “Manor House” was built circa 1860. Over the years, the house has been enlarged, extended, and renovated as it was home to several Virginia families. The Catholic Church of the Incarnation owned the Manor House from the 1930’s to 1980 during which it served as the Holy Comforter School, a residence for nuns, and later as a rectory for housing priests.  In 1980, the Manor House and surrounding acreage was purchased and age-restricted apartments were constructed within the two buildings adjacent to the Manor House. In 2008, the current owner purchased the community and hired KSA Interiors to bring life back to this now stunning community.



Photo by Philip Beaurline

 The Manor House required refurbishing to refresh the existing appearance of the interiors. New finishes and lighting were incorporated throughout. Focus was placed on the dining rooms, movie and exercise room, parlor, and offices located in the Manor House which serves as the community center and provides administrative offices. Two adjacent apartment buildings were also renovated to accommodate resident rooms and additional offices.

The ultimate goal of our client was to maintain the original grandeur and traditional core of the Manor House while providing an environment with accessible options appropriate for the everyday lives of its senior residents.

With finishes and lighting complete, KSA's design team embarked on staging the Manor House for the Grand Re-Opening. To achieve the desired results with a modest budget, KSA Interiors' team reused existing furniture and accessories available from the Manor House. The furniture pieces were refurbished and placed strategically in different settings throughout the Manor House, and the remaining budget was used to repair or replace artwork and purchase complimentary accessories. The intended appearance was as cohesive, classic, and beautiful as the residents and staff had imagined.

Submitted by
KSA Interiors