Project Profiles

Recently, design firm Rinka was tasked with redesigning a historical building located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. This building serves as the headquarters for Zizzo Group, the Midwest’s premier digital engagement firm. Since 1866, this particular building located on 131 South 1st Street has housed everything from grocery stores, a distillery, a lighting gallery and even a speakeasy during the Prohibition era. Broad and stately, Zizzo Group…

At MDC, we measure success in many ways, but one of our priorities when manufacturing our products is long-term beauty. We want our clients to trust that specifying MDC products ensures stylish spaces that will look just as good years down the road. With this in mind, we are pleased to take a look back at a special project we participated in over 12 years ago, a world-famous…

As original and eye-catching as the design was, something was missing. Applied directly to the painted wall, the montage of images fell flat. Then Director of Design Pam Valenta had an idea to use Vycon Legacy Pivot wallcovering from MDC as the base for the digital images. The design took on a rich look, full of dimension. It became the dynamic “Mexican toile” Valenta had envisioned for the…

Educational designers might learn a thing or two from Julie Williams of Larson & Darby Group in Rockford, Illinois. The firm received the AIA Prairie Chapter’s 2018 Excellence Award for Interior Design, having turned an Illinois high school into a space where school pride is high and the noise low, thanks to her creative use of Zintra acoustical ceiling clouds from MDC. “Schools love any and all opportunities…

At first glance, you’d swear you were looking at a full-scale renovation of the second floor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In truth, the interior design team transformed the Digestive Diseases clinic of the Thalians Health Center into a more inviting space simply by installing a custom digital mural. Vivid lotus flowers create an inviting atmosphere for patients and staff alike. It had been years since the clinic’s last…

The more familiar you are with your favorite grocery store, the faster you can shop up and down the aisles. Senior Interior Designer Vicki Wiesman remembers this when choosing materials for a Kroger Grocery Store remodel. “We like patterns and products that are timeless but trending, within budget, and can withstand the elements, because it’s hard to disrupt the customer experience with a renovation,” Wiesman says. After all,…

Interior design is the closest thing we have to time travel. An apartment complex clubhouse in the Chicago suburbs recently moved out of the 1990s and into modern day, under the expert eye of Creative Director Paul Polk of dL Design Chicago. He combined colors and textures to achieve a more sophisticated image for the property, including Factory wallcoverings from MDC. “Our objective was to modernize the clubhouse…

Like the cover of a book, a hotel lobby sets expectations. It projects an image that tells guests they’ve come to the right place. Hotelier Amy Gamble uses MDC Dimension Walls to create a first impression that makes a lasting impact. Gamble and her husband began buying, renovating and selling hotels approximately 14 years ago. Their company, Area Code Hotels, currently owns six properties and recently put the…

There’s a lot riding on the interior design of Flywheel cycling studios. Heart-pounding, music-driven workouts keep Flywheel members coming back for more. And Zintra acoustic panels keep that energizing music right where it belongs: inside the studio. The originator of stadium-style cycling, Flywheel has studios in 16 U.S. cities and Dubai, and the company continues to expand. Design Manager Jacqueline Showalter is part of the team that plans,…

Even an expert eye can’t tell the difference. The ceiling appears to be made of metal panels that lend a silvery sheen to the sleek interiors of the New Medical Office Building for Joliet Oncology-Hematology Associates (JOHA) in New Lenox, Illinois. In reality, the panels are an inexpensive gypsum board coated in LiquaPearl metallic paint from MDC. The illusion was dreamed up by Kaleb Yanko and Bret Mitchell…

There’s that moment when you hang a painting and the beauty of a newly appointed space becomes perfectly complete. Interior Designer DeNae Krzyzanowkski of Linden Group Architects used framed artwork to finish her transformation of a historical bank into an 18-room boutique hotel in Homewood, Ill., with a distinctive French theme. But rather than actually purchase art, Krzyzanowski created custom digital wallcoverings with MDC, applied them to the…

SERA Architects had a small budget and a big idea when they set about renovating the third floor of their offices in Portland, Oregon. They wanted more communal space where designers and project managers could collaborate. They envisioned a new, experimental workstyle, and they created it with an open floor plan and FUZE Dry Erase Paint. The new third floor space brings together SERA’s Urban Design & Planning…

A two-year growth spurt prompted Laurens Restoration to update their offices after more than two decades running a successful business. They know a thing or two about breathing new life into a space, given their experience in restoring homes and businesses after a disaster. When it came time for their own office refresh, Laurens discovered a new purpose for their walls. FUZE Dry Erase Paint. A coat of…

Glenbrook North High School ranks among the top schools in Illinois and nationally, due largely to its focus on individual creativity. It’s an innovative school with access to all of the latest computers and classroom wizardry they need to create a dynamic learning environment. But the best technology they have, according to Chief Innovation Officer Ryan Bretag, is the dry erase paint that covers the walls. “When ideas…

“Getting white boards into our classrooms was one of our priorities for this year,” explains Nettelhorst Principal Cindy Wulbert. They hoped to replace their outdated chalkboards, some of which were in such bad shape that you couldn’t even write on them. But the school realized whiteboards weren’t feasible because they are costly, and because of the space they require. Then new Nettelhorst teacher Jason Merel suggested they experiment…