The design theme and name of the ASH NYC 2016 VIP Lounge was Office Space, which merged office culture with the exuberance of the art fair experience, by reinterpreting cubicles, dropped-ceiling panels, and ready made office furnishings. The lounge occupied a 1250 square foot space located at the heart of the Collective Design fair in New York (May 4-8) and featured a 60 foot long modular table, called Office Table, that was made from the same reclaimed heart pinewood used for the new floors at the Whitney Museum.
The piece connected the lounge to the public café program and served as a café, cubicle, bar, lounge, and stage for the event. A series of informal Office Chairs, ran along the edges of the space as a whimsical ensemble of functional sculptures where visitors could gather. In addition to the above, ASH also produced a limited-edition WC4 chair, that was available for purchase on-site.
A flexible system of horizontal blinds enclosed Office Space on all four sides, while clusters of the limited-edition WC4 chair were scattered among office plants to form intimate gathering spaces. Ceiling panels were wrapped in reflective mylar to compose a mirrored drop ceiling.
As floor becomes table, blinds become walls, and ceiling panels become mirrors, a bricolage of standard office elements take on a second life to reveal a space that is at once familiar and unknown.
