For over about two years I've been trying to figure out what the hell to do with our huge wall in the upstairs stairwell opposite the glass wall. There was never a concrete plan for it during the construction but just a general idea that we would use leftover material from the wall to create some type of glass light sculpture. The one crack that the architect took at designing it did nothing for us so we scrapped the idea of having him work on it. Our ex-contractor threw out some half-formed ideas that might have worked with more planned but nothing really seemed to take root. The space is so big that it demands something complex and 3-D and it requires some sort of incorporation with the two electrical light points we have as well. Until a couple of weeks ago we had absolutely no idea what to do so we just did nothing.
This is the current space, measuring 116 inches tall and 120 inches wide
Then Eric had a flash of brilliance that satisfied both an aesthetic and a practical need for the space. Since this is the main wall to the open staircase below and sound travels up and through the open stair like a wind tunnel, Eric thought we could put acoustical wall panels in this space. We used similar panels all throughout his recording studio downstairs and in his research he came across thin, multi-colored, stackable faux-suede panels that could be arranged in a pattern. The panels come in 2 feet x 2 feet sizes and go up in increments of 1-2 feet in width. They come in both 1 and 2 inch thickness but we would use the thinner ones and stack them on top of each other for a layered effect. Eric's panels downstairs were made of more of a burlap type material, were much thicker and hung off the walls like picture frames. These come with nails that can be used for "impaling" the backs of the panels and stacking them on top of one another. The panels can easily be cut out to accommodate fixtures they have to go over and around, like a light point. So, let's see, not only do we get to "impale" things, but we get a cool, custom made by us wall sculpture that actual blocks sound from traveling quite so well between the floors of our house—sound like a bonus to me.
Here is an example of how they stack:
Here is the rough design I put together for the space using their color panels that appear to match closest with our colors in the glass wall and around the house. We've ordered sample swatches just to confirm, but you get the basic idea.
For the lights we would cut out holes in the two large green panels for these 6"x6" mini-sandwich halogen lights from Vibia. They would stick out another inch and half past the panels so you can see the light coming out of the sides as well.
At a later date we would probably put some more of these panels on the side walls in the staircase to help reinforce the design, but nothing as complex as this. We just going to get this wall done for now and see how it looks before tackling the other spaces. Who knows this might be too many panels for one wall and we might have to transfer some to the ajoining walls. Or we might need more. All I know is shortly after we get the samples we'll be ordering these up so expect to see some progress soon!
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