Environmental Graphics: Basement Turned Cavern

Splunk, an operational intelligence company based in San Francisco, came to architectural design firm Nichols Booth Architects looking to transform their basement into an underground cave. Nichols partnered with Designtex to curate and produce imagery that would complement the stone-like furniture that filled the space.

Trending: Designtex’s Joanne Rarangol says designers are all about bringing the outside in: plywood, greenery, textures, and picturesque scenes are big favorites. Photo courtesy of Jasper Sanidad.

Rarangol says she’s seeing many companies like Splunk looking for a floor-to-ceiling transformation “so you’re encompassed in the whole environment.” This project spanned about 1400 square feet of 3M Controltac 180C-10 printed on the company’s EFI Vutek GS3250LX Pro and laminated with 3M Scotchcal 8519.

Rarangol works as a liaison between end users (architects and designers) and the production department. Designtex Surface Imaging isn’t your average print shop, however. The staff is made up of artists and photographers who collaborate with firms to create and curate any design experience imaginable.

Rarangol says she’s seen a change in the importance graphics hold in designers’ plans in recent years: “Before, a lot of that piece was at the tail end. … ‘Oh, there’s one wall, we need a graphic.’” Now, graphics are an integrated part of the design process. It’s all about telling that story, Rarangol adds: “It’s really what seals the whole thing together.”

Read more from Big Picture's May 2017 issue or check out the rest of our environmental graphics series:

Environmental Graphics: Fresh Wall Wraps

Environmental Graphics: Transforming 25 Libraries

Environmental Graphics: Demystifying Medical Marijuana

Environmental Graphics: A ‘Super Sweet’ Floor