Fourth Street Lofts Web Log

Thanks for the many constructive comments. Most people who commented on my proposal did so via e-mail, so I'll respond here so that you can all get a feel for what we're talking about.

First, thanks for the positive comments about the mock-up itself. It's easy to do this sort of thing. A digital camera and PhotoShop are about all that's needed. If you'd like a copy of the 14.4 megabyte PhotoShop file, just click here. Open it in PhotoShop, select the wall layer and adjust its color and hue. Fun!

Responses so far have been unanimously positive. That's good. Maybe we'll finally make at least some of this happen.

Most of you seem to agree that we do not necessarily need to adhere to a specific theme - that is to say one floor may have historic photos of the area - another contemporary work by building residents, etc. The idea of giving artists in the building a chance to display their work on a 6 month rotating sechedule seems popular. I support the idea, but there would need to be some rather strict guidelines, and if artwork was not anchored to walls in some "permanent" way, I have a feeling that it would walk off. I hope I'm wrong about this, but...

Someone mentioned frames. Framing these images would be nice, but would add significantly to the cost of the project. In my mock-ups, I depict images mounted on masonite with a "floater" frame behind, and a protective coating sprayed on. I have dozens of images mounted this way at home and in my office here at work. Some are more than 10 years old, and they still look great. No warping or discoloration. It's worth noting that the images, as shown, are quite large - approximately four feet wide. Framing and matting a large-ish image always costs much more than the image itself.

One of you suggested that we may need to take the color of the stained loft doors into consideration. I'm not sure I agree, but I did have the bright orange elevator door in mind when I put the bright orange tulip shot on the wall of the 2nd floor mock-up. :-)

Most agree that a dramatic color scheme is best. I agree! If I'm going to go to all the trouble of applying three coats of paint, I want people to notice. Also, I seem to recall hearing or reading Ansel Adams suggestion that images should be displayed against walls with 18% reflectivity. (I can't seem to find verification of this anywhere.) That's pretty dark.

Some of you prefer bright, lively color artwork, others prefer strictly black and white images. I go either way, although I give color a slight edge. One of you noticed that the yellow tulips juxtaposed with the picture of our multi-colored staircase makes an interesting composition. This does not work without color. On the other hand, black and white is easier in many respects, and possibly easier to pull off without offending anyone.

Nearly everyone (including me) would like to see the lighting upgraded. This could be done fairly inexpensively. Of course, the current lighting is high-efficiency fluorescent. I'd definitely like to see incandescent lights, but they will draw more power, and will need to be replaced more frequently. Things to consider.

Pretty much all of you have offered to help paint. That's great. I painted professionally many years ago, and can assure you that my work would be as good as it gets. If I were overseeing this project, I'd make sure that high standards were used throughout. I would ensure that the walls were cleaned and primed using the highest quality materials. I have in mind something like the Ralph Lauren textured paints. They're not cheap, but we do want this to look good, right?

I'm very happy to hear that other in our wonderful building feel the way I do. We have some momentum now - let's just do it!