Design Collective is celebrating our 45th year of service!

This landmark makes DCI the longest continuously operated commercial interiors firm in Ohio. We are celebrating this benchmark with a renewed commitment to our core mission, established by founder, Bob Valentine. Still to this day, we listen and deliver functional, impactful design solutions for our clients…not for ourselves.

As Bob transitioned into retirement earlier this year, we proudly announce that former Associate Brent LaCount has become a Principal of the firm, joining David Cooke and Gene McHugh in the firm’s leadership.

We are also announcing the renewal of our current office lease, which will include a significant renovation of the spaces we have called “home” for the past 15 years. The renovation will be completed by the end of this calendar year. We are also announcing the addition of new staff; two new members are joining DCI this month alone.

“Anniversaries are a good time for reflection and renewal.” says David Cooke, Principal, “We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to DCI’s longevity and to our fulfilling the mission started in 1969.”

Stay tuned for announcements regarding the renovation of our office and staff additions!

The spooky time of year is near, Halloween will soon be here! DCI & spacemates, MurphyEpson, turned up the monster mash songs and pulled out the carving knives to create these gems! This year's Pumpkin Carving winning team is Gene McHugh (DCI) & Leah Salyers (ME) with their samurai pumpkin. Have a great Halloween from everyone at DCI.

Columbus C.E.O. magazine's new feature, "Office Space", will be highlighting DCI projects in their October and Novemeber issue. The current October issue profiled GBQ Partners and the November issue features Thompson Hine. Pick up a copy today to see the full write up. Click DCI's Office tab at the top of the page to view these and similar projects.

DCI was able to grab a shot of our newest project, Styleout, before opening at Easton Town Center.

Styleout is part of the recent beauty trend, blow-dry bars, which focus on a relaxing shampoo followed by a professional blow-out and style to go. Blow-dry bar’s do not offer cuts or color treatments. DCI worked closely with the client to develop the initial concept design, finishes, furniture, lighting, and accessories. This is the first of three stores to open this year.

This summer KMH is proud to open their newly constructed, Rapid Recovery Therapy Household. The household features a spa-like setting for residents, as well as seniors living in the community, to receive outpatient rehabilitation services.

DCI, in conjuction with Anderson Knight Architectd, is also assisting KMH in recrafting their entire 15-acre senior living community into supportive ‘household” environments, reflecting their philosophy of culture change in order to provide exceptional person-centered care.

Check our Senior Living Portfolio to view additional photos for this and other similar projects.

Candy McDowall, DCI’s interior designer, snapped a few photos of the newly renovated Deupree Club Room at Episcopal Retirement Homes in Cincinnati, OH. By relocating the center staircase, this space now opens into a large gathering room, perfect for hosting the Community’s many gatherings.

DCI traveled to Chicago to participate in NeoCon 2013, the largest interior design trade show in North America. It’s a virtual sea of this year’s most innovative and noteworthy furniture, carpet, casegoods, textiles, lighting and accessories.

“You’re able to engage and learn about the latest product lines within each creative showroom”, says Randy Roberty, DCI’s newest addition, “You return energized and ready to ‘hit the ground running’ to continue providing our client’s with the best design solutions and products.”

NeoCon is where exhibitors showcase their new and upcoming products and resources which apply to various market sectors.

“At DCI it’s important we stay plugged into the new product features available so we can sift through and provide our client’s with solutions that meet their continuously changing design needs,” said Eugene McHugh, Principal. His focus was on several project specific applications for desking and demountable wall systems. The amount of acoustic and visual privacy variations for desking solutions are increasing as clients are assessing how open their floor plan wants to be. Also, the functional and aesthetics for demountable wall systems are improving while their costs continue to get more competitive with gypsum board partitions.

Gene McHugh, Design Collective Principal, returned from the biannual conference for ONE Global Design Platform. ONE Global is a composition of compatible design firms in our own respective markets who share one common approach- delivering superior design solutions and personalized customer service.

This conference, in conjunction with NEOCON 2013, focused on member firm and project updates as well as marketing & technology integration.

Design Collective is ramping up for upcoming  projects with member firms, Fox Architects in Washington DC and  Visnick & Caulfield Associates in Boston.

Learn more at http://www.oneglobaldesign.com

In early spring DCI completed renovations at Porter Wright’s Cincinnati location. Our role was to renovate the primary meeting spaces, café space, office branding, and update finishes for about 50% of the 19,000 sf floor in the Chiquita Center.

DCI is excited to continue our collaboration with Porter Wright to create their new 9,000 SF space in the Washington D.C. area.

Click on the Office link to view other similar projects DCI has completed for clients.  

We are excited to announce that David Cooke & Candy McDowall will be at the Columbus Convention Center on September 11th to give a talk at the LeadingAge, Ohio Annual Conference & Trade Show.  The topic for discussion will be, "Changes in Interior colors for Senior Living". 

Learn more about LeadingAge Ohio by clicking here to visit their website.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, LeadingAge Ohio is a nonprofit organization that represents approximately 400 nonprofit long-term care organizations located in more than 150 Ohio towns and cities, as well as those providing ancillary health care and housing services. Member organizations serve more than 50,000 elderly Ohioans daily and employ more than 20,000 persons statewide. 

Prior to unlocking the doors on opening day. City Barbeque sent us this photo of the latest project we have completed with them in Carmel, Indiana. This “joint”, as they refer to their locations, can be found in the newly renovated The Center Shopping Center on South Range Line Road.

We have enjoyed working with the wonderful people at City Barbeque on many projects over the past several years.  With six new restaurants (number seven now under construction) and updating of six existing joints. We wish them great success in Carmel!

New Business Affiliation Expands DCI Competiveness in Markets Across North America ONE Global Design Platform to operate with 15 member companies

Design Collective Incorporated (DCI), regularly named by Interior Design magazine as one of the “Top Giants” in the U.S. will partner with 14 similarly successful North American design firms to provide coast to coast services for businesses seeking superior, consistent interior design solutions in multiple markets. The group will form the ONE Global Design Platform with offices in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC.

“We are very excited about this new collaboration. It will give our clients a platform for instant access to ‘best in class’ architectural and design firms in America and Canada who are known for their design innovation and customer service. This strategic collaboration will allow us to bring together a team of professionals who know the client, the market, and have the specialized expertise to create a first-class finished product,” said David Cooke, Principal, Design Collective Incorporated.

“With all of the mergers and realignments of the past decade, we recognize the importance of serving our clients affordably as they expand into other markets,” says Eugene McHugh, Principal, Design Collective Incorporated. “As a founding member of ONE Global Design Platform, we now can serve our clients in every major city in the United States and Canada, including major markets on the east and west coasts.”

The ONE approach will provide a consistent, principal-led team who will know a company, its brand, its standards and its overall business goals. The local, core team will provide the design and delivery while the ONE Global Design Platform members will bring city-specific knowledge, code compliance and ready access to the project site. The combination of 15 member firms will assure a high level of creativity, experience and wisdom as clients move into other markets, and seek consistency and creativity in their offices and other commercial interior projects.

Founded in 1969, Design Collective Incorporated is an independent, interior architectural firm providing design services for hospitality, corporate offices, senior living, and retail users. Now in its fourth decade, the firm has a national reputation and client base.