A very warm thank you to everyone who joined us for our open house party! We had a great time and it was wonderful gather with friends, associates and colleagues. We want to thank everyone that has helped make MSA the successful firm that it is today and look forward to another 40 years to come.
We are proud to announce that we are relocating our main office to 360 Plaza in Oakland, California. Stay tune for the new office opening party.
The high from NeoCon has just about faded and as various organizations prepare their Post NeoCon events, we thought it was time for us to share what we thought of this year’s event. NeoCon is a three day event where over 50,000 design professionals view and interact with new products from over 700 manufacturers within the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, Illinois. Debbie Loughran and Ed Frey represented the MSA team this year and here is a bit of what they shared upon their return:
Color:
After years of bold, saturated colors, we’re very happy to start seeing a much softer color palette. There was an array of interesting combinations – colors from different eras mixed with beautiful earth tones. Blush made a strong appearance and it’s safe to say it’s the color of the moment.
Workplace:
As the line between work and home continues to blur, residential was a big theme this year. West Elm’s collaboration with Inscape was creating a buzz with their variety of mid-century, modern, industrial, and contemporary styles. Herman Miller (a favorite of the MSA office), is having a lot of fun this season – they shared whimsical color palettes across a variety of their mid-century modern styled pieces and are also playing with residential inspired themes. OFS delivered on its tech-friendly, DIY sensibility. Their casual but elegant palettes have always left you feeling at home, fitting right in with this year’s overarching theme. Haworth showcased their collaboration with Patricia Urquolia and is redefining the workplace. Their pieces soften the look of the relationship between workplace and technology. Geiger is using tapestries to remind us of their dedication to sophistication and refinement.
Flexibility:
We all understand the value of real estate and that maximizing space is essential. Knoll and Steelcase showed that being able to provide power at ANY spot within an open space is not only valuable, but possible! Watson provides a great solution to the bench delivering ultimate flexibility with an agile center deck that allows users to adjust based on function, workstyle, and personal preference.
Technology:
Steelcase has always been the leader in research driven design and they did not disappoint this year. An accessory they chose to showcase was their “smart” panel. You’re able to program the panel to communicate a wide range of information – a name plate, meeting reminders, break reminders, and can been illuminated either green or red to inform neighbors if you’re available.
From a diversity of color and beautiful textiles to redefining the bench system and ergonomic solutions to lounge seating, NeoCon provided an incredible amount of inspiration that MSA can’t wait to start incorporating into projects as we partner with current and future clients! Take a look through the photos below to see some of the products mentioned above and keep in mind, there’s only 328 days until NeoCon 2016!
Welcome to the first installment of Meet MSA! This is where we will be featuring one staff member each month and sharing a bit about their contributions to our team. Check out the whole team here and be sure to follow us on social media to see who we feature next!
Ron's passion for architecture started to take shape as a kid growing up in Newport, RI. He would sketch buildings rooted in fantasy and science fiction and would later explore more realistic forms as dense urban landscapes. He studied architecture in college and pulled inspiration from working as a tour guide of the gilded mansions he grew up around and studying art and architecture in Florence, Italy.
Before joining the MSA team, Ron was an in-house store designer with Starbucks Coffee, where he had the opportunity to work in Seattle, San Francisco, and London - supporting their new store growth in the UK and Ireland. Because of Ron's Starbucks background and previous retail experience, he has taken the lead on MSA's Starbucks projects and is currently working on locations in Novato, Sacramento, and San Francisco along with One Market Plaza. These projects have allowed Ron to connect with city agencies, which stimulates thinking about information in a different way, something he values greatly.
When Ron isn't preparing a coffee tasting for our weekly staff meeting, he can be found attending any number of live performances in the city. he subscribes to the full seasons of the SF Symphony, SF Playhouse, New Conservatory Theatre Center, American Conservatory Theater, and Magic Theater. For live bands he frequents The Independent, The Fillmore, The Fox, The Chapel, Slims, and Great American Music Hall.
Jonathan stumbled across his passion for design in a very familiar place - Lego's. After building his ideas as a kid, he found himself sketching interiors during high school algebra and would later help build stage props for theater productions. It was at this point that he realized his excitement for taking ideas from sketch to reality.
Jonathan earned his Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from The Art Institute and after a few positions with independent architects and furniture companies, was brought into MSA as a consultant. His skill and technique in 3D rendering (among other things) elevated MSA's design presentations and after a few short months, Jonathan was offered a full-time position. He is currently working on new offices for Universal Music Group at 201 Spear, a new Philz Coffee location in Hollywood, and Macy's retail in both Guam and Downtown Los Angeles.
As a Sunday school teacher, Jonathan is heavily involved with his church and can usually be found bowling, playing basketball, or connecting with his inner Bobby Fisher through a game of chess.
MSA has experience designing retail spaces at a variety of scales and we are always looking at how trends are evolving so we can provide clients with effective strategies. In response to last night’s Retail Tech Summit with the Northern California chapter of the Retail Design Institute (RDI) and SF Design Week, we’re looking at retail spaces and how technology is altering the way people experience retail environments. Macala Wright is a strategic and analytical marketer and is a columnist for PSFK and MASHABLE. In November of last year, after The Future of Retail conference in San Francisco, Macala wrote a piece that provided strategies for designing retail spaces: Tech + Aesthetics: 4 Ways to Design Retail Stores People Want to Shop In. The article looks at how retailers should know who their customers are and how they shop, the relationships with their customers, how employees are trained, and how shoppers are utilizing their mobile devices while shopping. MSA has several projects in the pipeline in which our designers have looked at these very things to provide our clients with the very best environments and strategies to market their products and brands. Be sure to follow us on social media and check-in to the website regularly to stay updated with our latest projects.
