International Wood International Wood 2006 | Page 56

A wall of Lyptus® wood and table of African
mahogany complement each other beautifully in the
main conference room of the Brookfield, Wisconsin,
law offices of Davis & Kuelthau, S.C.
The Art of
Law Office
Design
Imported Wood at Work
“The client really wanted
to use forward-looking
materials, and the fact that
three generations of Lyptus®
can grow from the same
planting in 50-years’ time
really appealed to their
desire to use sustainable
materials.”
Chad Griswold
56 i m p o r t e d
wood
Arriving at work, Justine checks her schedule
and immediately reserves the large conference
room for the better part of the day. She’s meeting
with an important potential client and wants to
make sure they soak in the warmth and Zen-like
design of the large African mahogany “smart”
conference table – fully wired for data and
power – and the Lyptus®-wood wall and ceiling
elements. She takes a moment to soak it in as
well – the new office was carefully designed with
imported woods throughout to create a calming
yet sophisticated atmosphere.
T
he law firm of Davis & Kuelthau, S.C., has
several offices throughout Wisconsin and
wanted to make their newest in Brookfield, a
Milwaukee suburb, a showcase of good design
and modern technology.
Vetter Denk Architecture, an award-
winning Milwaukee-based firm who designed
some of D&K’s other offices, was given the
task of creating a fresh interior within a fairly
staid office park setting. The firm has done
many high-profile residential and commercial
projects across North America, working with a
variety of materials, from raw panel products in
a postmodern prefab house concept, to glass,
steel, and of course, rare and exotic woods and
veneers. The firm’s focus is on design that’s
clean but not cold, and delivering an artisan
level of craftsmanship no matter what material
they work in.
“One of the main ideas right from the start
was to create a comforting, serene feeling into
the main lobby area so people aren’t over-
whelmed or intimidated as they enter. Achieving
this effect has a lot to do with the color palette,
use of materials, and just letting the warmth of
wood really speak. The muted properties of the
slate floor, etched glass, and creative lighting
help as well,” says Chad Griswold, designer at
Vetter Dank.
“We considered many of what you might
call ‘typical’ species for a project like this
– maple, cherry, and dark walnut. We also
thought about African mahogany, which is
one of our favorite wood species to work with.
We had recently received a sample of Lyptus®
in the mail, along with literature describing its
sustainability advantages, and decided that this
fit best with the firm’s design goals.
“They really wanted to use forward-looking
materials, and the fact that three generations of
Lyptus® can grow from the same planting in